How Many Falangs In Thailand Are Broke?

[bendix]

I live in the third-poorest province in LOS. Yet, for two years in a row, our province has been found to to be the happiest province in Thailand (Ministry of Health annual surveys). Thailand is also the 31st happiest country in the word (TimeAsia poll). That's about 100 places ahead of affluent Japan and the USA. My immediate Isaan neighbors are dirt poor, but they daily evidence 100% more happiness than I ever witnessed in my upper middle-class neighborhood in the West.

A man's happiness and satisfaction does not consist of the things he owns.

Yes, but it's amazing how much happier they are when you give grandpa a gleaming new pick up, and present grandma with ten baht of gold to show off to her friends, isnt it?

[otherstuff1957]

Well, this thread seems to wandered off from 'do you know someone who is down & out' to 'how much money do you need to be happy'. I'd say that the answer to number 2 depends on each individual person. I know people who are perfectly happy on 20K per month and others who can't pay their bills no matter how much they earn.

As for the original question, I know one fellow who has been here for many years, has a Thai wife & children, speaks fluent Thai/Issan and doesn't have a pot to piss in. He can't seem to hold down a job (he has a common-sense deficiency issue) and despite speaking the language and having lived here for more than 20 years he seems, at times, amazingly ignorant about Thai customs and Thai people.

I, and other friends, have tried to help him, but despite some good qualifications he has a knack for talking himself out of getting hired for any jobs that we've recommended him for. Knowing this guy is rather like watching a slow-motion train wreck.

[geriatrickid]

How can anyone get romantic when the copulating partner reeks of BO?

However, the real definition of being broke in Thailand is not having a loved one.

What I find interesting about this thread is not so much about how folks live and on how much they live. The intriguing aspect is the extent of creative examples they cite in order to project their own oversimplified reasoning.

As for the comments above.

1 - Soap and water are not only available, but damned cheap.

2 - Once you have related "loved one" to "broke", you may well be moving in that direction,

klikster .. who has s**t in the woods on many occasions.

Jeez, try and let the imagine soar will ya.... Love is the only asset that one cannot buy. It must be earned and it's value is unique in that it has value to its holders only. On that basis alone, many TV members are living in penury despite pecuniary largesse. Others are richer for they have the benefit of a loving partner and perhaps a family.

So, like when you were defecating in the woods, you ever have a critter come up on you? I was once stuck up in northern Canada tracking varmints and had the squirts. Stopped to cure myself and lo and behold a black bear came along. Literally scared the sh*t outta me. Trouble round these parts is that your typical thai toilet is awfully stinky and doesn't lend itself to a good peruse of the JAMA or Wall Street News. As for the soap and water thing, you'll find that the pits cannot be well cleaned using just a pail of the usual yellow water and a splashing. You can smell those Pai backpacker types a klick away, particularly if they haven't got the baht to disinfect the dreds. Appreciably, the typical bar hostess doesn't mind the stench of her new hansum man as long as the baht is there, but for those of us that have never gone with such a woman, we realize that the regular ladies prefer a well groomed gent and good soap costs alot at carrefour.

Edited April 15, 2008 by geriatrickid

[toptuan]

Well, this thread seems to wandered off from 'do you

As for the original question, I know one fellow who has been here for many years, has a Thai wife & children, speaks fluent Thai/Issan and doesn't have a pot to piss in. He can't seem to hold down a job (he has a common-sense deficiency issue) and despite speaking the language and having lived here for more than 20 years he seems, at times, amazingly ignorant about Thai customs and Thai people.

I, and other friends, have tried to help him, but despite some good qualifications he has a knack for talking himself out of getting hired for any jobs that we've recommended him for. Knowing this guy is rather like watching a slow-motion train wreck.

You can lead a horse to water....

Edited April 15, 2008 by toptuan

[toptuan]

Yes, but it's amazing how much happier they are when you give grandpa a gleaming new pick up, and present grandma with ten baht of gold to show off to her friends, isnt it?

The REAL upshot of it? The extended family starts depending on you while some even quit their jobs to enjoy their new-found sugar daddy. Then life goes to H_ll in a hand basket.

[geriatrickid]

Yes, but it's amazing how much happier they are when you give grandpa a gleaming new pick up, and present grandma with ten baht of gold to show off to her friends, isnt it?

shhhhhh. You'll burst the bubble. If one wants to see the sparks fly, watch what happens when one of the families gets a sudden windfall. Neighbours turn on them and the onslaught of nasty gossip starts. Jealousy is always lurking like a Pattaya bar patron on the hunt for fresh flesh.

[klikster]

Love is the only asset that one cannot buy.

I was sort of with you until ..

It must be earned ..

As for the soap and water thing, you'll find that the pits cannot be well cleaned using just a pail of the usual yellow water and a splashing.

Hence the need for the "soap" part of "soap and water".

.. we realize that the regular ladies prefer a well groomed gent ..

I believe that you will find even the lowest paid Thais will tend to have soap readily available.

[thaimate]

Some people come to Thailand with plenty of money and lose it all. Some people come with nothing and make a life here. Some people base their life around the idea of one day moving to their place in the sun, when conditions of right, but for many this day will never come. Some people live in the now.

I am always broke haha..but to live in Europe in the snow eating farang food and no temple round the corner to go to and speak with the monks, no Pad kaprao

or Gaeng Thai (แกงใต้) no going waddling in the stream catching fish (ทอดแหจับปลานิน) and maybe a million other things then i just couldn't live.

i make only 17000 baht a month dont work at all except on developing my website and taking the odd person to a temple for a tattoo and translating for them.

On this 17000 baht a month i live quite well only i dont have any savings.

I can understand someone who comes here lives in a beer bar, starbucks kfc and the pizza hut would prefer to go home and make money than live here broke, as they live the same western life here as they do at home...

but i cant eat that stuff i eat only thai food and for me a pad kaprao with a fried egg on top costs me 15 baht or 2 curries on rice i get for 20 to 25 baht

I also cant live without this food i dont eat bread and all that farang bull it isnt tasty and also expensive.

A coffee in starbucks costs 60 baht (uff what a waste thats 3 square meals for me which are much more delicious than a coffee)

I always wonder why some farang copme here as some people pack their tins of beans, marmit/vegemite, and all their other "home copmforts" and live on that when they are here...what is the point of being here if you cant adapt to the lifestyle and have to need your stuff from home country.

This is like taking your country with you.....why dont you just stay home if you dont like the real life/food/culture here?

i suppose some people only come for the women..which is as far as i am concerned stupid, as Thai women dont like farang they just like their money.

I couldn't take a wife who only wanted an easy life and a free ride but really all she is waiting for is me to die so she can go home and make a house and marry the thai she has always told me is her little brother or cousin.

I know a guy he employs his wife's little brother...well that guy is her boyfriend really i found out about it...but i ain't telling the farang because he has to learn himself.

Broke in Thailand? yes! But it is still better life than being middle class in Europe.

How many people in europe can afford a prawn and lemon grass soup every day eating out?

Even your average Thai can afford to eat fresh fish, prawns and lots of other lovely stuff on a "Broke" budget.

My 2 room condo apartment costs me 2700 baht a month and have internet for 300 a month 1mb another 100 baht a month gets me 50 cable tv channels...god i would have to work my ass off in Europe to keep all that together.

The broke thing isnt important as if you have a lot of money here then you either just blow it all on uinnecessary luxuries (ie starbucks) or some woman or thai guy syphons it out of you.

If you have nothing for them to take then they cant take it off you.

you dont fool me ,no wonder no thai woman wants you ,who wants a broken down old cheapskate like you.

and as for thai women only wanting our money ,yes if you are looking in soi 6 or walking street you are more than likely right . thats why when i got married to my english wife i didnt marry a hooker from the daily sport.

nearly all my friends and myself have been married for donkeys years and love and are loved in return by our thai wives and children,not all are very well off either.

my advice is get out more ,oh and by the way i love thai food ,but i also love my marmite.

[YoungFarang13]

Nothing wrong with a simple life but 17,000 a month,????

now thats what you call simple.

No, it's what you call "living in the right place."

My first year in Thailand (2003), I lived on exactly that amount while supporting a partner who was earning a degree at a university (on my baht). Lived comfortably and traveled domestically nearly every weekend with Thai friends. Saw most all of Thailand that first year, and even saved up for one trip to North America at the end of that year.

Anyone who wants to live higher on the hog than that, really wants to maintain a fully western lifestyle in Asia. If that's your preference, do it. But don't denigrate those who choose the lifestyle of the vast majority in their host country. In my opinion, it's a lot more care-free and less hassle. It also frees me to concentrate on life's priorities and not get bogged down in "maintaining the stuff" associated with that other lifestyle.

To each his own, without prejudice.

if it works for the majority of thais, why can't it work for a farang? 17k/month is still alot for isaan. i am only impressed with farang who have less than 10k/month in income.

[YoungFarang13]

"I have a luxury villa, a swimming pool, 50 inch TV etc ... but I still think Starbucks is for suckers !!"

sorry but i don't see many guys with luxury villas and 50 in tvs getting worked up because some people pay premium for name brand coffee. i would love to spend less than 140 baht for my mocha frapuchino but sadly i can only get it in starbucks. the other places dont taste as good.

Edited April 15, 2008 by YoungFarang13

[Heng]

Yes, but it's amazing how much happier they are when you give grandpa a gleaming new pick up, and present grandma with ten baht of gold to show off to her friends, isnt it?

The REAL upshot of it? The extended family starts depending on you while some even quit their jobs to enjoy their new-found sugar daddy. Then life goes to H_ll in a hand basket.

A more relevant comment would be "it's amazing how much happier they would be if they could just buy whatever they wanted to eat at the supermarket without having to look at the price... if they could turn on their aircons without having to worry about the electric bill, etc." More relevant, but not quite as funny as a pickup and 10 Baht of gold.

[grantbkk]

Some of these posts bemuse me.

Just because somebody is paying a small amount for something why denigrate them? I love a deal , don't you?

And as for people being "broke", What is "broke". Some people with the biggest debts have the grandest lifestyles. Think "The Donald"

I've also known people with vast net worth , but not two halfpenny's to rub their arse with.

I myself have swung from asset to cash rich and too and fro many times.

Maybe my annoyance with this thread is based upon my ignorance of how ignorant people are.

Cheers

It is usually one of life's simple pleasures to get a deal. However, I have never gotten used to very loud bearded men trying to get their grocery purchase total reduced from the cashiers at Foodland. They just scare the girls. I know in sounds ignorant but these loud mouths seem to be enjoying the art of the deal and the attention.

[Gary A]

I have been very fortunate in my lifetime. I was lucky to be born in a country where money was fairly easy to make if you had anything on the ball at all. I never had to worry about accounting for what I did with my money because I had nothing given to me and had to earn it myself. I can truthfully say that money was only important to me when I had none. I have been VERY well off and I have been broke. As I got older I had to give the future a lot more thought so I buckled down and saved everything I could save. No way could I be considered wealthy now and I never will be wealthy.

That said, I enjoy certain things and among my dislikes are five star hotels and fancy restaurants. I simply don't enjoy them and am not comfortable. I dislike long pants and button up shirts. I hate to wear shoes and much prefer the cheap Thai sandals. My wife and I live in her modest western style two bedroom house and it suits us just fine. I have some really well off good friends and they don't flaunt their wealth. If they did flaunt it, we would likely not be good friends. I have found that many people who consider themselves HI-SO struggle to make ends meet and are never happy. I live exactly as I want to live and more than likely my kids will inherit my nest egg because it is like a security blanket to me and I can't imagine spending it. I embarrass my wife because I drink Archa beer out of the big bottle rather than use a glass. I LIKE drinking out of the bottle. I'd probably drink more but my body doesn't like alcohol and punishes me severely when I drink too much.

People have different ways of doing things and whatever they are comfortable with is up to them. As far as myself, I could never be comfortable without a sure income and my nest egg. I have been known to criticize 10 cent millionaires who are as phony as three dollar bills. Happy people who have only a little money and struggle to get by are fine by me.

[dee123]

...my wife and I used to be the "Beanshoot kings"of Chaiyaphum in the northeast region,....seriously though we used to just behave as a normal "Thai" family would,....grow beanshoots then everyday take the beanshoots to the local stream,...wash the beanshoots in the stream, take them to market and sell them.We would make enough money to eat and pay bills and during that time it was bliss,..attend all the local ceremony's etc,..who needs money when you've got the "good life"....It surprises me when the "Buppy's " (bangkok yuppy's)...say derogatory things about people with low income(working class )...then tell you how well they know Thailand from their aircon office,.....

Edited April 15, 2008 by dee123

[Heng]

We used to grow and sell quite a few "beanshoots," as well, although we called them bean sprouts. Good thing too, because only 1 out of 100 customers would call them beanshoots, and if we called them beanshoots, I'd probably be still be back in Texas selling bean sprouts.

[mikethevigoman]

Having no or almost no assets and relying on a pension does not mean you are broken if your pension is high enough to meet your needs.

No ,thats called living from hand to mouth, theres plenty in the uk doing just that !,.

[dee123]

....LAAN TONG OCH...if that makes sense to u my thai is poor let alone my english sorry heng....we eventually moved from beanshoots to selling cooked food from foodcart and currently now doing the same in the u.k from a mobile trailer,.....still not rich but who cares

Edited April 15, 2008 by dee123

[YoungFarang13]

i agree about the poor being happy in Thailand. Plus, it does feel like its very easy for them to get a job if they want one, whatever it is. in the west, old people are pretty much screwed.

[mikethevigoman]

Dear spencerdharmagrafix, are you delusional? You seem to be under the impression that you have somehow developed this special relationship with Thailand that others are not privy to. Let me share a secret with you, most new arrivals feel this way, but the sensible ones grow out of it, and they accept that it is mere fantasy.

To say that Thai women only go with western men for money and that they are all cheaters is a great insult to the women of this country and shows a very misogynistic attitude on your part. Some of us are married and have children with Thai women so your comments are quite nasty.

I can only assume that you are here illegally as I can't imagine how you would qualify for extended stay visas on 17,000. I would normally say that is your own business, but your post betrays a personality which deserves to have immigration hot on its tail.

I think on 17000 a month he wouldnt be very appealing to women in any country,

[Heng]

....LAAN TONG OCH...if that makes sense to u my thai is poor let alone my english sorry heng

Um, that might be the same thing. "tua ngoc" in Thai. Literally bean sprouts. Used in many types of Asian cooking. Chinese restaurants in our town back in the US were big customers. From "mung" beans (dark green color). You probably grew them in tubs with watering timers.

[mikethevigoman]

Some of these posts bemuse me.

Just because somebody is paying a small amount for something why denigrate them? I love a deal , don't you?

And as for people being "broke", What is "broke". Some people with the biggest debts have the grandest lifestyles. Think "The Donald"

I've also known people with vast net worth , but not two halfpenny's to rub their arse with.

I myself have swung from asset to cash rich and too and fro many times.

Maybe my annoyance with this thread is based upon my ignorance of how ignorant people are.

Cheers

Well said!

I live in the third-poorest province in LOS. Yet, for two years in a row, our province has been found to to be the happiest province in Thailand (Ministry of Health annual surveys). Thailand is also the 31st happiest country in the word (TimeAsia poll). That's about 100 places ahead of affluent Japan and the USA. My immediate Isaan neighbors are dirt poor, but they daily evidence 100% more happiness than I ever witnessed in my upper middle-class neighborhood in the West.

A man's happiness and satisfaction does not consist of the things he owns.

Correct, ignorance is a bliss, if you havent had it you dont miss it, most of the really wealthy people i have met spend most of their lives worrying about their money, only to die and be the richest corpse in the graveyard,.that will not be me

[YoungFarang13]

spending time in 5 star hotels can be depressing because you know you have to go back to your own house later on, but it also makes you work harder.

[dee123]

...just old biscuit tins kept in the dark,...".laan" as in wash...."tua ngoc"....as u explained...there used to be a beautiful spinster who used to wash her beansprouts every morning in the stream, and everyone said she enjoyed "flashing" the boobs,....i used to look forward to work everyday even though it was 4.00 am in the morning .....it all depends on what you believe in "nobody remembers who come second" or as a famous american actor once said "life is not a race ,so I don't expect a prize,....

Edited April 15, 2008 by dee123

[dingdongrb]

So, like when you were defecating in the woods, you ever have a critter come up on you? I was once stuck up in northern Canada tracking varmints and had the squirts. Stopped to cure myself and lo and behold a black bear came along. Literally scared the sh*t outta me.

I could have done without that mental picture......

[PeaceBlondie]

Well, I got slightly depressed over in that other thread about who has the most net worth, so I came to this thread to do a little slumming so I would feel superior to all the insolvent farang. Other than the philosophy and the stories about shitting in the woods, I didn't hear much about guys who are dead broke.

As a pensioner who does not have much net worth, I assure you that you can live quite comfortably on a large pension. I have some close friends that I never divulge the total value of the monthly pensions, for fear I would make them jealous. I really do not understand how they live from month to month on less than half of what I have, but some of them are also eating up their principal quickly.

We have heard stories of farang beggars. I met a neighbor in the embassy who was on ten years of overstay, but he still paid his rent.

[Lucifer]

It doesn't matter if you're rich or poor, as long as you have money.

[geriatrickid]

i agree about the poor being happy in Thailand. Plus, it does feel like its very easy for them to get a job if they want one, whatever it is. in the west, old people are pretty much screwed.

Big Myth. Take a good look at the vendors on the street. Yes they have a job, but do you really think they are happy, sitting there toiling in the hot stuffy conditions breathing bad air, bored and having to haggle with people? Take a look at most of the young people working menial jobs or in the hospitality trade. There is a lot of anger churning and seething under the surface. Ever wonder why riots always end up with death and mass destruction in asia including India? The genie can only be kept in the bottle for so long. Eventually it escapes and when he does, it aint pretty. The scene we see is is what social psychologists refer to as a coping mechanism. I'm not calamity jane, but I see alot of the same behaviours here that I saw in Indonesia before the mass killings and these behaviours were not evident a decade a go when I was much more adept at picking up social cues and first visited up in Thailand.

[Huey]

There was I time around 5 years ago, when I had 80 baht to my name, my rent was late, all my clothes were dirty, and I didn't even have my passport. Fortunately I had started selling time share 2 weeks prior and I made my first sale (of anything ever in my life really) and I had enough to breathe. How I pulled my self out of that drama is a whole other story but suffice to say I was damm low during those times. You do what you gotta do to survive and pull your self up. What I don't get is how some people stay like that though..I have seen so many guys just doing what ever lousy job, just to say in Thailand..its sad.

[dee123]

Well, I got slightly depressed over in that other thread about who has the most net worth, so I came to this thread to do a little slumming so I would feel superior to all the insolvent farang. Other than the philosophy and the stories about shitting in the woods, I didn't hear much about guys who are dead broke.

As a pensioner who does not have much net worth, I assure you that you can live quite comfortably on a large pension. I have some close friends that I never divulge the total value of the monthly pensions, for fear I would make them jealous. I really do not understand how they live from month to month on less than half of what I have, but some of them are also eating up their principal quickly.

We have heard stories of farang beggars. I met a neighbor in the embassy who was on ten years of overstay, but he still paid his rent.

your welcome here anytime PeaceBlondie (your my fav mod)...rich or poor its what is inside your heart that matters.....and yours is just fine.....but you might have to "dress down" on this thread

Edited April 15, 2008 by dee123

[Pepe']

I have been very fortunate in my lifetime. I was lucky to be born in a country where money was fairly easy to make if you had anything on the ball at all. I never had to worry about accounting for what I did with my money because I had nothing given to me and had to earn it myself. I can truthfully say that money was only important to me when I had none. I have been VERY well off and I have been broke. As I got older I had to give the future a lot more thought so I buckled down and saved everything I could save. No way could I be considered wealthy now and I never will be wealthy.

That said, I enjoy certain things and among my dislikes are five star hotels and fancy restaurants. I simply don't enjoy them and am not comfortable. I dislike long pants and button up shirts. I hate to wear shoes and much prefer the cheap Thai sandals. My wife and I live in her modest western style two bedroom house and it suits us just fine. I have some really well off good friends and they don't flaunt their wealth. If they did flaunt it, we would likely not be good friends. I have found that many people who consider themselves HI-SO struggle to make ends meet and are never happy. I live exactly as I want to live and more than likely my kids will inherit my nest egg because it is like a security blanket to me and I can't imagine spending it. I embarrass my wife because I drink Archa beer out of the big bottle rather than use a glass. I LIKE drinking out of the bottle. I'd probably drink more but my body doesn't like alcohol and punishes me severely when I drink too much.

People have different ways of doing things and whatever they are comfortable with is up to them. As far as myself, I could never be comfortable without a sure income and my nest egg. I have been known to criticize 10 cent millionaires who are as phony as three dollar bills. Happy people who have only a little money and struggle to get by are fine by me.

-----------------

Well said, well said...