You just couldn’t live like a minimalist anymore

[gk10002000]

absolutely yes one can get by on 35000 baht a month/  But you won[t be drinking a lot of booze/  You won't have medical or travel or accident insurance.  cheap rent places are still around.  Noodle soup is still 35 baht.  fried rice dishes are still 55 baht.  You may not do much partying. 

[gk10002000]

On 8/15/2019 at 12:43 AM, Deli said:

Came here 11 years ago, 1st salary 32 k net rent 6 k, got overcharged but still could save some noney and had a honda dream. No booze, no smoke and a gf who earned her own money. Salary for the same job did not increase remarkably in the meantime and poeple still can live on that one.

Not always fun but still much better than in other places.

Yes and while not luxurious, the living is better by most objective measures than probably 40 per cent or more of the rest of the world.   Barrios of Phillipines, shacks of India, etc. 

[sanemax]

8 minutes ago, gk10002000 said:

absolutely yes one can get by on 35000 baht a month/  But you won[t be drinking a lot of booze/  You won't have medical or travel or accident insurance.  cheap rent places are still around.  Noodle soup is still 35 baht.  fried rice dishes are still 55 baht.  You may not do much partying. 

Cheap rent is 4000 Baht .

Three local meals a day 200 Baht .

Thats 10 000 Baht a month , giving you 25 000 Baht to play with

[gk10002000]

1 minute ago, sanemax said:

Cheap rent is 4000 Baht .

Three local meals a day 200 Baht .

Thats 10 000 Baht a month , giving you 25 000 Baht to play with

I agree.  One can get by quite well and be healthy and comfortable.  Maybe even have free wifi if one has a computer, how about a good smart phone?  There are some capital cost outlays to consider.  Visa costs . fees, etc.  No western food is doable.  No traveling around the country much is doable.  No motorbike or car is doable and even then there are ways to get a cheap motor bike.  One can live on 35k.  If that is fun or desirable or necessary is up to one to decide

[sanemax]

3 minutes ago, gk10002000 said:

I agree.  One can get by quite well and be healthy and comfortable.  Maybe even have free wifi if one has a computer, how about a good smart phone?  There are some capital cost outlays to consider.  Visa costs . fees, etc.  No western food is doable.  No traveling around the country much is doable.  No motorbike or car is doable and even then there are ways to get a cheap motor bike.  One can live on 35k.  If that is fun or desirable or necessary is up to one to decide

Western food is 1-300 Baht , twice a week is 1600 Baht per month .

Some condos have free wifi as well , or a few hundred Baht a month

Travel by bus is cheap enough , 600 Baht for 12 hour journeys .

Two trips per month 2400 Baht .

Motor bike hire 2000 Baht a month .

So, thats a Condo , motorbike rent  , Wifi , two western meals a week , two trips per month for 16 000 Baht.................with 20 000 Baht left for the month

[rhodie]

On 8/15/2019 at 10:21 AM, giddyup said:

The Aussie pension is not the same as it was 10 years ago, it's adjusted every year in keeping with the CPI (consumer price index). The single pension is currently around $700 per fortnight, or 14,625 baht.

Single: $926.20 per fortnight in Australia

[UncleMhee]

14 minutes ago, rhodie said:

Single: $926.20 per fortnight in Australia

Sheesh....some people.

As noted in an earlier post, once overseas for six weeks you will lose your supplement of $60.00 per fortnight. If you're here long term it's $867.40 as per the current payment chart.

https://www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/topics/pension-rates-payable-people-outside-australia/29791

[rhodie]

2 minutes ago, UncleMhee said:

Sheesh....some people.

As noted in an earlier post, once overseas for six weeks you will lose your supplement of $60.00 per fortnight. If you're here long term it's $867.40 as per the current payment chart.

https://www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/topics/pension-rates-payable-people-outside-australia/29791

Sheesh?

[watcharacters]

On 8/15/2019 at 11:21 AM, BritManToo said:

Easily if I dumped the gf and kids.

Almost all my spending (40k) goes on them.

 

What's your secret to traveling so much as you report on just 40K  a month?

 

 

 

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, watcharacters said:

What's your secret to traveling so much as you report on just 40K  a month?

Buy cheap tickets, stay in cheap guesthouses, use the bus to get around, fill up evenings with 50c beers.

Don't waste money in coffee shops, limit yourself to 1 a day, take 3in1 packets of coffee and a mug to use in your hotel room and at the airports. All the Viet chain coffee shops (Highlands Coffee) sell coffee plus baguette for $2.

$30/day including room is enough.

 

July long weekend (5 nights) to Da Nang cost 7,000bht including plane tickets.

April trip (12 nights) to Siagon and Phnom Penh went over budget 12,000bht (due to illness I just flew back)

January to Siem Reap (8 nights) cost around 9,000bht as I went by bus.

 

I try to keep every trip below 10,000bht.

Edited August 16, 2019 by BritManToo

[gearbox]

38 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Buy cheap tickets, stay in cheap guesthouses, use the bus to get around, fill up evenings with 50c beers.

Don't waste money in coffee shops, limit yourself to 1 a day, take 3in1 packets of coffee and a mug to use in your hotel room and at the airports. All the Viet chain coffee shops (Highlands Coffee) sell coffee plus baguette for $2.

$30/day including room is enough.

 

July long weekend (5 nights) to Da Nang cost 7,000bht including plane tickets.

April trip (12 nights) to Siagon and Phnom Penh went over budget 12,000bht (due to illness I just flew back)

January to Siem Reap (8 nights) cost around 9,000bht as I went by bus.

 

I try to keep every trip below 10,000bht.

1 USD = 23230 Vietnamese dongs

 

In Danang last year July/August:

 

can of beer 330 ml on the beach - 15000 dongs

fresh coconut on the beach - 20000 dongs

Vietnamese baguette roll - 10000-12000 dongs

Air conditioned bus from the main beach area to the airport - 5000 dongs

Vietnamese coffee on the beach in the morning - 10000 dongs

1 kg very good avocado at the market - 25000-30000 dongs

Aircon/cable tv hotel room 350m from the beach - $20 usd

[giddyup]

2 hours ago, losworld said:

sadly many don't have a choice so why be so harsh?

I'm non-discriminatory, I wouldn't keep a dog in some falangs houses either.

[gearbox]

3 hours ago, Selatan said:

Haha. BBB all available, maybe at prices and quality not to your liking. Local prostitutes are getting rarer, most are foreigners (Thai,Viet,Indo,China). We do have a legal casino, one hour away, 6000 feet high to escape the heat once in a while. 

Malaysia was my intended destination initially, but the place looks more structured and orderly. It starts looking more and more like Singapore. Thailand IMO is more fun, in the middle between Malaysia and Cambodia funwise.

[Kwasaki]

On 8/15/2019 at 6:03 PM, georgegeorgia said:

I wonder how the foreign teachers live on 40k a month?

???? ???? ???? some people here on TV never know what is possible they live in their own bubble.

My Oz mate lived on 15,00bht as a teacher and he could save money too only a little bit but still and ran his Ninja 650 back forth to school.

[georgegeorgia]

You got to remember the subject of the OP thread was nearly 80

 

once you get older you spend far less, he went to bed at around 9pm most nights

 

 

[BritManToo]

45 minutes ago, georgegeorgia said:

You got to remember the subject of the OP thread was nearly 80

once you get older you spend far less, he went to bed at around 9pm most nights

I also go to bed at 9pm most nights.

But I get up at 6am, and am out cycling or hiking by 7:30 or 8am.

Whats the point in missing the coolest part of the day?

[Nyezhov]

17 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I also go to bed at 9pm most nights.

But I get up at 6am, and am out cycling or hiking by 7:30 or 8am.

Whats the point in missing the coolest part of the day?

Im up pissing at 04:20, lay in bed for an hour and go. Mornings are the best since all the jerk offs that ruin folks fun usually come out at night and are thus asleep early in the am.

 

[brokenbone]

i also knew an old man that was genuinely happy over

how much money he saved, he was also very frugal.

i was a bit the same for the first year or so,

but i lost the plot and cant get back into my real self

[Kadilo]

On 8/15/2019 at 5:11 AM, Joe Mcseismic said:

This thread is going to be like a red rag to a bull for all the ultra cheap Charlies.........

.........and the “ I am considerably more richer than you” brigade. 

[Nyezhov]

33 minutes ago, Kadilo said:

.........and the “ I am considerably more richer than you” brigade. 

Im considerably richer than a lot of you, yet at the same time cheaper.

[Selatan]

4 hours ago, gearbox said:

Malaysia was my intended destination initially, but the place looks more structured and orderly. It starts looking more and more like Singapore. Thailand IMO is more fun, in the middle between Malaysia and Cambodia funwise.

True, if you are looking for the Puss 'n' Booze lifestyle, then Thailand is definitely better than Malaysia because Thailand has a huge supply of sex workers (including under-aged ones) and a lower tax on alcohol. On the other hand, if you are looking for a place to retire, then I think Malaysia is the better option in Asia.

 

Best Places to Retire in 2019

 

If you are a farang that is looking for a wife then Thailand is also the better choice because the level of poverty there is still pretty high at 7.9% compared to Malaysia's 0.6%. Most Malaysian men that have taken Thai wives, tend to take them back to live in Malaysia. See how many stereotypes that you could detect in this funny song by a Malaysian singer:

 

 

[bkkcanuck8]

On 8/15/2019 at 11:11 AM, Joe Mcseismic said:

This thread is going to be like a red rag to a bull for all the ultra cheap Charlies.........

You may not be able to control how much you make (to a great extent), but you can control what you want.  Basically, if you want less than you have or will ever have you are more likely to be happy.  If you allow what you want to get out of control, you are more likely to be stressed about what you have or make -- and generally will be less happy. 

 

When I look back, I figure I probably wasted (spent money on things I did not need, sometimes because at a certain position you are expected to) probably enough to send a whole small town to University (ok very small town)...  I think I am generally just spending things on necessities and the odd hobby and if that makes me a cheap charlie - so be it.

 

When I was a child, I probably grew up in a house 5 times the size of my townhouse now, and this place is about 2 times the size of what I am renting next...  I basically need or make use of maybe 3 rooms (not including the bathroom), my computer room (aka office), a place to sleep, and a place to cook...  everything has to have a function... and the side effect it is easier not to get carried buying stuff and filling it, and of course... much easier keeping it clean.  One oddity I picked up from my mother is if I invite someone over it has to be spotless... which is why I don't hire a maid... my OCD about it would force me to clean up before she arrived... ????????

[madmen]

On 8/16/2019 at 10:16 AM, theonetrueaussie said:

where?? all the apartments i looked at there were 2000-3000rm a month for 1 bedroom lol.

 

 

my electric is 1000thb month with aircon on 24/7 pretty much but on 25-26C and the room still feels cool.

Being single you can easily live here on 20k month as described in my other post, can go to the beach daily, play tennis, volleyball etc etc. The main reason people cannot live here on 20k month is basically because they spend 20-30k on girls, drinking, smoking a month or have wife and kids as schooling here is expensive as hell.

1k a month for 24/7 Air con? I have to assume you don't have a fride or TV and live via candle light . 

[georgegeorgia]

23 minutes ago, madmen said:

1k a month for 24/7 Air con? I have to assume you don't have a fride or TV and live via candle light . 

Cant believe some of the electricity prices you guys are paying,obviously its the Air con most of you are turning on.

 

 

[daveAustin]

I think you can. If you're a singleton, non-mongerer, non-smoking, non-alcoholic type like this guy was with a basic room, a supposed 20k after digs & utilities would still be a doddle. Married folk with kids, cars n bikes, big houses-zapping high lecky, expensive restaurants/beer etc - not to mention the potential high maintenance cost of their other half - are way out of kilter to where a chap like this is at. You have to take all that tat out of the equation and then have 20k in your hand - a month's worth of noodles and cheap tea, the odd knee-trembler with a walker, no problem.

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎8‎/‎16‎/‎2019 at 6:53 PM, giddyup said:

I've seen where some Thai families live and I wouldn't keep my dog there.

So have I, but what does that have to do with the rooms I was referencing?

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎8‎/‎17‎/‎2019 at 4:08 AM, bkkcanuck8 said:

You may not be able to control how much you make (to a great extent), but you can control what you want.  Basically, if you want less than you have or will ever have you are more likely to be happy.  If you allow what you want to get out of control, you are more likely to be stressed about what you have or make -- and generally will be less happy. 

 

When I look back, I figure I probably wasted (spent money on things I did not need, sometimes because at a certain position you are expected to) probably enough to send a whole small town to University (ok very small town)...  I think I am generally just spending things on necessities and the odd hobby and if that makes me a cheap charlie - so be it.

 

When I was a child, I probably grew up in a house 5 times the size of my townhouse now, and this place is about 2 times the size of what I am renting next...  I basically need or make use of maybe 3 rooms (not including the bathroom), my computer room (aka office), a place to sleep, and a place to cook...  everything has to have a function... and the side effect it is easier not to get carried buying stuff and filling it, and of course... much easier keeping it clean.  One oddity I picked up from my mother is if I invite someone over it has to be spotless... which is why I don't hire a maid... my OCD about it would force me to clean up before she arrived... ????????

Well said. I have lived with tyranny of stuff for decades. Had I bought a lot less, I'd have had more time and money for things I really want to do, like travel ( which is unaffordable for me now ) and an odd knee trembler. The rest is dross.

[giddyup]

30 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

So have I, but what does that have to do with the rooms I was referencing?

You said, "Thai families live in them", not sure what that means exactly. Even a basic room can be turned into squalor, ie a place I wouldn't keep my dog. Clear? Mind you, not all westerners live by high standards either.

Edited August 18, 2019 by giddyup

[thaibeachlovers]

1 minute ago, giddyup said:

You said, "Thai families live in them", that doesn't mean they are habitable by western standards. Even a basic room can be turned into squalor, ie a place I wouldn't keep my dog. Clear? Mind you, not all westerners live by high standards either.

I am aware of all that, but it still doesn't mean that a 2,000 baht a month room in Lamphun is like that. I'd live in one if I had to.

In Pattaya I paid 5,000 baht a month for a very nice room in a nice apartment block with a nice landlady, just off Buakhao. Obviously Lamphun is going to be a lot cheaper for an equivalent room.

[giddyup]

Just now, thaibeachlovers said:

I am aware of all that, but it still doesn't mean that a 2,000 baht a month room in Lamphun is like that. I'd live in one if I had to.

In Pattaya I paid 5,000 baht a month for a very nice room in a nice apartment block with a nice landlady, just off Buakhao. Obviously Lamphun is going to be a lot cheaper for an equivalent room.

I guess I set my sights higher than 2000 baht rooms, and even with an income of 30,000 baht a month I'm sure better than that is affordable, but to some a room is just a roof over their heads.