Does This Sound Right?

[abdulrahman]

Well,this thread really explained to me what the Thais mean by"cheap Charley".

I wonder if some of you can live in Isaan by 6000 Baht a month!

It would be a shack without running water,air con,cable tv,etc.

But in your opinion it's enough for a full(extended)Thi family!

My wife was used to spend much more with her late husband,theyr combined salaries were about 30000 a month,and after his death she had a lot of debts,normal for an average family.

[udon]

I wonder if some of you can live in Isaan by 6000 Baht a month!

Thais can and do, if you want to pay for an extended family, up to you pal.

6Kb is usually for mum and dad. Not all the hangers on.

No one else suggested that we expats would be expected to live on 6kb, you did.

Edited July 23, 2005 by udon

[aletta]

I think those that can work should make some sort of contribution, however small.

[TokyoT]

Well,this thread really explained to me what the Thais mean by"cheap Charley".

I wonder if some of you can live in Isaan by 6000 Baht a month!

It would be a shack without running water,air con,cable tv,etc.

But in your opinion it's enough for a full(extended)Thi family!

My wife was used to spend much more with her late husband,theyr combined salaries were about 30000 a month,and after his death she had a lot of debts,normal for an average family.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I would hardly consider giving the family 6,000 baht every month being a cheap charley – especially considering there are many working people in Issan that make between 3,000-3,500 baht per month. So by contributing 6,000 per month you are basically supplying the income of two (2) working people.

People have every right to give or not give what ever they feel appropriate.

[Ron]

Falangos come to Isan as miracle men contribuing as the Red Cross does, and it's okay if your karma is okay that is, but if not you can be the same as abdula who is a wee bit more than a cheap charlie, more a complete ningkempop,if you get my drift. Everybody wants a better life even if it is a question of lies and exaggerations, but give what you want and then watch and wait for the reaction, or pull out and go back to the whore bars and see if you will be happy after that!

Well,this thread really explained to me what the Thais mean by"cheap Charley".

I wonder if some of you can live in Isaan by 6000 Baht a month!

It would be a shack without running water,air con,cable tv,etc.

But in your opinion it's enough for a full(extended)Thi family!

My wife was used to spend much more with her late husband,theyr combined salaries were about 30000 a month,and after his death she had a lot of debts,normal for an average family.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I would hardly consider giving the family 6,000 baht every month being a cheap charley – especially considering there are many working people in Issan that make between 3,000-3,500 baht per month. So by contributing 6,000 per month you are basically supplying the income of two (2) working people.

People have every right to give or not give what ever they feel appropriate.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Ron]

Excuse me Abdula, but it was TokyoT whom I directed my answer to so sorry brother En Shallal!

Falangos come to Isan as miracle men contribuing as the Red Cross does, and it's okay if your karma is okay that is, but if not you can be the same as abdula who is a wee bit more than a cheap charlie, more a complete ningkempop,if you get my drift.  Everybody wants a better life even if it is a question of lies and exaggerations, but give what you want and then watch and wait for the reaction, or pull out and go back to the whore bars and see if you will be happy after that!

Well,this thread really explained to me what the Thais mean by"cheap Charley".

I wonder if some of you can live in Isaan by 6000 Baht a month!

It would be a shack without running water,air con,cable tv,etc.

But in your opinion it's enough for a full(extended)Thi family!

My wife was used to spend much more with her late husband,theyr combined salaries were about 30000 a month,and after his death she had a lot of debts,normal for an average family.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I would hardly consider giving the family 6,000 baht every month being a cheap charley – especially considering there are many working people in Issan that make between 3,000-3,500 baht per month. So by contributing 6,000 per month you are basically supplying the income of two (2) working people.

People have every right to give or not give what ever they feel appropriate.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[abdulrahman]

"People have every right to give or not to give whatever they feel appropriate"

"The 6000 Baht a month are for enough for Thais,not for Farangs"

And it's my right to consider this attitude a "cheap Charley" thinking!

A little racist too!

[udon]

And it's my right to consider this attitude a "cheap Charley" thinking!

A little racist too!

You have a marvelous attitude, well done, and good luck........

[jgbc]

Let me see if I ca breath some life back into this thread for a moment as it's a topic quite close to my heart.

I guess I’m the real cheap charlie here…

I’ve been with my gf for a couple of yrs now (also from Isaan) and I give £150 every 2mths, at today’s rate about 11k baht. This is for her family to live on and I make it quite clear that if it runs out then they can fend for themselves, as they did before.

One point here is that they are not cripples and survived before I was around.

The family it takes care of is mum, dad, brother, sister and baby and my gf son. Although they will all go out to do a day’s work when it’s available…up to them!

In the past 2yrs they have only once over spent when the novelty of having a provider was new to which I threatened to deducted the overspend from the next payment. It didn’t happen again and as my gf said ‘it’s more income than they’ve ever had before’.

When we’re staying with the family I live like they do and I ask for nothing and I more than enjoy the lifestyle. We go fishing for our supper most days, get fresh honey and pick fruit and herbs from trees and eat ants and grubs etc. Farang seem to forget that living without Tesco supermarket is possible.

I see what they do with the money now it’s been coming in for a couple of yrs and they have the necessities like fridge and stove etc, and I like what I see.

The other thing I’ve done is to buy a 1 rai plot for the two beef cows my gf bought just 2wks ago with the money I gave her to go shopping with and a 6 rai plot for a house and to grow what I hope will be a sort of orchard from which money can be made, obviously with the aim of making the family more self sufficient because I aim to stop giving them money eventually.

My plan for the house is for it to be large enough for the whole family including myself as I honestly do enjoy being part of it and in what seems to be my relentless quest for knowledge I learn something new everyday by being with them. Including a confusing mixture of thai and laos language lessons.

I see the money is enough to cover the means to live but before I go throwing my life savings at strangers in another country, another culture etc. I’m testing the water with my gf and if we are good together then everyone’s future is looking good.

I’m not planning to die soon at 38yrs so I see no rush for anything and the more time we spend together the more reality I see.

I ignore pressure for marriage and I can wait for kids until I know there is a successful relationship and a close family in which to bring up a child.

So all I can say to LOVEDABLUES is good luck but hey…slow down mate there’s nothing more telling than a long engagement.

[aletta]

The locals here would be doing cartwheels if someone gave the family 6000 Baht a month.Thats a wage for two adults working a long hard day.Now if you want to give them a huge Sony TV then sure it's not enough.

[jgbc]

I guess I'm lucky they don't drive a well...

Come to think of it, my gf aunt thinks I'm a cheap charlie because I haven't built a house yet and of course we're not married

How easy it is to be seen as kii nio I believe it means umm...tight!

Although I did get their pick up fixed...but that's beside the point

[phibunmike]

Well,this thread really explained to me what the Thais mean by"cheap Charley".

I wonder if some of you can live in Isaan by 6000 Baht a month!

It would be a shack without running water,air con,cable tv,etc.

But in your opinion it's enough for a full(extended)Thi family!

My wife was used to spend much more with her late husband,theyr combined salaries were about 30000 a month,and after his death she had a lot of debts,normal for an average family.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What a bizarre thought ! There is not a single house in our village with air con, or cable tv - they could probably all be described as "shacks" - but they do have running water. Yes, 6000 is easily enough for a large family - excluding car repayments if they exist.

(But these people don't have the debts you refer to, other than owing grandma 5000 for last years fertiliser or pawning their gold before the rice harvest).

[TRIPxCORE]

LoveDaBlues my friend, sorry I caught onto this thread so late in the game. 14,000 baht a month is roughly $350 USD which by our standards is nothing. Besides those of us actually living in Issan, none of the rest of us have intimate knowledge of what things cost there. We are pretty much stuck believing what the woman tells us. So is that a lot? I don't know. None of us really know unless we live there.

I do know that there are plenty of people in Thailand that will loan poor people money when the banks wouldn't touch them. At very high rates too, this happens a lot. When my wife first came with me to the US, I was sending the money to her family as well. I often wondered what they did before I came into the picture. Now my wife works here and I make it her responsibility to send the money. She gives around 8000 baht a month to them.

In the end, its up to you what you give to them. If you can easily afford it and feel like helping, then by all means do it. Going to the home to investigate and see what money is needed for bills, payments or whatever will give you the best piece of mind that you are not being ripped off.

In the end, never let anyone tell you you're being cheap though by only sending a certain amount of money. The fact that you're sending anything should be appreciated by everyone concerned and if it isn't, then you don't have to give anything. At least thats how I feel about it. I love to help people out with whatever I can but if for one second I feel it's not appreciated, then &lt;deleted&gt;*k you! Plus, don't let anyone "in the village" put pressure on you or your girlfriend to do more or send more. Let them worry about their own business, nosy bastards.

[aletta]

Been living out here in the sticks for a lot of years now and any more than 6000/7000 Baht a month is for more than the basic necessities for Ma,Pa and Nong.

[udon]

XXX said

In the end, never let anyone tell you you're being cheap though by only sending a certain amount of money. The fact that you're sending anything should be appreciated by everyone concerned and if it isn't, then you don't have to give anything. At least thats how I feel about it. I love to help people out with whatever I can but if for one second I feel it's not appreciated, then &lt;deleted&gt;*k you! Plus, don't let anyone "in the village" put pressure on you or your girlfriend to do more or send more. Let them worry about their own business, nosey bastards.

I couldn't agree more, well said.

[idle]

Yea, I knew going in I would be expected to help the family.  This was discussed with the GF before I left Thailand.  I just want the amount to be large enough to buy some nice 'extras' but not so much as to kill the incentive for them to continue to work.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

May I suggest that after you buy some nice extrs that, on your next visit, you check out the condition of those extras. Do they still work? Are they being properly taken care of. For example, suppose you buy a motorbike -- when was the last time the oil was changed? Is that bicycle you bought still being used or is it out in the rain with two flat tires? The tools and toolbox you bought -- where are they?

[Mikey7]

Farangs must remember a couple of things when they start a relationship with a Thai girl. First and foremost is the family. The family comes first. You can accept that and commit yourself as a helping part of the family or try unsuccessfully to separate your spouse from them. Farangs spread many stories about Thai girls taking advantage of them, and many of the stories are true. The stories that don't get told are those of the numbers of Thai girls who are taken advantage of by Farangs. "I'll love you and take care of you forever. Whoops gotta go bye bye". She gets a look at a better life and then its back to reality. Trust works both ways. She is going to squeeze out what she can until she believes in you. And always remember that what you spend in Thailand will in all probability stay in Thailand if you leave.