Expats have it good in Thailand.

[HighPriority]

39 minutes ago, Fat is a type of crazy said:

Australian dollar down to 23 something. Seems like when things like stock market falls and economic problems happen in the US Australia seems to be more affected that the US itself. 

America sneezes and Australia catches a covid

[sandyf]

57 minutes ago, Billy Bloggs said:

I dont usually get involved in others conversation, but where did they insult young people they pointed out that they were signing up for life times to buy over priced properties and given large loans when interest rates were low and many struggle as they rise.

Quite. I bought my first house in 1976 and within 3 years inflation was over 18%. The big difference then was that lending criteria was much stricter and larger deposits were required.

[FritsSikkink]

2 hours ago, Iamfalang said:

some people value friends.   some value having a "home".  some value security.  some value relationships.  some value nice things.  some value nationalism.  some value freedom.  some value trust.  some value safe streets.  some value animal protection.  

 

none of these things you will get in LOS.  

 

What a nonsense, besides the nationalism (which i don't care about) and animal protection, i got it all.

[nana kid]

Sideways from the topic.          Does any bank ATM give a better exchange rate than any other in USD ?

[Adumbration]

12 hours ago, CharlieH said:

The standard of living enjoyed by many here is far better than they would ever have achieved in their home country.

The positives here far outway the negatives for most. Its also fair to say that the country most have left actually no longer exists as it was when they were resident and is consigned to history and memories.

I left Australia, I am pretty sure it still exists.

[FritsSikkink]

2 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

In average anybody living outside their home country will do better than within. Because in average all the stupid, poor, uneducated, etc. people won't go to live in another country. They stay home - they have no other choice.

So, as difficult as it is to believe this sometimes, the foreigners living here are in average above average of people in those countries... 

Poor, yes. I have doubts about the other 2. 

[Orinoco]

7 minutes ago, Adumbration said:

I left Australia, I am pretty sure it still exists.

Yes, But ownership may change in the future.

The locals want it back. 

[Walker88]

I've had the pleasure of residing in ten countries since university, at minimum for 2 years at a time. All have their drawbacks, all have their upsides.

 

Over time, and with experience, one comes to accept the drawbacks and celebrate the upsides. Thailand is a pretty easy and pretty comfortable place to live. Immigration issues will never go away (especially if one is on a Non-B Business visa and is a business owner, as the IOs try to extract as much in 'tributes' as they think they can get; the most sought after IO, for which applicants actually pay to get, is the "M" area at Chaengwatthana). But that minor irritation is once a year.

 

Absent that, it's all biscuits and gravy. I had enough snow as a child; unless one is an avid skier, snow gets old at about age 22. If I feel the need for snow I can buy one of those little desk ornaments one shakes and flakes fall on a mini-landscape. Rain can be a pain, but it's also sometimes exciting. The other day it fell so hard I could barely hear the thunder. Thai food is a joy, and there's plenty of other cuisine if one needs variety. Suvarnabhumi is a hub, so getting anywhere else in the world---should one get foolish and wish to go somewhere---is a piece of cake. Commo is generally easy and reliable. There's golf for those who like that, or beaches for others. Staying in shape is easy, as there's plenty of good gyms and the climate is conducive to year round sports. Should a man find himself in need of company, Thailand does offer that, too (not that I would ever give in to that temptation).

 

Oh, maybe the air in Bangkok is not healthy, but that and Immigration 'tributes' are about all the negatives I can muster.

 

Enjoy what Thailand gives you.

[Hanuman2547]

I don't plan on living full time in my home country or Thailand.  Instead I stay in Thailand for 4-5 months over the northern hemisphere winter and the remaining amount in my home country.  My house is paid off in my home country and my condo and two houses in Thailand are also both paid off.  

[4MyEgo]

2 hours ago, Iamfalang said:

I'm not retired here, so I can joke all I want. 

What is there for you to joke about, not being retired says a lot to me, what are you chasing ?

 

2 hours ago, Iamfalang said:

You are delusional if you think LOS is better than falangland.

It all depends what your looking for in life, for me personally, moving here 12 years earlier than the standard retirement age, i.e. to receive the pension which you wouldn't be able to survive on back in farang land, has proven to me to be the right decision.

 

Weighing up whether to work 14-16 hour days, 6/7ths of what life I had left in me under their false work slogan of (work/home/life balance) wasn't hard for me to see that I was going nowhere except to my grave early.

 

Stress, cost of living rising, never enough time for oneself let alone family, just didn't work for me.

 

Here 7 years, live in huge comfortable house that I couldn't afford to own in farang land unless I wanted the mortgage trap to go with it, just to show off to my friends, you know, keep up with the Smith's & Jones, not me, no thanks, came from a small 3 bedder to a big 6 bedder at 1/10th the cost to build it in farang land, not to mention the land would costs the same, so am miles ahead, and yes it's the wife's she earned it looking after me almost 2 decades on.

 

If you want to keep working, that means you need to, or you enjoy it, but as long as you have a life and aren't caught up in the slave trade, kudos to you, that said, some of us are woke, I can hear my mates back in farang land all having said that they have had enough, their getting older, things are getting tougher and more expensive, and are now asking what is the meaning of all of this, where are we all heading, well for me, I made it on the other side, am content and have been truly enjoying my new life of the past 7 years living here, have enough to keep me going till 101, and still travel back to farang land for a couple of weeks every couple of years to enjoy some of it's beauty, but living there would mean my quality of life would drop 90% and you can't put a figure on that, as life is really short so I will keep enjoying the quality of life I enjoy here till I croak it.

 

2 hours ago, Iamfalang said:

It might be "better" for you because you can't enjoy what falang land has to offer, but that's like a homeless person creating a thread about how living in the park is better than a mansion.  In ways, it might be.  

How can you enjoy farang land without being born with a silver spoon in your mouth, give us a break will you.

[Adumbration]

1 hour ago, Fat is a type of crazy said:

Australian dollar down to 23 something. Seems like when things like stock market falls and economic problems happen in the US Australia seems to be more affected that the US itself. 

You obviously have no idea what the real issues are here.  

 

At its last meeting the RBA took its foot of the rate increase peddle.  Lowe has made a decision to sacrifice the AUD in order to TRY and stop the Australian residential property market from collapsing entirely.  This decision is entirely political.  Boomers have the largest voting mandate in Australia.  Boomers will still be able to brag their house is worth a million oz dollars, but the AUD will be trading at 48c USD.

 

The outcome of this retarded and abhorent decision however, is that the AUD will collapse, it is heading for sub 20 THB if Lowe fails to raise by at least .50 at the November meeting.  Lowe is also pi**ing in the wind because as the AUD collapses he will import additional inflation on goods purchased from abroad.  So CPI figures will rise expontentially.

 

Lots of uncertainty at the moment but two things are crystal clear:

 

1. The AUD is toast

2. The Australian residential property market is toast

 

A lesser issue here is also that the BOT is now stepping in to buy the baht.  I already started another thread on this if you check my post history.

Edited October 12, 2022 by Adumbration

[KhunLA]

12 hours ago, Hummin said:

Those who moved 10 - 15 years ago, did not predict the strong baht, and many regret today they sold everything they had, and invested in a life here. 

Or if here earlier, me, 22 yrs, and the baht has yet to recover/weaken to where it was when I arrived/40, or a year-ish later/45.

 

At 40, I lost 25% when dips to 30, too many times.  With inflation over those 20ish year, easily 100-150%. 

 

COLA, well they are a joke themselves, with 4 yrs of NO inflation in the USA ????  Expect the next one this month to be a joke.  Ask anyone in the USA, and they'll tell you inflation now, 2022 is easily in the 20% ish range, if not higher.  I don't expect much of a COLA, and maybe 6 ish %, 8 if really lucky.   Only good thing, it's mid terms, so they'll be a bit more generous.

 

Large eggs were 3 for 5 baht, in 2000 now knocking of 5 baht each.  143 for the last tray of 30 we bought.  All meats & fish were half to 1/3 what the price is now.   2 liter of milk, could catch on sale for 39 baht, now off sale, 91.  

 

91 petrol < 14 baht.

 

Reality for many of us, it cost at least 2X as much to live here, and our money is worth less than when we arrived. 

 

Planning is everything, along with adapting & adjusting.  Not the forte' of many people, and why many have left.

[shackleton]

Why do people who have relocated here  to live expats ect 

Keep on trying to justify their reasons 

You made your bed so lie  on  it so to speak 

Take the good with the bad ????

 

[Fat is a type of crazy]

3 minutes ago, Adumbration said:

You obviously have no idea what the real issues are here.  

 

At its last meeting the RBA took its foot of the rate increase peddle.  Lowe has made a decision to sacrifice the AUD in order to TRY and stop the Australian residential property market from collapsing entirely.  This decision is entirely political.  Boomers have the largest voting mandate in Australia.

 

The outcome of this retarded and abhorent decision however, is that the AUD will collapse, it is heading for sub 20 THB if Lowe fails to raise by at least .50 at the November meeting.  Lowe is also pi**ing in the wind because as the AUD collapses he will import additional inflation on goods purchased from abroad.  So CPI figures will rise expontentially.

 

A lesser issue here is also that the BOT is now stepping in to buy the baht.  I already started another thread on this if you check my post history.

Sure the last rate rise was 0.25 instead of 0.5 but a lot of the fall in AUD to USD had been before this when rates were rising at expected rates. Sometimes limited rate rises are a good sign that inflation has peaked ie Australia has less inflation than the United States in the past 12 months. Not sure too if it is political to raise rates less given no upcoming election. Accept though that recent drop could be directly related to limited rise in rates. It’s difficult of course - raise rates too much and demand stalls and then you are guaranteed a recession. Off topic so delete if necessary. Not off topic for me as it affects the future options.

[Adumbration]

26 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

What is there for you to joke about, not being retired says a lot to me, what are you chasing ?

 

It all depends what your looking for in life, for me personally, moving here 12 years earlier than the standard retirement age, i.e. to receive the pension which you wouldn't be able to survive on back in farang land, has proven to me to be the right decision.

 

Weighing up whether to work 14-16 hour days, 6/7ths of what life I had left in me under their false work slogan of (work/home/life balance) wasn't hard for me to see that I was going nowhere except to my grave early.

 

Stress, cost of living rising, never enough time for oneself let alone family, just didn't work for me.

 

Here 7 years, live in huge comfortable house that I couldn't afford to own in farang land unless I wanted the mortgage trap to go with it, just to show off to my friends, you know, keep up with the Smith's & Jones, not me, no thanks, came from a small 3 bedder to a big 6 bedder at 1/10th the cost to build it in farang land, not to mention the land would costs the same, so am miles ahead, and yes it's the wife's she earned it looking after me almost 2 decades on.

 

If you want to keep working, that means you need to, or you enjoy it, but as long as you have a life and aren't caught up in the slave trade, kudos to you, that said, some of us are woke, I can hear my mates back in farang land all having said that they have had enough, their getting older, things are getting tougher and more expensive, and are now asking what is the meaning of all of this, where are we all heading, well for me, I made it on the other side, am content and have been truly enjoying my new life of the past 7 years living here, have enough to keep me going till 101, and still travel back to farang land for a couple of weeks every couple of years to enjoy some of it's beauty, but living there would mean my quality of life would drop 90% and you can't put a figure on that, as life is really short so I will keep enjoying the quality of life I enjoy here till I croak it.

 

How can you enjoy farang land without being born with a silver spoon in your mouth, give us a break will you.

I am from Australia.  I retired when I was 45.  Grew up dirt poor in housing commission area of western Sydney.  Mother died of breast cancer when I was 15, Father, a violent alcoholic truck driver, ran off with the next door neighbor's wife after mum's cancer was diagnosed as terminal.

 

I have a little house 3 minutes from a stunning west coast beach.  I have two fishing boats moored in a nearby creek that feeds out into the Andaman sea.  Two days ago I went on my first fishing trip of the season and had a great catch of queenfish, grouper, coral trout, and spanish mackeral.  I also go one big blue swimmer crab (delicious).  Freezer is almost full of seafood already.

 

The house cost me 270K thb.  There are no expensive land rates like back in Oz.  My electricity bill is always sub 700 baht, even after I use my welder and other tools to make myself things (like anchors for my boats).  

 

We also have two small farms nearby and I have dug a bore there and installed a jet pump and connected the electricity.  We have mango trees, longon trees, coconuts, pineapples, mulberries, ginger, durian, and all the usually Thai herbs and spices.

 

In fishing season I buy very little meat from the supermarket and very little from the fresh market as well.  

 

My out of pockets for most months is usually less than 5K thb.

 

How much would a similiar lifestyle by the beach in Australia cost me?

Edited October 12, 2022 by Adumbration

[Lacessit]

1 hour ago, 1FinickyOne said:

pretty soon you will have the forum all to yourself... 

There are still people I can have a civilized discussion with, you are not one of them.

[Adumbration]

6 minutes ago, Fat is a type of crazy said:

Sure the last rate rise was 0.25 instead of 0.5 but a lot of the fall in AUD to USD had been before this when rates were rising at expected rates. Sometimes limited rate rises are a good sign that inflation has peaked ie Australia has less inflation than the United States in the past 12 months. Not sure too if it is political to raise rates less given no upcoming election. Accept though that recent drop could be directly related to limited rise in rates. It’s difficult of course - raise rates too much and demand stalls and then you are guaranteed a recession. Off topic so delete if necessary. Not off topic for me as it affects the future options.

If you think inflation has peaked in Australia you are absolutely deluded.  It is just getting started. 

[NoshowJones]

12 hours ago, Hummin said:

As long it is Status Q it will be good in the future, but we cant tell or predict how it is going to be. 
 

Those who moved 10 - 15 years ago, did not predict the strong baht, and many regret today they sold everything they had, and invested in a life here. 
 

It can be better, and it can be worse. So far I agree

 

12 hours ago, Hummin said:

As long it is Status Q it will be good in the future, but we cant tell or predict how it is going to be. 
 

Those who moved 10 - 15 years ago, did not predict the strong baht, and many regret today they sold everything they had, and invested in a life here. 
 

It can be better, and it can be worse. So far I agree

CharlieH has got it spot on. This country has bad problems mostly regarding the RTP and the soldiers government. But the good sure outweighs the bad here in Thailand.

Unlike in the UK, the Thai government are not going to be responsible for many deaths among it's old folk because of greedy capitalists forcing them to make a choice of either eating or keeping warm.

[Lacessit]

26 minutes ago, Adumbration said:

You obviously have no idea what the real issues are here.  

 

At its last meeting the RBA took its foot of the rate increase peddle.  Lowe has made a decision to sacrifice the AUD in order to TRY and stop the Australian residential property market from collapsing entirely.  This decision is entirely political.  Boomers have the largest voting mandate in Australia.  Boomers will still be able to brag their house is worth a million oz dollars, but the AUD will be trading at 48c USD.

 

The outcome of this retarded and abhorent decision however, is that the AUD will collapse, it is heading for sub 20 THB if Lowe fails to raise by at least .50 at the November meeting.  Lowe is also pi**ing in the wind because as the AUD collapses he will import additional inflation on goods purchased from abroad.  So CPI figures will rise expontentially.

 

Lots of uncertainty at the moment but two things are crystal clear:

 

1. The AUD is toast

2. The Australian residential property market is toast

 

A lesser issue here is also that the BOT is now stepping in to buy the baht.  I already started another thread on this if you check my post history.

I have seen predictions of the AUD's collapse before, they never seem to eventuate.

Australia exports a lot of the world's iron ore, natural gas, agriculture and seafood. China has just realized having a hissy fit over what some politician says is biting off one's nose to spite one's face. Lithium has joined the export parade, Australia mines more than the next two countries combined.

There are not too many countries that are not raising interest rates as well, which is why I am reasonably sanguine about my AUD pension, which gets COL adjustment.

 

[CANSIAM]

3 hours ago, stoner said:

this is a massive problem that is never addressed with any decorum or reason. a real issue and generally conversations about it tend to lead down only certain paths. as sad as that is. 

 

i was home in canada this past july to settle affairs. i felt like a stranger in my own home. the changes to canada over the last 20 years are staggering. 

Arriving in Vancouver for a visit few years back, made my way to one of the Immigration booths,  had a Sikh officer with full head attire on ask "where you coming from" I almost asked him the same question......

[NoshowJones]

13 hours ago, JeffersLos said:

I moved here 10-15 years ago and didn't sell anything to 'invest in a life here'.

 

I use an agent that does everything re: immigration. They collect and deliver everything to my doorstep.

 

Not everybody gets involved with a person whose family needs money, and actually spends yours. What on Earth is that about? Why are you in that situation? 

"Not everybody gets involved with a person whose family needs money, and actually spends yours. What on Earth is that about? Why are you in that situation?"   

 I Have never been asked by any of my wife's family for anything regarding money, although I did make it plain that her money stays hers, and mine stays mine before we agreed to be together.

I went out with several Thai girls before I met my wife, although none from the bars, and in some cases It was obvious money was their motivation.

The type of farang in most cases who ends up in a family who needs money, is the ugly fat bellied, tattoo covered guy who could not score in his own country, met and married the first good looker he pulled from the bar, and I think most of us know the rest.

 

[NoshowJones]

4 hours ago, Andycoops said:

It certainly beats living in the toilet that the UK has become.

Politically becoming as unstable as Italy with a revolving door of PMs unelected by the citizens.

 

Economy and cost of living crisis almost becoming impossible to survive in.

 

As far as Thai relatives spending too much of your money, all you need to do is say is no.

Obviously the Thai bureaucracy is beyond our control as mere guests.

 

Personally I love the hot weather which is one of the main reasons I retired here.

 

Wouldn't change my life here for anything.

Great post except for saying we are "guests".  Guests are invited, we are not, as you say "Obviously the Thai bureaucracy is beyond our control".

[BritManToo]

15 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

The type of farang in most cases who ends up in a family who needs money, is the ugly fat bellied, tattoo covered guy who could not score in his own country, met and married the first good looker he pulled from the bar, and I think most of us know the rest.

Back in the UK I didn't meet many 60+ year olds (ugly, fat, tattooed or not) that could score a 30 year old.

Paul McCartney being the exception, but even he couldn't find a whole one.

Edited October 12, 2022 by BritManToo

[BritManToo]

26 minutes ago, CANSIAM said:

Arriving in Vancouver for a visit few years back, made my way to one of the Immigration booths,  had a Sikh officer with full head attire on ask "where you coming from" I almost asked him the same question......

And the correct answer would be, "Canada", as your travel itinerary is none of his business.

[Adumbration]

28 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

"Not everybody gets involved with a person whose family needs money, and actually spends yours. What on Earth is that about? Why are you in that situation?"   

 I Have never been asked by any of my wife's family for anything regarding money, although I did make it plain that her money stays hers, and mine stays mine before we agreed to be together.

I went out with several Thai girls before I met my wife, although none from the bars, and in some cases It was obvious money was their motivation.

The type of farang in most cases who ends up in a family who needs money, is the ugly fat bellied, tattoo covered guy who could not score in his own country, met and married the first good looker he pulled from the bar, and I think most of us know the rest.

 

I get asked from time to time.  But the answer is always no...and has been for nearly a couple of decades now.

[NoshowJones]

2 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Back in the UK I didn't meet many 60+ year olds (ugly, fat, tattooed or not) that could score a 30 year old.

Paul McCartney being the exception, but even he couldn't find a whole one.

As a 50 year old, I met and stayed with a 28 year old for nearly 3 years, not long before I first came to Thailand. That was one of the reasons I came to live in Thailand, because I knew I would never do that again.

While I'm here, did Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones not score with a 14 year old at the age of 47.

[NoshowJones]

4 hours ago, Iamfalang said:

some people value friends.   some value having a "home".  some value security.  some value relationships.  some value nice things.  some value nationalism.  some value freedom.  some value trust.  some value safe streets.  some value animal protection.  

 

none of these things you will get in LOS.  

 

BUT you will get a room, Pattaya girls!!!, and nobody will bother you until you die.

 

I'm not retired here, so I can joke all I want.   You are delusional if you think LOS is better than falangland.  It might be "better" for you because you can't enjoy what falang land has to offer, but that's like a homeless person creating a thread about how living in the park is better than a mansion.  In ways, it might be.  

"I'm not retired here, so I can joke all I want."  You are obviously not retired here coming away with statements like that. I would doubt if you have ever been retired here. 

[Sparktrader]

2 hours ago, Adumbration said:

I left Australia, I am pretty sure it still exists.

More boring

[Fat is a type of crazy]

1 hour ago, Adumbration said:

If you think inflation has peaked in Australia you are absolutely deluded.  It is just getting started. 

Deluded is a bit strong considering I am stating a consideration rather than a strong opinion. As you know suggesting inflation may have peaked at say 7 or 8 per cent simply means prices will continue to rise at that rate and hopefully subsequently increase at a lesser rate - not that prices have stabilised. Thailand, and many other countries, have not been increasing their rates as much as Australia. There are different methods to achieve overall economic prosperity - hope the RBA know what they are doing.

Edited October 12, 2022 by Fat is a type of crazy

[1FinickyOne]

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

There are still people I can have a civilized discussion with, you are not one of them.

I could be if you didn't speak so badly of your GF - and tried to brag just a bit less... though I think that might be challenging for you - - you don't have me on ignore it seems?