4 minutes ago, Wongkitlo said:

I can't believe the part about Thai people turning off lights.

To save money is nice but saving the planet is out of my scope and most certainly out of the scope of the majority of Thais.  I'm a fully-fledged climate change denier and I don't care.  I'm all for recycling and doing our bit but will never get excited about turning a light switch off.  

1 minute ago, marqus12 said:

The devaluation of USD is inevitable, the only question is when.

It is impossible to devalue a floating currency, but I catch your drift.

7 hours ago, Eindhoven said:

The government doesn't want anyone to tell the truth speak/write negatively about the economy, as that might jinx it. 

 

6 hours ago, Gecko123 said:

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is the smartest cost saving tip of all. If you can avoid the medical costs associated with chronic disease, you'll save an absolute fortune.

eating healthy in Thailand is 7x the price, gyms with machines that work are Western prices

1 minute ago, cyril sneer said:

eating healthy in Thailand is 7x the price ...

7x the price of what?  Genuine question.

2 minutes ago, cyril sneer said:

eating healthy in Thailand is 7x the price, gyms with machines that work are Western prices

Most of us are so old that it doesn't matter any more.

If I were young, Thai food would give me nightmares.

28 minutes ago, khunPer said:

Sounds pretty much like hoe we used to live in my home country – they probably still live like that – perhaps Thailand is moving up to Western standard...????

 

Many Thai's think they are at, or close to, Western standards.  The reality is that they are not even close!  They are still a third world country.  Just look at all the electrical wires hanging everywhere, not to mention the smell at times, lack of laws, lack of traffic control, etc, etc...  And I'm talking about Bkk and Pattaya...

7 minutes ago, torturedsole said:

7x the price of what?  Genuine question.

eating unhealthy

7 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I've been out to eat once this month (bill was 159bht including a large Leo).

My Thai gf hasn't been out with me for ages, she can't afford to eat out.

 

When she asks for more money I tell her to find a wealthier lover, but I'm afraid the market for live-in gfs has almost completely dried up (Thai and foreigner employers) in Chiang Mai.

i would guess that your pay them to leave policy changed to pay one to stay was also a

money saving decision ?    what is your plan if she does find a wealthier lover ?  

 

9 minutes ago, cyril sneer said:

eating unhealthy

A traditional Thai diet is actually very healthy unless I'm mistaken. 

4 hours ago, GarryP said:

Asked motorcycle taxi guys how things are in the soi I live in and they all said pretty much the same thing. The street traders and food shops/restaurants are all complaining that business is way down.

 

Had a large roller blind installed 2 weeks ago and asked the guy installing it how business was. He said it was his first order of the month. He claimed that usually November and December are the busiest months for his business, but so far it had been terrible. His business was really suffering. 

 

All rather anecdotal but seem to support others interpretation of the state of things.

Is "business" really down or just the number of "eat in" customers?

 

Many restaurants are booming now, selling take away food. I sometimes see 20 - 30 motorcycles parked outside a certain restaurant on Ekamai.

 

There is another restaurant where we have ordered food for delivery at 6 pm only to be told 5 or 6 times now that they were sold out.

2 minutes ago, torturedsole said:

A traditional Thai diet is actually very healthy unless I'm mistaken. 

It's the chemicals used for growing food that do it.

Also: sugar, salt, palmoil, burned oil.

2 minutes ago, oldhippy said:

It's the chemicals used for growing food that do it.

Also: sugar, salt, palmoil, burned oil.

Is that healthier or less healthier than occidental diets?  All those ingredients are readily available in the west.  

10 minutes ago, torturedsole said:

Is that healthier or less healthier than occidental diets?  All those ingredients are readily available in the west.  

Of course you can eat unhealthy in Farangland - but you will know it: fries, hamburgers,....

In Thailand many foods look healthy, but contain large amounts of msg, salt (f ex fish sauce) and sugar (diabetes is common). Nobody checks frying oil.

And the government does not check chemicals in agriculture.

 

They are eating street food at home would be a more accurate depiction. 

I believe the new taxes structure on properties THB 30,000 fine on drinking under the influence of alcoholic beverages and the home delivery services are the main contribution to eat at home.

34 minutes ago, rumak said:

what is your plan if she does find a wealthier lover ?  

That saves me even more money.

48 minutes ago, torturedsole said:

7x the price of what?  Genuine question.

I think that's a slight exaggeration but must certainly eating healthy costs more than eating street food or 7-11 crapfood. 

2 hours ago, nickstav said:

Wish my gf would learn to turn off the lights.

Fine her 10 bahts every time she doesn't

you'll be surprised how quick she can learn

54 minutes ago, cyril sneer said:

gyms with machines that work are Western prices

Buy a bicycle, go hiking in the mountains, it costs much less than the gym membership.

1 hour ago, oldhippy said:

It is impossible to devalue a floating currency, but I catch your drift.

plaza accord 

3 hours ago, nickstav said:

Wish my gf would learn to turn off the lights.

Had that dispute last year, after a bit of screaming and shouting, she said she'd pay the electricity bill in future.

The bill has shrunk from 1,500bht a month to just over 1,000bht/month.

(I did pay to change all the lights to LED lighting, and bought a 1 unit a day solar panel with grid tie inverter)

18 minutes ago, marqus12 said:

plaza accord 

 

That was an induced depreciation, not a devaluation (WIKI too confuses the 2).

 

A devaluation is a unilateral government decision, in a system of fixed exchange rates

A depreciation is the result of market forces. These market forces can be autonomous, or stimulated by governments in a joint effort: usually by a coordinated selling of foreign reserves by several participating governments.

 

Weird, in my daily outings to a variety of different malls I find the restaurants full every night.

1 minute ago, tominbkk said:

Weird, in my daily outings to a variety of different malls I find the restaurants full every night.

Prime locations?

Some posts there were getting off topic have been removed.  The topic is not about diets being the reason for Thais not going out to eat, the topic is the the economy being the reason for Thais not going out to eat. 

 

 Thais stay at home , farangs stay at home ..

     We dont eat out anymore ,  pound down ..

          

48 minutes ago, mickey rat said:

I think that's a slight exaggeration but must certainly eating healthy costs more than eating street food or 7-11 crapfood. 

I have never understood why 7/11 is so successful. All I can find in there is mostly junk food. Popular with Thais, perhaps this explains why there are so many obese Thais now? I recall when you almost never saw a fat Thai girl.... now look... no, dont look!

 

I guess we Farang are also to blame as we introduced our burgers and fast food etc.

Wouldn't know it from the endless parade of motorbikes with coolers or hot boxes attached the bike.  

 

The 20 Somethings I live with do not cook.  They couldn't eat at home.  They order out, endlessly, and with abandon.  

 

Dinner is served - by Grab

2 hours ago, oldhippy said:

It is impossible to devalue a floating currency, but I catch your drift.

A country can decide to fix its currency at any given time. And vice versa.