19 minutes ago, Sparktrader said:

500 baht rooms are in town. Why does staff need a 6000 baht room? Just pure waste.

Not sure about UN but as an Australian Public Servant I can tell you perks are few and far between. Not even free tea and coffee or a biscuit these days. No time for Christmas lunch. Nice to get something a bit nice for once.

52 minutes ago, Sparktrader said:

You eat well stay well. 

I'm gonna guess 40K baht a month eating out. Yesterday, we took our real estate agent out for a lobster roll, which she had never had, at the Center Festival Mall in Chiang Mai. Verdict: a little skimpy on the Canadian lobster, but the brioche roll was properly classic.

 

At that level of western comfort-eating, the discount over the west is still about 30% on a item like a lobster roll. Usually, it's about half of North Carolina prices for great food in a  beautiful restaurant. We're here for food and culture and it's delivering.

 

Now that we're in an apartment, latte consumption has fallen off and we eat in a bit too. But 10K baht is only $270. for 2 people to eat out very well, 7 nights in a row, that is the deal of a lifetime. Streetside papaya salad can wait.

 

I think I'm going to raise our dinner budget to 50K a month.

 

 

1 hour ago, Sparktrader said:

You paid 1m baht for it.

Typical of you, 50K, get informed before you let go your drivel.

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

Not sure about UN but as an Australian Public Servant I can tell you perks are few and far between. Not even free tea and coffee or a biscuit these days. No time for Christmas lunch. Nice to get something a bit nice for once.

The Noblemaire principle, is what governs UN staff compensation. Our days we are supposed to have a standard of living equivalent to [high ranking] civil servants  in New York. I have to admit that "Post adjustment" system isn't perfect and that we were probably overcompensated in Geneva.

51 minutes ago, Sparktrader said:

500 baht rooms are in town. Why does staff need a 6000 baht room? Just pure waste.

Don't want to repeat myself, but this reads like communist bullcrud.

On 11/8/2022 at 2:29 PM, Photoguy21 said:

I spend more than a million Baht a year but I have a wife and two daughters

I spend about 1.2 million baht a year, although I do have a daughter who I'm putting through university at the moment, so I pay all of those fees and pay for an apartment for her near the University, as well as her living expenses.

 

I must admit I do spend far too much on wine and food, and even though I'm learning to cook more Thai food, I still eat out a couple of times a week, and buy the occasional Aussie tenderloin steak to have with some Stilton cheese

 

I could cut back if I wanted to, but at the age of 75, I believe I deserve my "treats".