Just curious as to how many expats have wives/partners who go out to work. Does it bother you that they do, what do you do in their absence, do you feel lonely at all because of it or indeed do you welcome it to have time alone.

 

My wife has her own business in a market and seemingly does quite well with it, she leaves home around 2:30-3pm and returns home between 8:30-9. We do whatever we want to do together in the mornings and early afternoon. She does take the occasional day off if we want to go somewhere special or out for dinner in the evenings. I’m well used to being on my own as in my working life my job took me away from home regularly and I had to spend a lot of time in my own so it doesn’t really bother me at all. Health issues prevents me from being to adventurous so apart from the occasional walk around our malls and having a coffee I’m happy to stay home and potter around in the garden or watch a movie that I want to watch. How do others pass the time?

Mrs. Smith works.

 

I spend.

 

she is absolutely minted, as am I. 

Edited November 30, 20232 yr by bob smith

Wife works for international company and so did a previous wife. 

 

Why would I want a lazy partner flipping the phone all day? I don't give her 1 baht.

 

The only problem is the current wife got a work from home job, so I don't have the space for myself. 

 

I am not a needy male cuck.

Just now, Celsius said:

Wife works for international company and so did a previous wife. 

 

Why would I want a lazy partner flipping the phone all day? I don't give her 1 baht.

 

The only problem is the current wife got a work from home job, so I don't have the space for myself. 

 

I am not a needy male cuck.

nice one mate. you are winning at life ;) 

My wife worked as a schoolteacher until she died.

I retired at 49 and started my own business here in Thailand. I am still working at age 72.

Wife and I rarely spent day times together except holidays and some weekends Often, we were in different countries.

I guess that absence makes the heart grow fonder as were were happily married for 30 years.

1 minute ago, bob smith said:

nice one mate. you are winning at life ;) 

 

I dunno if I am winning. 

 

I have a feeling that the company that hired her will soon realize that Thailand economy is in shambles. It is truly awful. She is now too old (43) to get hired in Thailand.

 

Fortunately we have the escape plan.

No; she's Lao and it's not easy to find (legal) work here.

Mine works with her sisters, baking pasties  that are sent and sold in Bangkok. When not doing that she is in the greenhouse tending the crop.

Worked for the MOD in Germany from 2007 to 2019......God alone knows what she has done with all her money....I never saw any of it.

Edited November 30, 20232 yr by Will B Good

29 minutes ago, bob smith said:

Mrs. Smith works.

 

I spend.

 

she is absolutely minted, as am I. 

 

loan me a fiver....im out of flower...starting to twitch. 

2 minutes ago, stoner said:

 

loan me a fiver....im out of flower...starting to twitch. 

I'm skint mate....

1 minute ago, bob smith said:

I'm skint mate....

 

hit up the missus. 

She used to work fulltime but since my son was born, or actually 5-6 months before that, she stopped working as it didn't make much sense otherwise. Paying a maid would easily cost 12-15K a month (even it's less, than still additional transport costs etc). Even if she would then earn 25K a month, didn't make much sense to me for my son to grow up with some random maid instead of her. 

So long story short, she basically takes care of everything in the house and I earn the money. Now my son goes to school she does do some eCommerce business. I see many Thai with maids while their parents (grandparents of child) are home too, but not look after their own kid, the kid seems to be more close with the maid than it is with their own parents and grandparents, not really see the logic unless you earn 30-40K after paying the maid, more.

Edited November 30, 20232 yr by ChaiyaTH

My wife runs her own business from home, the last three months of each year plus January are her busy time when she makes 75% of her annual profit. 5am until 11pm, seven days a week , I literally have to demand she takes time off for herself/us. Fortunately she enjoys it enormously.

34 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

I retired at 49 and started my own business here in Thailand. I am still working at age 72.

 

So, you didn't retire at all.

Wife works, I work.

wife runs the business and i sit around smoking and socializing all day. 

1 minute ago, Mike Lister said:

My wife runs her own business from home, the last three months of each year plus January are her busy time when she makes 75% of her annual profit. 5am until 11pm, seven days a week , I literally have to demand she takes time off for herself/us. Fortunately she enjoys it enormously.

If she makes 75% of her profits in those months, she should just not do it at all in X months a year as well. That is a super good deal. I remember a Italian selling ice cream in the high season making enough in 4-5 months to then live here on 3-4K euro a month the rest of the year, similar hours.

48 minutes ago, poppysdad said:

Just curious as to how many expats have wives/partners who go out to work. Does it bother you that they do, what do you do in their absence, do you feel lonely at all because of it or indeed do you welcome it to have time alone.

 

My wife has her own business in a market and seemingly does quite well with it, she leaves home around 2:30-3pm and returns home between 8:30-9. We do whatever we want to do together in the mornings and early afternoon. She does take the occasional day off if we want to go somewhere special or out for dinner in the evenings. I’m well used to being on my own as in my working life my job took me away from home regularly and I had to spend a lot of time in my own so it doesn’t really bother me at all. Health issues prevents me from being to adventurous so apart from the occasional walk around our malls and having a coffee I’m happy to stay home and potter around in the garden or watch a movie that I want to watch. How do others pass the time?

I would want to jump from the waterfall if I would be together 24/7 for more than a few days. Be happy you have free time, do you not have any hobby's or friends? I can enjoy myself even just driving around on the motorbike, going to a coffeeshop, having some beers, go to see a movie, go to a sauna and swimming pool, meet up with some other guys + beers as well, go to have a bbq, or just spend time at home on the computer etc etc etc.

Edited November 30, 20232 yr by ChaiyaTH

4 minutes ago, ChaiyaTH said:

If she makes 75% of her profits in those months, she should just not do it at all in X months a year as well. That is a super good deal. I remember a Italian selling ice cream in the high season making enough in 4-5 months to then live here on 3-4K euro a month the rest of the year, similar hours.

That was the game plan initially but she's trying to grow it into a year round business.

5 minutes ago, Mike Lister said:

That was the game plan initially but she's trying to grow it into a year round business.

Typical thai logic I assume, and let me guess, it does depend on tourists (as of the high season best earning months).

1 minute ago, ChaiyaTH said:

Typical thai logic I assume, and let me guess, it does depend on tourists (as of the high season best earning months).

 

every day is high season in my business :)

1 minute ago, stoner said:

 

every day is high season in my business :)

Yeah i'm sure there is always a high season to sell high-end products for high prices

2 minutes ago, ChaiyaTH said:

Typical thai logic I assume, and let me guess, it does depend on tourists (as of the high season best earning months).

No, nothing to do with tourism at all. She has a bakery business that is very successful, her customer base is mostly middle/upper middle Thai's in Bangkok plus Thai businesses there also. The holiday season attracts gift givers who order literally hundreds of boxes of product as gifts for staff and wealthy Thai's who give the product as gifts. 

1 minute ago, Mike Lister said:

No, nothing to do with tourism at all. She has a bakery business that is very successful, her customer base is mostly middle/upper middle Thai's in Bangkok plus Thai businesses there also. The holiday season attracts gift givers who order literally hundreds of boxes of product as gifts for staff and wealthy Thai's who give the product as gifts. 

If she would only work in her hi season i'd say yes, successful. Otherwise it sounds more like insane, with those hours and days.

1 minute ago, ChaiyaTH said:

If she would only work in her hi season i'd say yes, successful. Otherwise it sounds more like insane, with those hours and days.

It beats her doing the opposite. I've been very surprised and impressed, she's in her fourth year and is really conscientious, she found her mojo as they say.

She did as a self employed teacher of Thai language, but covid put a dent in that, now it's down to a very few hours a week online and in person. She got a lot of work off here a few years ago from teachers at Patana school on Suk 105.

Since living with me, it's a 24/7 job ... no salary 

 

Before me; computer graphic design (clothing), Italian restaurant, and Thai restaurant

Edited November 30, 20232 yr by KhunLA

32 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Since living with me, it's a 24/7 job ... no salary 

 

Before me; computer graphic design (clothing), Italian restaurant, and Thai restaurant

Ditto - plus she grows a lot of our vegies in backyard and sells/gives away some too - just enough, not too much.

She wanted a chicken or 2 - no thanks darling - too noisy and a lot of work.

Many spent their whole lives on their back before being rescued. Not qualified for anything else