Mirror Mirror On The Wall

[mellow1]

The above distribution of expenses by bendix are more reasonable and realistic for a retired person.Although should there be children in the family,some of those personal goodies would have to be adjusted, to make room for theirs.As mentioned above, health care needs to be included.This would add another 15000 baht/MO. if life insurance is included(family of 3).

This all includes owning your home and car.Lucky for us we are able to do this.But I feel that many retired people are not fortunate enough to fall into this realm.As mentioned in a couple of other threads,even those of us fortunate to fall into this lower class, on the retirement ladder, will be priced out, in the available visa categories.If they keep raising the anti for financial requirements,most of the retired people will not be able to meet these unreasonable expectations.They will have to deny visas and kick out many a retired persons.This goes, without getting into, whats currently happening with the Thai currency.As likewise mentioned before,Thailand is no longer such a good destination for retirement for the people in this retirement bracket.If I fell into the 300,000Baht/MO bracket,then of course I wouldn't even consider living here.I could live in Paris, Nice,Rome,Miami,etc..I mean what does Thailand have that's better than these places,when you got the bucks.You could always stop in the LOS for a drink or two on your way to someplace else.Why be messing around with this 90 reporting stuff.

[sibeymai]

I wonder how many self-respecting BMs will respond to this little gem...

It seems this little thread has been more entertaining than was initially thought.

Anyone else care to post their 2 cents (or $2 millions) worth ?

[Prakanong]

I would say that right now my wife and I are in the bracket which might be called 'comfortabley well off'.

But it wasn't always that way.

When we first met we were broke, living in a rented appartment, both of us working two jobs and only just making ends meet. Evening entertainment was sitting infront of the telly, a splash out was a bottle of cheap wine between two of us.

My wife paid off our (my) debts with her life's savings that she had earned working god knows how many hours a day in a dreary BKK office at an hourly rate that would not nowadays keep me either of us in coffee.

But back then, having each of us found someone special we were the happiest two people on the planet.

We've not forgotten that, and often hark back to those days sitting in a rented one bedroom come kitchen come living room talking of our dreams of what live would be like if we had the money that we now have.

Wealth, ladies and gentlemen, is not about money.

Excellent post.

You do not have to answer but just out of interest how long have the two of you been together now?

[Gary A]

Unfortunately I see my income dropping about every day. Fortunately my retirement was based on an exchange rate of 25 baht to a dollar. I got quite used to a much higher rate and really never thought it would go back to 25. I am certainly NOT rich but I don't have to budget. I live exactly as I want to live and still have a fairly healthy surplus. If I had more money, my lifestyle would not change.

[SweeTips]

It is important to remember there will always be someone richer or better off than yourself and money does not buy happiness.

But you can have a hel_l of a time with it

[mrbojangles]

I have a chronic health condition that requires a reasonable outlay of money periodically (that was unforseen). I try to keep bank the rest so I have about 400,000 in my bank account.

Sorry to hear that Scott. But that is one of the reasons why my "target" figure is 150k per month. Yes when i first retire (hopefully) i will be fit and not spend the full monthly amount but there's no getting away from the fact that eventually i WILL get ill and i want to have the money aside to pay for it.

The last thing i would want to do is to have to fly back to the UK to get free NHS treatment. Each to their own but that is my target.

Now, i'm just going to put the lid back on my damp shoe box and have a nap. When times where hard i couldn't even afford a shoe box but my current model has hinges on. Oh the luxury. You don't know what your missing you bunch of paupers

[Prakanong]

A man called Loadsamoney was a comic Tory yuppie character created by Harry Enfield whose catchphrase was "Loadsamoney!". The vulgar character always bragged about his dosh and once made a hit single.

Well the character was a contractor on TV but here I see he has morpged into a IT contractor.

I have just gone permie again after years of contracting hmmmmm - I keep thinking maybe it was a mistake but i wil give it 2-3 years!

[qwertz]

This thread is beginning to echo an earlier one about how much you need to live in LOS.

It's obvious that your range of options becomes wider the more guaranteed income/pension you have.

Without recourse to a calculator, the incomes Bendix and Bojangles for instance enjoy amount to €2 - 3K.

With that kind of readies you don't have to live in LOS and you'd be welcome in many other countries.

The majority of those who choose LOS and are not so well heeled are there because they like the life IMO.

I find there is a certain snobbery among expats between those who choose to live in a fly blown village in the sticks and the others living in luxury condos.

But I think in general, almost all are there because they like LOS for whatever reason.

I think my meagre pension would see me through for a fairly comfortable, quiet life there, given that it will hardly exceed 50k Baht.

[mrbojangles]

Without recourse to a calculator, the incomes Bendix and Bojangles for instance enjoy amount to €2 - 3K.

With that kind of readies you don't have to live in LOS and you'd be welcome in many other countries.

You are quite right qwertz, i don't HAVE to live in LOS. But my mrs is Thai and i want to live there. Don't know whether she does though

[sibeymai]

"I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered."

- George Best

[esbobes]

You know, I was thinking the exact same thing this morning after reading a couple of the new responses to some threads. Everyone that spends 2 million+ baht to build their houses and tell everyone else that that's the norm in Thailand and if you don't have 50 - 100 000 baht per month income you're a goner and won't survive here. What a crock! Our combined income is dramatically less than the former mentioned and we're surviving comfortably. I just figured it was a form of "my pen1s is bigger than yours" type thing so didn't get involved.

Wow they are not taking now because they are just poor lonly fools. My wife and I live on 24,000 baht a month.

[meom]

Esbobes what you do for visas?

[bendix]

Without recourse to a calculator, the incomes Bendix and Bojangles for instance enjoy amount to €2 - 3K.

Whoa up there qwertz. Those figures are not what me and bojangles are claiming for ourselves. I have no idea and neither do I really care what mr bojangles earns.

We were speculating what WE (not you, not anyone else) feel WE (not you, not anyone else) would be comfortable with before we felt safe retiring all things considered.

Whether I have that or not is irrelevant.

[bendix]

Wow they are not taking now because they are just poor lonly fools. My wife and I live on 24,000 baht a month.

What a curious thing to say.

Why do you assume people who have more to live on than you are 'just poor lonly fools"? I don't understand the connection.

[Ping]

How can there possibly be any connection - why feed him?

[qwertz]

Without recourse to a calculator, the incomes Bendix and Bojangles for instance enjoy amount to €2 - 3K.

Whoa up there qwertz. Those figures are not what me and bojangles are claiming for ourselves. I have no idea and neither do I really care what mr bojangles earns.

We were speculating what WE (not you, not anyone else) feel WE (not you, not anyone else) would be comfortable with before we felt safe retiring all things considered.

Whether I have that or not is irrelevant.

You're quite right of course, Bendix, and it's all speculation.

What I was meaning is - I'm sure most people are there because they like it and in that case it doesn't really matter if you're living high or frugally, anything from 50K to 200K Baht will see you through, depending on how much you have and you use it.

Calculated on current living costs, of course.

[Jim's_a_Thai_Fox]

The 'Loadsamoney' character was a plasterer.... spawned at the height of Thatcherism and the housing boom. 'Stavros' was the Greek kebab shop owner....

I have the equivalent of about 700,000 baht in a bank back home in the UK. I earn 30,000 baht a month here and live quite happily. I consider myself lucky as I have no debt whatsoever. No clue as to how I will ever plan to happily retire... I'm kind of hoping they'll be some cataclismic environmental catastrophe in the next 30 years negating the need to save any cash.

On that pleasant thought, I wish you all a happy weekend.

[johnson36]

I have the equivalent of about 700,000 baht in a bank back home in the UK. I earn 30,000 baht a month here and live quite happily. I consider myself lucky as I have no debt whatsoever. No clue as to how I will ever plan to happily retire... I'm kind of hoping they'll be some cataclismic environmental catastrophe in the next 30 years negating the need to save any cash.

On that pleasant thought, I wish you all a happy weekend.

Hi Jim

What job do you do ? Do you rent a place to stay or have you bought ? What area ?

Cheers

Andy (Johnson36)

[WaiWai]

And don't anybody post "speak for yourself", I'm a man of very modest means but I still appreciate a bit of class.

When did money become a pre-requisite for "class" ?

I believe that living modestly & without material/financial excess is a virtue (though not always easy to practice, as so many of us have been so thoroughly inculcated with the sermons of consumerism.)

Just for a start, so many environmental ills could be lessened if we all lived a little more simply.

[cdnvic]

You know, I was thinking the exact same thing this morning after reading a couple of the new responses to some threads. Everyone that spends 2 million+ baht to build their houses and tell everyone else that that's the norm in Thailand and if you don't have 50 - 100 000 baht per month income you're a goner and won't survive here. What a crock! Our combined income is dramatically less than the former mentioned and we're surviving comfortably. I just figured it was a form of "my pen1s is bigger than yours" type thing so didn't get involved.

Wow they are not taking now because they are just poor lonly fools. My wife and I live on 24,000 baht a month.

Anyone know what happened to the ones with fixed incomes that were living ok on 15,000/mo back in the early 90s?

[November Rain]

The 'Loadsamoney' character was a plasterer.... spawned at the height of Thatcherism and the housing boom. 'Stavros' was the Greek kebab shop owner....

I have the equivalent of about 700,000 baht in a bank back home in the UK. I earn 30,000 baht a month here and live quite happily. I consider myself lucky as I have no debt whatsoever. No clue as to how I will ever plan to happily retire... I'm kind of hoping they'll be some cataclismic environmental catastrophe in the next 30 years negating the need to save any cash.

On that pleasant thought, I wish you all a happy weekend.

My kind of guy. I favour the "ostrich" approach to life, too! Pension, what's that?

Have a good weekend, Jim

[sgunn65]

Well what an interesting response. It seems to have morphed into a how much does it cost to live in Los. But without the threads telling us how rich people are!!!! So ask people to tell how rich they are and it goes silent. Marvelous!

I don't think it was such a stupid thread Bendix as I have certainly enjoyed it and learnt something. But mostly because no-one has told me not to come to Los without millions!! And for that I am grateful.

For those of you already there have a fab weekend whilst, in the middle of the British Summer, I put my wellies and coat on and struggle home on the wettest day of the year!!!!!

[ratchabuild]

quote name='sgunn65' date='2007-07-20 23:49:41' post='1429895']

Well what an interesting response. It seems to have morphed into a how much does it cost to live in Los. But without the threads telling us how rich people are!!!! So ask people to tell how rich they are and it goes silent. Marvelous!

I don't think it was such a stupid thread Bendix as I have certainly enjoyed it and learnt something. But mostly because no-one has told me not to come to Los without millions!! And for that I am grateful.

For those of you already there have a fab weekend whilst, in the middle of the British Summer, I put my wellies and coat on and struggle home on the wettest day of the year!!!!!

I had two friends who were at their maximum earning power and had really good lifestyle. They went to a financial planner and got a real shock when he told them they would have to work until they were 70 rather than retire, because "No one can live on less than £60k a year can they?" They actually believed the idiot for a couple of days. Truth is we keep redefining poverty as being relative....not absolute, so that if everyone has a blackberry then by definition we are poor if we cant afford a blackberry. If everyone drives an expensive car then we are poor if we dont. Its all B***ocks truth is we can all live on a very little and be Ok and healthy. If you need lots of money to smoke yourself to death or kill your liver with booze or have the latest HD LCd widescreen surround sound tv then you do need a fortune to live in LOS. The only people who need a lot to live on put too much store on material goods. No expensive gadget gave me a tenth of the fun I get seeing friends. Most fun I have in Thailand............fishing against my mother in law in the Klong while my wife sits by my side. Doesn't cost anything. People who keep saying "dont go for it you dont have enough" have had an adventurous spirit bypass

Edited July 20, 2007 by ratchabuild

[orchardtowers]

i dont have a pot to piss in. thats why thailand is at the top of my list for my next home

[bkk_mike]

The 'Loadsamoney' character was a plasterer.... spawned at the height of Thatcherism and the housing boom. 'Stavros' was the Greek kebab shop owner....

I have the equivalent of about 700,000 baht in a bank back home in the UK. I earn 30,000 baht a month here and live quite happily. I consider myself lucky as I have no debt whatsoever. No clue as to how I will ever plan to happily retire... I'm kind of hoping they'll be some cataclismic environmental catastrophe in the next 30 years negating the need to save any cash.

On that pleasant thought, I wish you all a happy weekend.

Personally, I have about -600,000 baht in the bank in the UK (It's called an overdraft facility)