Advantages Of Relative Poverty ...

[Jingthing]

I am not one of your richer expats. I think sometimes this is a good thing!

When I see a bottle of plonk for 1000 baht, I put it back on the shelf.

Now a little bit of wine is good for you, too much is bad. I think if I lived in Argentina where a decent bottle is 100 baht, I would drink a bottle everyday.

Also, Cuban cigars. I love em but they give you cancer. I have a look, over 1000 baht, forget it ...

Then there is good single malt whisky. Love the stuff. 4000 baht. Forget it. My liver says thank you, and yes there is cheap whisky here but it is kind of gross so I don't touch it much.

Oh, yummy steaks. Thai beef is a joke and a good imported cut in a restaurant, over 1000 baht, I think I'll eat Thai food instead Too much red meat causes heart attacks and cancer.

Ben and Jerry's ice cream? (Heart attacks.) Lovely. 300 baht? Forget it, I think I'll have some fresh fruit instead.

Not allowed to talk much about nightlife here, but you get the drift.

Relative poverty, is it a good thing?

Edited October 5, 2007 by Jingthing

[torrenova]

I too llike a drop of wine but the stuff here is so overpriced and the wine I used to drink is just crazy prices !

Steak, sometimes, but better in the hands of a professional chef. In the west, I could get the best out of a steak, I cannot here with local beef. Pork is really cheap though as are decent sized prawns.

Just daft taxation on some things here.

[londonthai]

Relative poverty, is it a good thing?

made in thailand is better and generally thailand is more human friendly.

what's the point of slaving yourself just to be rewarded with an occiasional luxury, as the great majority of westerners treat themselves

[Naam]

Relative poverty, is it a good thing?

definitely! it also seems that not having enough money to buy a bed and sleeping on the floor is much healthier and life extending than sleeping on a bed.

reason: it is a fact that most people die lying on a bed

[chavy]

Relative poverty, is it a good thing?

definitely! it also seems that not having enough money to buy a bed and sleeping on the floor is much healthier and life extending than sleeping on a bed.

reason: it is a fact that most people die lying on a bed

ahmen to that...mines just been turfed out

Like one of the previous posters said, taxation on some items is huge & for me doesn't make sense at all

[ignoramus]

I am not one of your richer expats. I think sometimes this is a good thing!

When I see a bottle of plonk for 1000 baht, I put it back on the shelf.

Now a little bit of wine is good for you, too much is bad. I think if I lived in Argentina where a decent bottle is 100 baht, I would drink a bottle everyday.

Also, Cuban cigars. I love em but they give you cancer. I have a look, over 1000 baht, forget it ...

Then there is good single malt whisky. Love the stuff. 4000 baht. Forget it. My liver says thank you, and yes there is cheap whisky here but it is kind of gross so I don't touch it much.

Oh, yummy steaks. Thai beef is a joke and a good imported cut in a restaurant, over 1000 baht, I think I'll eat Thai food instead Too much red meat causes heart attacks and cancer.

Ben and Jerry's ice cream? (Heart attacks.) Lovely. 300 baht? Forget it, I think I'll have some fresh fruit instead.

Not allowed to talk much about nightlife here, but you get the drift.

Relative poverty, is it a good thing?

[ignoramus]

Hi Jingthing, I empathise with you. I wouldn't spend 1000 baht on a bottle of spirits, and don't here in Australia. I wait for specials - usually 2 bottles of Grants or Ballantyne's (700ml) at $AUD26 each, And as for $40 for a steak, well, perhaps I should stay here - much cheaper. Steak contains zinc, which is healthy. Blackmore's vitamins cost a bomb, from memory (last in Siam '94). Have only just signed up with the forum, have only just started thinking about retiring in Thailand. Wouldn't be poor, but also wouldn't be rich. Love seafood anyway, and fresh fruit etc - all good for one's well-being. Don't eat steak much here anyway, but I suppose it's nice knowing it's not too expensive if one so chooses.

[Captain Chaos]

Relative poverty, is it a good thing?

No

[lazeeboy]

I am not one of your richer expats. I think sometimes this is a good thing!

When I see a bottle of plonk for 1000 baht, I put it back on the shelf.

Now a little bit of wine is good for you, too much is bad. I think if I lived in Argentina where a decent bottle is 100 baht, I would drink a bottle everyday.

Also, Cuban cigars. I love em but they give you cancer. I have a look, over 1000 baht, forget it ...

Then there is good single malt whisky. Love the stuff. 4000 baht. Forget it. My liver says thank you, and yes there is cheap whisky here but it is kind of gross so I don't touch it much.

Oh, yummy steaks. Thai beef is a joke and a good imported cut in a restaurant, over 1000 baht, I think I'll eat Thai food instead Too much red meat causes heart attacks and cancer.

Ben and Jerry's ice cream? (Heart attacks.) Lovely. 300 baht? Forget it, I think I'll have some fresh fruit instead.

Not allowed to talk much about nightlife here, but you get the drift.

Relative poverty, is it a good thing?

not being rich means no one bothers to ask you to lend them money .......

[Firefan]

While I can generally afford what I want, I feel the same when I look at prices on those luxuries here.

I do it as a "treat" rather than an ongoing thing. Also; there are as mentioned the chance to use alternatives. A very decent local steak house is located in Sathorn right across from Lido restaurant (Sathorn soi 1 area). Some resonable South American "copy" cigars can be found in Villa Etc. (just avoid the ones with fruity taste! ) and wine one should target Australien/NZ wines as lower tax - preferably the box one or big bottle - or simply replace with some of the cheaper local beer.

SO no worries! Even on a lower budget you can still live an unhealthly life of the rich!

Cheers!

[MiG16]

and wine one should target Australien/NZ wines as lower tax - preferably the box one or big bottle -

Cheers!

I woulda commented on you having 'generally' good taste

but

even as a thai on lowly thai salary I WOULDNT drink that boxed aussie wine heck I didnt even drink that stuff when being a perpetually broke student that stuff is nasty and will give you MASSIve headache the next day....if you still manage to wake up the next day that is

but yeh aussie wine is the way to go ...... just AvOID the paper box ones

[lazeeboy]

and wine one should target Australien/NZ wines as lower tax - preferably the box one or big bottle -

Cheers!

I woulda commented on you having 'generally' good taste

but

even as a thai on lowly thai salary I WOULDNT drink that boxed aussie wine heck I didnt even drink that stuff when being a perpetually broke student that stuff is nasty and will give you MASSIve headache the next day....if you still manage to wake up the next day that is

but yeh aussie wine is the way to go ...... just AvOID the paper box ones

most bars sell the box wines ,glad i dont drink wine

[Jingthing]

Relative poverty, is it a good thing?

No

Short answers are nice, but could you elaborate? Have you experienced being both rich and also relative poverty? I have to some degree, I was never really been rich but for years in my life I was rolling in money.

These things are personal but I do think some of the decisions I do make now that are based on being thrifty are actually good for me, like avoiding cigars because I only like good ones and I am too cheap to pay 1000 baht for a cigar.

Edited October 16, 2007 by Jingthing

[PhilHarries]

Relative poverty, is it a good thing?

No

Short answers are nice, but could you elaborate? Have you experienced being both rich and also relative poverty? I have to some degree, I was never really been rich but for years in my life I was rolling in money.

These things are personal but I do think some of the decisions I do make now that are based on being thrifty are actually good for me, like avoiding cigars because I only like good ones and I am too cheap to pay 1000 baht for a cigar.

Yes.

But unlike CC I will elaborate.

For a long time I was on a good little number working in Thailand on a fat expat deal. Nothing ridiculous but enough to mean I didn't have to watch my spending too closely.

All good things come to an end and I found myself back in the UK, jobless and having to survive on 55GBP per week jobseekers allowance. Fortunately I was able to crash at my mother's house but as she was very infirm I was able to repay that debt by looking after her and the house. Anyway nine months on a weekly allowance that I could get through on a daily basis in Thailand got me into a very structured way of living and managing my funds.

Now I am again working on another fat expat deal in south east Asia but I am still running basically the same financial controls as when I was unemployed. Although the figures have increased I still set myself a reasonably tight weekly budget and keep within it. I have to say though, ignoring accommodation (22USD per night), 55 quid a week equates to 250,000VND per day and a person can live quite comfortably on that.

So the answer to your question is yes, a period of relative poverty can have a positive effect on a person's outlook (and their bank account ).

[ignoramus]

While I can generally afford what I want, I feel the same when I look at prices on those luxuries here.

I do it as a "treat" rather than an ongoing thing. Also; there are as mentioned the chance to use alternatives. A very decent local steak house is located in Sathorn right across from Lido restaurant (Sathorn soi 1 area). Some resonable South American "copy" cigars can be found in Villa Etc. (just avoid the ones with fruity taste! ) and wine one should target Australien/NZ wines as lower tax - preferably the box one or big bottle - or simply replace with some of the cheaper local beer.

SO no worries! Even on a lower budget you can still live an unhealthly life of the rich!

Cheers!

[ignoramus]

Firefan, I trust it's you to whom I'm replying - the reply facility is a bit iffy for this newbie. I like your thoughts re steaks, cigars, and vino. I have made a careful note of your tips, and when I visit Siam - BKK anyway - will check 'em out. The talk about steaks etc has, to my surprise, engendered a renewed interest, and memories of a '92 (or '94?) visit to Chiang Mai - I recall some rather pleasant eating (and drinking) at a restaurant called, I think, Riverside. Their steaks/salad/music were pretty good. (Although a trip is a certainty, I am also seriously thinking about retiring there, but a thorough scouring of the TV forum is failing to inspire a lot of confidence in the immigration setup there, so that's still up in the air. Us Aussies are supposed to be a 'laid back' lot, but to me the Thais are really laid back - it's why we love 'em. However it seems that bureaucrats are the same everywhere. I should have known.

Sorry, I'm thinking out loud - thanks for the useful tips. Cheers, ignoramus.

[Captain Chaos]

Relative poverty, is it a good thing?

No

Short answers are nice, but could you elaborate? Have you experienced being both rich and also relative poverty? I have to some degree, I was never really been rich but for years in my life I was rolling in money.

These things are personal but I do think some of the decisions I do make now that are based on being thrifty are actually good for me, like avoiding cigars because I only like good ones and I am too cheap to pay 1000 baht for a cigar.

Yes.

But unlike CC I will elaborate.

For a long time I was on a good little number working in Thailand on a fat expat deal. Nothing ridiculous but enough to mean I didn't have to watch my spending too closely.

All good things come to an end and I found myself back in the UK, jobless and having to survive on 55GBP per week jobseekers allowance. Fortunately I was able to crash at my mother's house but as she was very infirm I was able to repay that debt by looking after her and the house. Anyway nine months on a weekly allowance that I could get through on a daily basis in Thailand got me into a very structured way of living and managing my funds.

Now I am again working on another fat expat deal in south east Asia but I am still running basically the same financial controls as when I was unemployed. Although the figures have increased I still set myself a reasonably tight weekly budget and keep within it. I have to say though, ignoring accommodation (22USD per night), 55 quid a week equates to 250,000VND per day and a person can live quite comfortably on that.

So the answer to your question is yes, a period of relative poverty can have a positive effect on a person's outlook (and their bank account ).

OK, I'll bite ... I experienced being made redundant twice during my twenties in the UK. As a result of that I had to put up with seeing my friends and peers achieving considerable career (and financial) success whilst I was struggling to re-build mine. My 'big break' if you like came in 2001 when I got posted to India as financial controller of a company that had been acquired by a British plc. From there, onto the expat gig in BKK for 5 yrs and now in Singapore with another good role, albeit with a different employer.

So now I'm fairly flush ... 10 yrs ago I barely had the proverbial pot to piss in!

What did I learn? I'm cautious with my money, I live comfortably but not extravagantly, most of what I have is invested for long term growth. I enjoy my job but I also look forward to retiring to (probably) Thailand with my missus in 20 years or so.

Do I think relative poverty is good - no - because financial freedom empowers you to make those decisions about how to live, what to spend, what to save etc. Being in 'relative poverty' (good phrase by the way ) suggests to me that you are having to make a 'virtue out of a necessity' and that just isn't how I want to live - it would stress me out far more than my job does!

It's a subjective issue ... one size most definitely won't fit all.

CC

[lazeeboy]

Relative poverty, is it a good thing?

No

Short answers are nice, but could you elaborate? Have you experienced being both rich and also relative poverty? I have to some degree, I was never really been rich but for years in my life I was rolling in money.

These things are personal but I do think some of the decisions I do make now that are based on being thrifty are actually good for me, like avoiding cigars because I only like good ones and I am too cheap to pay 1000 baht for a cigar.

Yes.

But unlike CC I will elaborate.

For a long time I was on a good little number working in Thailand on a fat expat deal. Nothing ridiculous but enough to mean I didn't have to watch my spending too closely.

All good things come to an end and I found myself back in the UK, jobless and having to survive on 55GBP per week jobseekers allowance. Fortunately I was able to crash at my mother's house but as she was very infirm I was able to repay that debt by looking after her and the house. Anyway nine months on a weekly allowance that I could get through on a daily basis in Thailand got me into a very structured way of living and managing my funds.

Now I am again working on another fat expat deal in south east Asia but I am still running basically the same financial controls as when I was unemployed. Although the figures have increased I still set myself a reasonably tight weekly budget and keep within it. I have to say though, ignoring accommodation (22USD per night), 55 quid a week equates to 250,000VND per day and a person can live quite comfortably on that.

So the answer to your question is yes, a period of relative poverty can have a positive effect on a person's outlook (and their bank account ).

OK, I'll bite ... I experienced being made redundant twice during my twenties in the UK. As a result of that I had to put up with seeing my friends and peers achieving considerable career (and financial) success whilst I was struggling to re-build mine. My 'big break' if you like came in 2001 when I got posted to India as financial controller of a company that had been acquired by a British plc. From there, onto the expat gig in BKK for 5 yrs and now in Singapore with another good role, albeit with a different employer.

So now I'm fairly flush ... 10 yrs ago I barely had the proverbial pot to piss in!

What did I learn? I'm cautious with my money, I live comfortably but not extravagantly, most of what I have is invested for long term growth. I enjoy my job but I also look forward to retiring to (probably) Thailand with my missus in 20 years or so.

Do I think relative poverty is good - no - because financial freedom empowers you to make those decisions about how to live, what to spend, what to save etc. Being in 'relative poverty' (good phrase by the way ) suggests to me that you are having to make a 'virtue out of a necessity' and that just isn't how I want to live - it would stress me out far more than my job does!

It's a subjective issue ... one size most definitely won't fit all.

CC

i've been skint and i've been rich and skint again ,now middle of the road only this time i think i've got the brains to hang on to it and i've learn''t how to say no to lending money and stupid ventures .