Be Prepared

[Murgatroyd]

Hi Latindancer,

I have listed our annual, quarterly, and monthly spending and gone through every item on the list with my wife. I've showed her how much money I have coming in each month, and how, at the moment, it's less than we're spending. I've asked her to check our budget for economies we can make, so as to find the extra cash that would enable us to buy the car, and she has agreed that it can't be done.

I've showed her where the cash comes from, and explained that if we dip into that we will have even less income. I've also showed her how much income I need each year to qualify for my visa, and explained that if my income drops below that figure I will have to go home to the UK.

I've explained that if I have to go home I won't be able to send her anything like what we're spending at the moment because I will need money to re-start my life in the UK.

Whilst I'm fairly confident that she understands the figures , as you say, it's difficult to be absolutely sure that at gut level she doesn't think that I can somehow wave a magic wand and produce more money out of this air. I've done the best I can, and I'll continue to explain matters as they develop...

I fully agree about the process of buying a 2nd hand car... I'll try and find a mate who would have the expertise and language skills to help me with this if we go that route.

Edited August 5, 2011 by Murgatroyd

[vpi78]

Good luck Murg. I believe we met once at Big Dogs a few years ago and I am happy for you that you did make the transition to Thailand. Persevere and it will all work out fine.

[Trembly]

Tough. We all wish we had more money. Maybe you should have saved more.

Anyways, I'm prepared to live on 20k a month if I go broke. That's fan room and noodle cup living. I can do it.

Friendly correction from someone who has done it : Fan room in On-Nut and rice-dish / noodle living is 10000 baht a month. Could be less with own rice cooker. ;-)

Edited August 5, 2011 by Trembly

[Trembly]

If we can find a reliable 2nd hand car for around the 100,000 baht mark then I'll consider it. Even then I'm a bit dubious about it as 2nd hand cars tend to require a lot of repairs as various bits of them seize up.

Before buying my wife the business, I had tried giving my wife some money, (30,000 Baht), so that she had spending money of her own. (This was nearly four years ago, when cash wasn't so tight). Within a few months her family ( the sister) had borrowed the lot, never to be seen again.

Hi Murgatroyd,

You seem to be mostly on the right path, but I'd like to suggest a few things.

Firstly, and most importantly : find someone (preferably a Westerner who you can therefore speak to easily ) who knows a lot about secondhand cars and the buying thereof, and check out any prospective purchase VERY carefully. Thai people are not always diligent about maintenance. When you find one, beat the price down fairly mercilessly, as sellers usually have expectations that are too high, and every secondhand car I've bought has needed a fair bit of work within the first year of my owning it.

If the sister is giving you flak about your wife not signing for their loan, just mention the 30,000 baht they still owe you. Why should it be a gift, if originally it was a loan ? ( To be fair though, the word "loan" here, particularly in-family, means something quite different here from what it means in Western countries ).

You need to gently explain a little more to your wife that she needs to be more realistic and grown-up about certain things. My wife is quite child-like in certain ways, which is very cute and endearing, but I'm having to point out to her that her wanting to buy an expensive mobile to replace the one she dropped is really a wish for status and both unnecessary and expensive. It's taking me a while to get this concept from her subconscious to her conscious mind.

Despite Will27's post seeming a little blunt, I think that there is some truth in what he says, on some level. Your wife may not be consciously be trying to take advantage of you, but she seems to have unrealistic expectations, possibly because you have supplied her and certain family members with so much already. To re-state what many other guys have said before, Thai people often think of us Farangs as bottomless pits when it comes to money, even when we protest that we are not. _They seem to think it is all just words_.

They have to be shown when there REALLY IS a limit. Perhaps you can explain and show in very simple terms exactly what a budget is, and what happens when it is not followed. Then get a Thai person to tell her the same.

Good luck !

Try and get to a bank defaulters / foreclosures list or auction. I'm not sure how you get this info, but my aunt was tipped off by a friend and she got a Toyota Vios with less than 10'000 on the clock for 300'000, bought from the bank.

Edited August 5, 2011 by Trembly

[Jebhead]

Tough. We all wish we had more money. Maybe you should have saved more.

Anyways, I'm prepared to live on 20k a month if I go broke. That's fan room and noodle cup living. I can do it.

Friendly correction from someone who has done it : Fan room in On-Nut and rice-dish / noodle living is 10000 baht a month. Could be less with own rice cooker. ;-)

This is existing and NOT living....

JH

[Trembly]

Tough. We all wish we had more money. Maybe you should have saved more.

Anyways, I'm prepared to live on 20k a month if I go broke. That's fan room and noodle cup living. I can do it.

Friendly correction from someone who has done it : Fan room in On-Nut and rice-dish / noodle living is 10000 baht a month. Could be less with own rice cooker. ;-)

This is existing and NOT living....

JH

That's as may be, but needs must when the devil drives.

Edited August 5, 2011 by Trembly

[Ulysses G.]

Add air-con and a few Western meals and 10,000 per month becomes 20,000 and life is not bad.

Edited August 5, 2011 by Ulysses G.

[ARISTIDE]

Are you speaking Thailish? (Nothing wrong it sound cool)

What Jeff says

Hospital free for Thai person. Thai person not NEED go private, but might WANT.

Difference between 'want' and 'need' with dental work. Work need usually cheap, work want cosmetic, expensive.

I find tell wife I NEED 40k per month for me, if can pay for you to then good, if can not pay for you to then goodbye.

(I also support MIL, teen step daughter and new son from that amount)

My lifestyle not low, but I live with what have, wife live with what have (Did pay for wife private room when have baby at Thai hospital, 3 night @800bht).

Learn to live within budget, teach wife to live within budget. Else find cheaper wife or send wife to work.

Very few Thai have money manage skill, never think beyond next week. This you job.

Yes she will run you out of money if you let her, then most likely she move on.

I see this happen to foreigner many time. Foreigner with limited money can be very silly.

Sorry no sympathy, 40k a month more than most Thai family have.

(Do have sympathy for you medical expense, but find cheaper drug, change eating habit to control diabetes)

(current rate 48bht to pound, why you get 46?)

PS

2YO Honda Click 25,000bht

New Proton 4 door auto 460,000bht (9k UKP)

If not rich person don't buy 750,000bht car

[ARISTIDE]

I checked the map your place is a few kms from Cambodia?

B 60,000 a Month, Gawd mate, live like a king.!!!.I pay B2,500 a month rent -2 storey 3 bedroom house Brand new 2-3 bedroom houses built to approximate Farang standards , rent for a Max. ,B5,000 a month.Love me 'ouse.!!!Medical ? I have used the govt. health care system for 21 years. Never been anywhere near a private "orse piddle"and never will. In February, was diagnosed with Pneumonia AND T.B. + COPD.Spent 6 days in there( total cost ,including ambulance was less than B15,000 . Treatment was excellent. Nurses were wonderful- NOT a dragon amongst them.My G/F stayed with me ,slept on the floor under my bed. Brilliant !!! Looked after me superbly. Much better than Farang hospitals in Farang land. However ,if my treatment was going to cost MORE than a return air fare ,and I was NOT an emergency patient, I would return to Oz as I am an old age pensioner,and therefore get free medical care.But, I must add that the clinics -Which are in nearly every 2nd village and provide FREE treatment for all your odd Simple health problems ,are excellent. And all work to an understanding of what their abilities are. When ,they are out of their depth , you are whisked off to the next level,very quickly, as happened to me. I reckon .that there are many of us living MUCH better than in our home countries AND living ,very happily , on about B30,000 a month. I know ,I am AND that includes supporting a 17year 8 1/2 months preggers + 2 Primary school age kids ( I am not their father)+ the G/F.as well. Somebody on B 60,000 a month -I can only add "charitable donations , accepted with glee"To me !!! Please. B60,000 a month income? ,you will love it here. Unless you live in Pattaya or Phuket.

[seriouseats]

before we met she worked revolving shifts at a local washing machine factory, and paid her mortgage out of a fairly slim salary

yet you were able to meet her? and she spoke english? You dont need to lie.. just say the truth <deleted>

[Murgatroyd]

Hello seriouseats,

We were introduced by her cousin who I met in a beer bar in Phuket the first time I visited Thailand... All the girls there thought I was a bit wierd because I didn't barfine any of them... I didn't go out to Thailand to be an sex tourist. Thus I achieved something fairly few tourists get... :A genuine introduction to a really nice non P4P Thai lady. We talked for several months over the phone and by text. At that stage her English was almost .non existent, as was my Thai. However we both perservered with dictionaries and after some months we finally met and I fell in love with her.

By all means poke fun at my spelling, but please don't do so about my wife.

[manarak]

I think the general word of caution applies, EUR, GBP and USD are bound to go down the drain.

One way to immunize against such currency moves is to make debts in your home currency and invest into assets in the target currency.

[MRTELLYOUSTRAIGHT]

Although 2 grand a 100,000 baht car is the equivalent of a 300 pound shitter in the UK. She wont like it and will resent you for it so don't bother.

[Latindancer]

Although 2 grand a 100,000 baht car is the equivalent of a 300 pound shitter in the UK. She wont like it and will resent you for it so don't bother.

You can avoid this if you shop around till you find a car that suits you perfectly.......low Ks, looks good, owned by conservative driver, etc. That way she won't resent it. And she certainly won't resent it if she has taken on board what he has explained to her about his finances.

Murgatroyd, I used to buy old Peugeots in Australia, do them up, and resell them. You're welcome to ask for my advice at any time. At it's most basic it is this : Keep actively searching and wait till the right one pops up. Do not settle for a "good enough" one. There are plenty out there. If you get to know the market and what you want, you will be primed to pounce when the right one shows up. EVERYTHING about it has to be right. So just keep moving till you find one that satisfies various criteria.

Emotional intelligence is the ability to defer enjoyment for a greater payoff later, rather than going for the "quick fix".

I actually employed this strategy in finding my wife, and I'm still 100% happy in our relationship.

Edited August 6, 2011 by Latindancer

[Murgatroyd]

Thanks Latindancer, Much appreciated... I might be in touch in due course if and when we decide to try and find a 2nd hand car.

vpi78, Nice to hear from you. If you fancy a drink at some stage, send me a PM

[Thongkorn]

Sorry but it looks as if things may get worse judging by the stock markets this week.

Edited August 6, 2011 by Thongkorn

[afarang]

I checked the map your place is a few kms from Cambodia?

B 60,000 a Month, Gawd mate, live like a king.!!!.I pay B2,500 a month rent -2 storey 3 bedroom house Brand new 2-3 bedroom houses built to approximate Farang standards , rent for a Max. ,B5,000 a month.Love me 'ouse.!!!Medical ? I have used the govt. health care system for 21 years. Never been anywhere near a private "orse piddle"and never will. In February, was diagnosed with Pneumonia AND T.B. + COPD.Spent 6 days in there( total cost ,including ambulance was less than B15,000 . Treatment was excellent. Nurses were wonderful- NOT a dragon amongst them.My G/F stayed with me ,slept on the floor under my bed. Brilliant !!! Looked after me superbly. Much better than Farang hospitals in Farang land. However ,if my treatment was going to cost MORE than a return air fare ,and I was NOT an emergency patient, I would return to Oz as I am an old age pensioner,and therefore get free medical care.But, I must add that the clinics -Which are in nearly every 2nd village and provide FREE treatment for all your odd Simple health problems ,are excellent. And all work to an understanding of what their abilities are. When ,they are out of their depth , you are whisked off to the next level,very quickly, as happened to me. I reckon .that there are many of us living MUCH better than in our home countries AND living ,very happily , on about B30,000 a month. I know ,I am AND that includes supporting a 17year 8 1/2 months preggers + 2 Primary school age kids ( I am not their father)+ the G/F.as well. Somebody on B 60,000 a month -I can only add "charitable donations , accepted with glee"To me !!! Please. B60,000 a month income? ,you will love it here. Unless you live in Pattaya or Phuket.

Well done !! indeed we are .had a few problems with the bombs a short while ago, I can take you on a very short drive and you can see for miles into Cambodia. Very good vantage point. Close to Prasat Ta Muen Tom .which was a flashpoint. But all cool .now .First came to this area 20 years ago. Have been living here for about 12 years.No intention of leaving ,except in a wooden box/

[Scoop1]

I checked the map your place is a few kms from Cambodia?

B 60,000 a Month, Gawd mate, live like a king.!!!.I pay B2,500 a month rent -2 storey 3 bedroom house Brand new 2-3 bedroom houses built to approximate Farang standards , rent for a Max. ,B5,000 a month.Love me 'ouse.!!!Medical ? I have used the govt. health care system for 21 years. Never been anywhere near a private "orse piddle"and never will. In February, was diagnosed with Pneumonia AND T.B. + COPD.Spent 6 days in there( total cost ,including ambulance was less than B15,000 . Treatment was excellent. Nurses were wonderful- NOT a dragon amongst them.My G/F stayed with me ,slept on the floor under my bed. Brilliant !!! Looked after me superbly. Much better than Farang hospitals in Farang land. However ,if my treatment was going to cost MORE than a return air fare ,and I was NOT an emergency patient, I would return to Oz as I am an old age pensioner,and therefore get free medical care.But, I must add that the clinics -Which are in nearly every 2nd village and provide FREE treatment for all your odd Simple health problems ,are excellent. And all work to an understanding of what their abilities are. When ,they are out of their depth , you are whisked off to the next level,very quickly, as happened to me. I reckon .that there are many of us living MUCH better than in our home countries AND living ,very happily , on about B30,000 a month. I know ,I am AND that includes supporting a 17year 8 1/2 months preggers + 2 Primary school age kids ( I am not their father)+ the G/F.as well. Somebody on B 60,000 a month -I can only add "charitable donations , accepted with glee"To me !!! Please. B60,000 a month income? ,you will love it here. Unless you live in Pattaya or Phuket.

Well done !! indeed we are .had a few problems with the bombs a short while ago, I can take you on a very short drive and you can see for miles into Cambodia. Very good vantage point. Close to Prasat Ta Muen Tom .which was a flashpoint. But all cool .now .First came to this area 20 years ago. Have been living here for about 12 years.No intention of leaving ,except in a wooden box/

ok tell me more, what is available there and how safe is it down there, i seem to read the problems are muslims want inderpendence is this right ??? and why ?? i do not understand!!!

[afarang]

What is interesting , is that I have not seen much mention .comparing living here to living in your home country. I am an an Aust. old age Pensioner. living solely on my Govt. Pension. I own nothing in Oz. .If I went back there, I would be homeless. Rents, now ,are astronomical. As a single man, I would be up sh+ t creek.Food costs .now are awful. I went back in 2005 to apply for the pension.Ended up having to stay ,at Govt.s orders for 2 more years ,after the pension was approved, before it became portable.Had awful difficulty surviving economically. The only way I could drink beer was to brew my own. In 30 months I went into a pub ONCE. I did something for a friend and he took for a counter lunch.Food wise, I knew when to look for food stuffs I wanted, by looking for their "useby" date.When they were generally on SPECIAL- discounted by 50 %.Lived in a caravan on a farm.No toilet( had a shovel) , no shower. - built my own solar powered one. No good on cold days. So cold ,most days ,did not get out of bed until about 11.00. Hate the cold. Never acclimatised to being back in Oz. Came back to Thailand - one week. WAS. NEVER,EVER, Do I want to go back. Thank You Very Much.!!!!!!.Love the climate. love the food. both Thai and farang. Love my little town ,Love my conveyance.Go to our local bar about 3 times a week. Happy to see Yingluck. in a position of power ,Hope she succeeds. Happy with the Govt. health system here. Have been treated very well. My house ,3 bedrooms ,rent B2,500. Very comfortable. Don't have "air" .Don't need. House is quite cool. Electricity about B1,000 per month , water B120 per month . Very affordable. I can save money on my pension .here. Not a "pattaya" type .Have a fascination with electrical appliances, sadly(they all cost). Have a freezer, fridge ,microwave, convection oven. Boilo. toaster , rice cooker .deep fryer ( my stepkids love it),blender. Go to Makro ( have card) about every 3 months ,stock up. Whoops, sorry forgot: my Hot Water heater- hate cold showers, and a Washing machine.There you go. Did drink a lot of wine while I was in Oz, $10 for a 5 litre cask( on special ).Good wine, cheap price.Enough ,she cried. !!!Think I am happy her ? YOU BETCHA.

Edited August 6, 2011 by afarang

[afarang]

For Scoop, We have NO problems with Muslims here ,This is basically a non- muslim area. The Thais here are : commercial class -Chinese Thais, the Prai( farmers) are Isarn Thais ,whose origins are Cambodian. We have many Cambodian temples in our area. Our problems were caused by the silly yellow shirts in Bkk., who invaded Prasat Khao Phra Viharn, Si Sa Ket province. once .The next time they tried the locals blocked the road, refused to allow them to get anywhere near the temple, Did a brilliant job. , and I might tell you ,the locals hate them. !!!Many families ,here have rellies in Cambodia. Some even own family land in Cambodia.The LOCAL Thai and Cambodian Armies get on really well with each other, often eating and drinking with each other .ALL of these problems came from Bkk.. This is one reason why Isarn people ( The Prai)hate the Democrats and the Yellow shirts.The muslims are in the deep South of Thailand , about 1,500 kilometres from us.Apart from You Know Who ,who love stirring up trouble, This a very safe area in which to live.

[UphillStruggle]

Hi Latindancer,

I have listed our annual, quarterly, and monthly spending and gone through every item on the list with my wife. I've showed her how much money I have coming in each month, and how, at the moment, it's less than we're spending. I've asked her to check our budget for economies we can make, so as to find the extra cash that would enable us to buy the car, and she has agreed that it can't be done.

I've showed her where the cash comes from, and explained that if we dip into that we will have even less income. I've also showed her how much income I need each year to qualify for my visa, and explained that if my income drops below that figure I will have to go home to the UK.

I've explained that if I have to go home I won't be able to send her anything like what we're spending at the moment because I will need money to re-start my life in the UK.

Whilst I'm fairly confident that she understands the figures , as you say, it's difficult to be absolutely sure that at gut level she doesn't think that I can somehow wave a magic wand and produce more money out of this air. I've done the best I can, and I'll continue to explain matters as they develop...

I fully agree about the process of buying a 2nd hand car... I'll try and find a mate who would have the expertise and language skills to help me with this if we go that route.

Tell her the truth, that in the West people have been living beyond their means and borrowing from the future to fund it.

What the West have also done via QE, is flooded the world with money that speculators have used to force up the price of commodities and increase living costs for countries all over the world like Thailand.

The increased living costs and lower exchange rate were not caused by Thai people but they are going to have to pay for it.

The news today that the US has had their triple AAA rating downgraded might not help people living in Thailand reliant on a US dollar income and where the US treads the UK lapdog seems to follow.

[Tarric]

Hi Latindancer,

I have listed our annual, quarterly, and monthly spending and gone through every item on the list with my wife. I've showed her how much money I have coming in each month, and how, at the moment, it's less than we're spending. I've asked her to check our budget for economies we can make, so as to find the extra cash that would enable us to buy the car, and she has agreed that it can't be done.

I've showed her where the cash comes from, and explained that if we dip into that we will have even less income. I've also showed her how much income I need each year to qualify for my visa, and explained that if my income drops below that figure I will have to go home to the UK.

I've explained that if I have to go home I won't be able to send her anything like what we're spending at the moment because I will need money to re-start my life in the UK.

Whilst I'm fairly confident that she understands the figures , as you say, it's difficult to be absolutely sure that at gut level she doesn't think that I can somehow wave a magic wand and produce more money out of this air. I've done the best I can, and I'll continue to explain matters as they develop...

I fully agree about the process of buying a 2nd hand car... I'll try and find a mate who would have the expertise and language skills to help me with this if we go that route.

Tell her the truth, that in the West people have been living beyond their means and borrowing from the future to fund it.

What the West have also done via QE, is flooded the world with money that speculators have used to force up the price of commodities and increase living costs for countries all over the world like Thailand.

The increased living costs and lower exchange rate were not caused by Thai people but they are going to have to pay for it.

The news today that the US has had their triple AAA rating downgraded might not help people living in Thailand reliant on a US dollar income and where the US treads the UK lapdog seems to follow.

I disagree about Thailand's possible future in this "brave new world", most of Thailand's main exports are everday things that the West and the United States cannot do without. Obviously tourism will suffer but beyond that I see a much brighter future for Thailand than I do for the West.

The U.K debt rating is secure, its been secured by austerity measures that show that the U.K government takes its debt seriously as opposed to all the gasbagging in Washington that they might one day think about doing something about it.

[UphillStruggle]

I disagree about Thailand's possible future in this "brave new world", most of Thailand's main exports are everday things that the West and the United States cannot do without. Obviously tourism will suffer but beyond that I see a much brighter future for Thailand than I do for the West.

The U.K debt rating is secure, its been secured by austerity measures that show that the U.K government takes its debt seriously as opposed to all the gasbagging in Washington that they might one day think about doing something about it.

I wasn't suggesting Thailand had a worse future than the West. I was merely saying that people in Thailand (particularly those living there with incomes in such as USD & GBP) were seeing living costs rise via such as fuel increases because of what had happened in the West. So they are paying for it.

If the knock on effect in Thailand is then increasing wages too much to combat rising living costs, this will create even more inflation. The big losers are going to be those with savings and no income. Unless interest rates are positive in relation to the true inflation rate, not negative like in the US and UK where each $ and £ is losing value every night when the below inflation interest is added.

[Wallaby]

What is interesting , is that I have not seen much mention .comparing living here to living in your home country. I am an an Aust. old age Pensioner. living solely on my Govt. Pension. I own nothing in Oz. .If I went back there, I would be homeless. Rents, now ,are astronomical. As a single man, I would be up sh+ t creek.Food costs .now are awful. I went back in 2005 to apply for the pension.Ended up having to stay ,at Govt.s orders for 2 more years ,after the pension was approved, before it became portable.Had awful difficulty surviving economically. The only way I could drink beer was to brew my own. In 30 months I went into a pub ONCE. I did something for a friend and he took for a counter lunch.Food wise, I knew when to look for food stuffs I wanted, by looking for their "useby" date.When they were generally on SPECIAL- discounted by 50 %.Lived in a caravan on a farm.No toilet( had a shovel) , no shower. - built my own solar powered one. No good on cold days. So cold ,most days ,did not get out of bed until about 11.00. Hate the cold. Never acclimatised to being back in Oz. Came back to Thailand - one week. WAS. NEVER,EVER, Do I want to go back. Thank You Very Much.!!!!!!.Love the climate. love the food. both Thai and farang. Love my little town ,Love my conveyance.Go to our local bar about 3 times a week. Happy to see Yingluck. in a position of power ,Hope she succeeds. Happy with the Govt. health system here. Have been treated very well. My house ,3 bedrooms ,rent B2,500. Very comfortable. Don't have "air" .Don't need. House is quite cool. Electricity about B1,000 per month , water B120 per month . Very affordable. I can save money on my pension .here. Not a "pattaya" type .Have a fascination with electrical appliances, sadly(they all cost). Have a freezer, fridge ,microwave, convection oven. Boilo. toaster , rice cooker .deep fryer ( my stepkids love it),blender. Go to Makro ( have card) about every 3 months ,stock up. Whoops, sorry forgot: my Hot Water heater- hate cold showers, and a Washing machine.There you go. Did drink a lot of wine while I was in Oz, $10 for a 5 litre cask( on special ).Good wine, cheap price.Enough ,she cried. !!!Think I am happy her ? YOU BETCHA.

Good to see things working out mate. You are so right about the pension in oz, I live with my brother who is on a disability pension, about the same amount as an old age pension and he really struggles to do anything here. I end up paying for many of the necessities as the amount he gets is barely enough to exist.

I was trying to plan an early retirement to Thailand but to be honest I would end up also needing the pension, it would be very helpful, but I'm not too keen on that 2 year living in oz thing before you can get the pension. Gives me the shits that you work all your life and then upon retirement you have to still jump through hoops. I would have thought you could get the pension at the age and then do what the hell you wanted. Lord knows you pay enough tax through your life to cover it.

Good luck.

[robblok]

I disagree about Thailand's possible future in this "brave new world", most of Thailand's main exports are everday things that the West and the United States cannot do without. Obviously tourism will suffer but beyond that I see a much brighter future for Thailand than I do for the West.

The U.K debt rating is secure, its been secured by austerity measures that show that the U.K government takes its debt seriously as opposed to all the gasbagging in Washington that they might one day think about doing something about it.

I wasn't suggesting Thailand had a worse future than the West. I was merely saying that people in Thailand (particularly those living there with incomes in such as USD & GBP) were seeing living costs rise via such as fuel increases because of what had happened in the West. So they are paying for it.

If the knock on effect in Thailand is then increasing wages too much to combat rising living costs, this will create even more inflation. The big losers are going to be those with savings and no income. Unless interest rates are positive in relation to the true inflation rate, not negative like in the US and UK where each $ and £ is losing value every night when the below inflation interest is added.

yes Thailand will have no problems with corruption.. no problems with raising wages. I mean what happesn when a country gets to expensive companies pull out. Its not like Thailand has many things going for itself.

Education.... ehhhh no

Language skills.... ehhhhh no

Corruption.... ehhhh no

Higher costs because of minium wage hike... ehhhh no

So yes its bad in the West.. but dont act like Thailand wont be affected by it.

I live of income from the west. I make more money every month. Thing is you need to know what yoru doing and you need to have a brain. No where is good if you dont have skills or are an idiot.

[afarang]

What is interesting , is that I have not seen much mention .comparing living here to living in your home country. I am an an Aust. old age Pensioner. living solely on my Govt. Pension. I own nothing in Oz. .If I went back there, I would be homeless. Rents, now ,are astronomical. As a single man, I would be up sh+ t creek.Food costs .now are awful. I went back in 2005 to apply for the pension.Ended up having to stay ,at Govt.s orders for 2 more years ,after the pension was approved, before it became portable.Had awful difficulty surviving economically. The only way I could drink beer was to brew my own. In 30 months I went into a pub ONCE. I did something for a friend and he took for a counter lunch.Food wise, I knew when to look for food stuffs I wanted, by looking for their "useby" date.When they were generally on SPECIAL- discounted by 50 %.Lived in a caravan on a farm.No toilet( had a shovel) , no shower. - built my own solar powered one. No good on cold days. So cold ,most days ,did not get out of bed until about 11.00. Hate the cold. Never acclimatised to being back in Oz. Came back to Thailand - one week. WAS. NEVER,EVER, Do I want to go back. Thank You Very Much.!!!!!!.Love the climate. love the food. both Thai and farang. Love my little town ,Love my conveyance.Go to our local bar about 3 times a week. Happy to see Yingluck. in a position of power ,Hope she succeeds. Happy with the Govt. health system here. Have been treated very well. My house ,3 bedrooms ,rent B2,500. Very comfortable. Don't have "air" .Don't need. House is quite cool. Electricity about B1,000 per month , water B120 per month . Very affordable. I can save money on my pension .here. Not a "pattaya" type .Have a fascination with electrical appliances, sadly(they all cost). Have a freezer, fridge ,microwave, convection oven. Boilo. toaster , rice cooker .deep fryer ( my stepkids love it),blender. Go to Makro ( have card) about every 3 months ,stock up. Whoops, sorry forgot: my Hot Water heater- hate cold showers, and a Washing machine.There you go. Did drink a lot of wine while I was in Oz, $10 for a 5 litre cask( on special ).Good wine, cheap price.Enough ,she cried. !!!Think I am happy her ? YOU BETCHA.

Good to see things working out mate. You are so right about the pension in oz, I live with my brother who is on a disability pension, about the same amount as an old age pension and he really struggles to do anything here. I end up paying for many of the necessities as the amount he gets is barely enough to exist.

I was trying to plan an early retirement to Thailand but to be honest I would end up also needing the pension, it would be very helpful, but I'm not too keen on that 2 year living in oz thing before you can get the pension. Gives me the shits that you work all your life and then upon retirement you have to still jump through hoops. I would have thought you could get the pension at the age and then do what the hell you wanted. Lord knows you pay enough tax through your life to cover it.

Good luck.

The rule is that you must of spent 2 of the last 5 years, before claiming the pension, as a permanent resident IN Oz.It was ,apparently .introduced by costello(peter ,not Tim) to stop N.Zers and Pacific Islanders rorting the system. Sadly , we all got caught up ,as it was catch -all rule.Quite apart from the other demands you must satisfy,before being granted the pension.

[robblok]

I disagree about Thailand's possible future in this "brave new world", most of Thailand's main exports are everday things that the West and the United States cannot do without. Obviously tourism will suffer but beyond that I see a much brighter future for Thailand than I do for the West.

The U.K debt rating is secure, its been secured by austerity measures that show that the U.K government takes its debt seriously as opposed to all the gasbagging in Washington that they might one day think about doing something about it.

I wasn't suggesting Thailand had a worse future than the West. I was merely saying that people in Thailand (particularly those living there with incomes in such as USD & GBP) were seeing living costs rise via such as fuel increases because of what had happened in the West. So they are paying for it.

If the knock on effect in Thailand is then increasing wages too much to combat rising living costs, this will create even more inflation. The big losers are going to be those with savings and no income. Unless interest rates are positive in relation to the true inflation rate, not negative like in the US and UK where each $ and £ is losing value every night when the below inflation interest is added.

yes Thailand will have no problems with corruption.. no problems with raising wages. I mean what happesn when a country gets to expensive companies pull out. Its not like Thailand has many things going for itself.

Education.... ehhhh no

Language skills.... ehhhhh no

Corruption.... ehhhh no

Higher costs because of minium wage hike... ehhhh no

So yes its bad in the West.. but dont act like Thailand wont be affected by it.

I live of income from the west. I make more money every month. Thing is you need to know what yoru doing and you need to have a brain. No where is good if you dont have skills or are an idiot.

[Gerald14]

Well I can live well on less 40k per month with my wife with a car and a bike, so I do not understand how 60k is not enough. I have (had) type 2 diabetes for a few years, but correct eating habits, plenty of exercise and one Glucosamine have brought my blood sugar back to completely normal. Glucosamine 500mg you can buy in most pharmacies for less than one Baht per tablet, so hardly a financial killer.

[phuketrichard]

My advice to the OP is............move to Cambodia.

Cambodia is not less expensive to live in than Thailand. Only Dif is u can get as 1 year muti entry visa for about $270/year. No money in the bank or need to show any income. Plus u can work without work permit

[vpi78]

I disagree about Thailand's possible future in this "brave new world", most of Thailand's main exports are everday things that the West and the United States cannot do without. Obviously tourism will suffer but beyond that I see a much brighter future for Thailand than I do for the West.

The U.K debt rating is secure, its been secured by austerity measures that show that the U.K government takes its debt seriously as opposed to all the gasbagging in Washington that they might one day think about doing something about it.

I wasn't suggesting Thailand had a worse future than the West. I was merely saying that people in Thailand (particularly those living there with incomes in such as USD & GBP) were seeing living costs rise via such as fuel increases because of what had happened in the West. So they are paying for it.

If the knock on effect in Thailand is then increasing wages too much to combat rising living costs, this will create even more inflation. The big losers are going to be those with savings and no income. Unless interest rates are positive in relation to the true inflation rate, not negative like in the US and UK where each $ and £ is losing value every night when the below inflation interest is added.

You don't seem that knowledgeable about investment. No one living off investment income keeps the bulk of their funds in low return bank instruments.

Just in the US there are secure bond funds that deliver 5% and higher returns not to mention those less risk averse still invest in dividend stocks such as AT&T which has appreciated in value 10% over the past few years despite the recent minor correction and pays a dividend of +5%.

As far as fuel goes, the global oil market is based on the US$. As the US$ lowers in value versus other currencies, e.g., the Thai baht, the price of oil in baht terms lowers. This filters down to the pump price which has been lowering recently, especially diesel where this week the Thai government reinstated a 60 satang surcharge to the pump price keeping the retail price of diesel basically at 30 Baht per liter.

But then you don't seem to be a car owner/driver in Thailand either.