Going Home

[TommoPhysicist]

Why can the retired brigade accept that people raising a family have greater expenses?

As someone who is both retired and raising a family.

Raising a family using government hospital and government schools is incredibly cheap.

(Teenager costs around 1,000bht a month, lunch money and school bus being most of that cost, baby about the same nappies and cereal food mix)

When you are short of money, stop using expensive private options and your money goes a lot further.

Edited June 23, 2012 by TommoPhysicist

[jshorts]

I, too, am confused when many people speak about interest rates of 1%. I am getting more than 6% (albeit before taxes) on my investments. Are people talking about "investing" in a savings account?

[cyrilmadrid]

Out of curiosity, what does "the greedy bankers will halve your income within a few months of your arrival." refer to ? Do you mean fees ? Or just drop in markets -difficult to blame your bankers if you invested in equities in 2007 and the markets dropped- ?

[TPI]

[As for general expenses, Thailand is no longer cheap (if you actually want to 'live' and not exist that is) I cannot get by on less than 120k a month.

Oh no....here we go again...do you realise what you have done my son ?.....20 hail marys and wash your mouth out with soap right now

One has to wonder your requirements for living at 120K. OK only 2 of us, but my wife and I do fine on 30K. Bills/food/drink/truck and her fags.

Rent - 30k

Bills - 10k

School fees - 10k

Wifes debts - 15k

Housekeeping money/Food/ toiletries/clothes/gasoline etc...30k

General stuff - Going out..beers/restaurants etc...30k..

Plus mosy months something obscure will come that needs paying for - Car insurance/Healt insurance...weekend away....something gets broken...etc etc..

I live on a few rai in central Phrae, you're right, it doesn't take much to put expenses into the over 100k bracket...more honour to the man for facing up to his responsibilities. We need good men like him here!

[holidaze]

Just where do you people live?

130k THB = 4.000$US, 3.250Euro, 2.600GBP

Do you live in a palace?

Rent 30k?!?

Bills 10k...is your aircon on 24/7?

Housekeeping!

Wife's debt...doesn't she have a job?

When Chalerm comes out and says that they are going to do something about the tourism mafia, everyone here in the forum mocks him.

When another stupid Farang has been sucked dry and is on his way out we all feel so sorry for him...

Just remember there are many more than just you who is on the way to the airport, this s**t happens every day, you were just not smart enough to live in the Land of Smiles.

130.000 Baht per month! That's my budget for 4 months, and that's with 4 motorbikes, a car, two houses and an office.

Have a safe trip home, hope you have learnt something from your stay here.

AndersNGA Clearly you haven't read any of the posts. How can you be so heartless ? It's easy to sit anonymously sprouting off behind your keyboard.

Murgatroyd is in a whole lot of pain right now. How about showing some sympathy. His wife became ill.

To Murgatroyd - I hope you can sort something out and return to your Wife and step - daughter soon. My heart goes out to you and I thank you for sharing this very difficult time with us all.

A lot of people considering moving to Thailand will indeed pick up a lot of pointers from the many posts here.

Best wishes for the coming months.

Peace.

[reenatinnakor]

I, too, am confused when many people speak about interest rates of 1%. I am getting more than 6% (albeit before taxes) on my investments. Are people talking about "investing" in a savings account?

Yes I think they are talking about savings accounts interest rates. Show me a bank that will give you more than 6% on your savings?? And I'm not talking about time deposits for a year or on money above 100k gbp....which most people do not have. How are you getting 6% or more on your savings?!!

[kennkate]

Going home. Murgatroyd. Do you still think the UK is your home ? If that is the case why don't you bring your wife and stepdaughter back with you.

Free health care and free School for your stepdaughter. you will even get £20. per week Child benefit for your stepdaughter.

If you have to sort out accommodation do that and get them back as soon as you can It's not getting easier to get them back the sooner the better

You obviously care a great deal for you family. You have supported your wife through a difficult time.

As for me. Back in the Uk with my wife and stepdaughter because it makes financial sense. Taking all things into consideration it was more expensive for me to live in Thailand.

I wish you all the best for you and your family

[jts-khorat]

OMG, health insurance in Thailand is available for like 25000 Baht a year or less depending on how much coverage one wants. Having none and then whining about hefty medical bills doesn't make sense to me. Sorry, mate!

You obviously should start reading the small print in those insurance policies: excluded are pre-existing conditions, which certain cancers might well fall under. Also, depending on the age of the wive of Murgatroyd, a medical in insurance is not cheap and would also not cover medical costs above a not very large amount.

Mine fizzles out at about THb 1,000,000. I imagine a lengthy therapy for cancer and maybe a few specialist operations or chemotherapy would eat that up in the blink of an eye.

Frankly even weirder are the posts of those advocating to "simply" hand the wife over to the THb 30 scheme to get treatment. Really??!

Your closest loved one in the world has a serious, maybe life-threatening illness which will need absolute specialist treatment and instead of giving her the best care possible you drive her to some government hospital where she will get a handful of Paracetamol and good wishes instead of a prognosis... if that is true, you are not in a true relationship with your wife!

If my wife, child, my parents, or even very close family of my wife would have such a predicament, I would empty my bank account without even thinking about it a second, everything else comes later. The lives of your family are nothing to gamble with and money can always earned anew.

And it seems, Murgatroyd thought exactly the same, now he will have to deal with the consequences. But it was the right decision, and my hat is up to him for it. I do wish him absolutely the best.

[nikkoid66]

[As for general expenses, Thailand is no longer cheap (if you actually want to 'live' and not exist that is) I cannot get by on less than 120k a month.

Rent - 30k

Bills - 10k

School fees - 10k

Wifes debts - 15k

Housekeeping money/Food/ toiletries/clothes/gasoline etc...30k

General stuff - Going out..beers/restaurants etc...30k..

Plus mosy months something obscure will come that needs paying for - Car insurance/Healt insurance...weekend away....something gets broken...etc etc..

You have an expensive living here. I can live in Pattaya for 60k/month with a girlfriend.

Rent-15k (condo with great view on the golf of Pattaya)

Bills- 5k : 2 telephones, Internet, Water, Electric

School- 10k a year (not a month)

Girlfriend - 8k (after negociation and better knowledge of what costs to live in Essean)

Food and other expenses: 15k. Food is not cheap but girlfriend cook very well)

and of course extras.

What I can say it that it is never enough. Have to fight with Thais because they think you have unlimited income all the time.

Familly calling to ask money now gets nothing, only grand ma and her son who are her close familly, for the rest, they are Thai, they can have a business here.

I have seen many farang living in 5000 bath condo without aircon... many stay here until the end. Glad you figured out and came with the right decision.

[PeeKay]

jts-khorat, you have my profound sympathy. It's a rotten thing to go through. I finally told my wife today, having agonised considerably about how to break the news. We were both in tears during the conversation. Whilst I know that I'm doing the right thing, and that working my way out of financial difficulties is the only viable solution it doesn't make it any easier from an emotional standpoint.

Murgatroyd, I absolutely take my hat off to you Champ. I could never have had the guts to be separated from the missus. Just too difficult after what life had previously dealt me.

The clarity, determination, emotional resilience and guts that both you and your wife have shown will surely lend itself to you finding a quick means to generating an income and achieving and end result where finance will be the least of your concerns.

I used to live and work in LOS some years ago, until I heard someone at a bar casually say something along the lines of "if I was younger, I'd go home and make more money, so I could live here without so mch dollar stress".

This guy was visibly older than myself and it resonated in me so strongly, that within about 5 months I very luckily achieved a spouse Visa for my wife and we headed back to Oz.

It wasn't easy, as we first started by living in our car, then a small donga and after 18 months made it into a very small unit. The point is though that we had the fortune of having a moment of clarity and got on with it.

We didn't get lost in the BS and stick our heads in a hole. Even though leaving meant leaving family and our two step-daughters behind.

We worked our backs off and now have two businesses where we are exceedingly grateful for the income that we have. Especially in the knowledge that at some stage in the future we 'may' be in a position to reside back in LOS for extended periods and then come back home.

I think your thread is nothing short of brilliant as it provides an un-emotive, balanced, heads-up to all of us, that if we really do aspire to live in Thailand, then we need to ensure the finances are covered, with an additional margin for contingencies. Anything shorter than this would be dangerous and foolhardy.

Brilliant post my friend and I wish you absolutely every bit of good fortune on your return and quest to provide the best for yourself and your family.

Thumbs up from me mate. Good onya..!!

Cheers n beers.

PK

[Murgatroyd]

I'd like to thank everyone who has posted on this thread, even those who have pointed out the errors that I made by not getting medical insurance for my family... Believe me, I know what a big mistake that was. I can only hope that other people considering an early retirement in Thailand can learn from my mistake.

Some posters have chided me for blaming "Greedy Bankers". I made that comment with reference to the financial crash of 2008, whereby citizens of many countries wound up suffering for some costly "mistakes" made by certain financial institutions... the ripples of that crash are still expanding to the detriment of many small investors the world over. Once upon a time it was companies and sometimes even banks that went broke... Now it seems that whole countries are being driven into bankruptcy. I'm no anarchist or anti capitalist but it seems that there is something very wrong with the way the global financial markets work... I'll be the first to admit that I don't understand high finance, I'm beginning to believe that the so called experts don't entirely understand it either.

My travel and shipping arrangements have now been made, I'll be leaving mid July. Thanks again for all your help and encouragement. I'll continue to post on the board and try and keep in touch with what's going on in Thailand.

[SimonD]

@ PeeKay,

An excellent post!

[BWPattaya]

10k? You're LUCKY! Myself, t'wife, sixteen bairn, t'wife's ปู่ and ยาย, six brothers, two sisters and eighty-three cousins all live on t'state pension of £5/14s/6d a month.

AND live well, I might add!

Now, that is the best laugh I have had today.

[frankiebaby]

Best of luck buddy.

PK excellent post. Puts it all into perspective.

[PooMik]

Well after living in "sunny Thailand" since 2005, i can only say, that like everywhere else - "pay your insurence" for you and your family, or else it will bite you in the end!

[Acemaker]

Yea I know, the noodle eating and baht bus brigade will be along soon saying they can live well on 30k a month.

That's a bit high, I and my family (five of us) live on 10k a month (plus what the farm grows).

Health care, government, school, government, air-con, not on the farm, insurance, government compulsory.

Still, hope you make a quick financial recovery when back in the home country, good luck.

My 400k stays in the bank, so it can't drop.

And you try telling the young people that today and they wont believe ya ! ( Three Yorkshire Men IN A PUB Sketch, Monty Python )

Edited June 23, 2012 by Acemaker

[Anon999]

pipo 1000, that's a very good point. To be fair I have talked about this with my wife... But as she would be miserable and very lonely in the UK away from her family and friends, and as my stepdaughter speaks no English the prospect of arriving in the UK with a wife and child with no home to take them to present considerable difficulties. The application process for settlement visas for them would also take some time, with little guarantee of a positive outcome. Then there would be difficulties with finding a school for the child, and the increased housing costs... I can live in a grotty bedsit, I can't impose that on my wife who owns her own house in Thailand which we've worked to improve considerably over the years that I've lived here. When I'm working and have a base to start from then we can explore that option more fully, for now it's a non starter.

Thanks SimonD, Much appreciated. I know that it isn't going to be easy, and that I may need to fund a couple of courses to re-qualify for Security work. My old company, on whom I parted from on excellent terms made a point of telling me to come back to them if I ever had to return home. I will certainly be in touch with them.

Hi Murgatroyd,

I have a son-in-law who works in security so I'll email him for an idea what the situation is with the company he works for. Will post his reply here when I get it. All the best for the future.

[Huayrat]

I returned back to the U.K after 8 years of living out there...was tough at first but within a year I was kind of settled and now I can fondly look back on my time in Thailand with nothing but good happy memories...it takes guts to do it and as they say 'it is better to love and lost than to never have loved at all'

besides I prefer Thailand as holiday destination these days anyway!

and yes once upon a time I could have been quoted as one of those people who said 'England...i'm never going to live back there'

not only do circumstances change but us mortals do as well....

Best of luck

stop kidding yourself you would jump at the chance to move back to Thailand if you could.. who in their right mind would want to live in England

[paulbrun]

Yes, good luck to you and your family. It is getting more and more difficult to maintain the standard if living we used to enjoy here. Luckily, I still have a good job, but I know of many returnees who are suffering. Where do you live, out of interest..? We are moving back to the north of the country where the cost of living is still reasonable.

[MAJIC]

I feel very sorry for your position,which I have also in the past reached a similar unwanted milestone,at the time it does seem highly depressing and insurmountable,but you are making the correct decision.and rest assured your Country,in this case the UK will not let you down you are a British Citizen,and you have the same rights as someone who has never been out of the Country.

The system is not so bad as some would have us believe on Tv,and if you need to avail yourself of finances,paid for while you were working and resident in the UK,you will be treated with respect,and get what you are entitled to,most of which can be obtained by phone,or simple form filling.

If you should decide to have your family with you,at a later stage,it is not so difficult to obtain the necessary visas,as you may think,which intelligent people can do themselves.

I know lots of Thais in the UK and I don't see any that are desperate to get back to Thailand,some I have met,have been in the Country for more than 20 years,and are content to holiday in Thailand every few years.According to statistics,there are 30,000 Thais living in the UK,and wherever you go,there are Thais that your wife and family can easily befriend,

Of course nobody can alter the depressing long Winters,but the Summers are usually worth waiting for.

Think about the huge range of good real ales,Sunday Roast,quality food in the Supermarkets,and hundreds of cheeses to choose from,and cheaper than imported western food.and not forgetting real old Pubs with atmosphere.I could go on.........but my point is it's not all bad news.

Unless you need to be in a City,I would recommend living in the small towns,South South West,or the East Coast,there are many nice places to live in,it's your choice?

In the meantime Good Luck

And remember you are going back to your own Country,so no Visas,no hoops to jump through,and laws that you don't understand. You are Home,albeit reluctantly,on this occasion

[tombkk]

A troll post and replies have been removed from sight.

[Apache704]

[As for general expenses, Thailand is no longer cheap (if you actually want to 'live' and not exist that is) I cannot get by on less than 120k a month.

Rent - 30k

Bills - 10k

School fees - 10k

Wifes debts - 15k

Housekeeping money/Food/ toiletries/clothes/gasoline etc...30k

General stuff - Going out..beers/restaurants etc...30k..

Plus mosy months something obscure will come that needs paying for - Car insurance/Healt insurance...weekend away....something gets broken...etc etc..

Oh no....here we go again...do you realise what you have done my son ?.....20 hail marys and wash your mouth out with soap right now

One has to wonder your requirements for living at 120K. OK only 2 of us, but my wife and I do fine on 30K. Bills/food/drink/truck and her fags.

Rent - 30k

Bills - 10k

School fees - 10k

Wifes debts - 15k

Housekeeping money/Food/ toiletries/clothes/gasoline etc...30k

General stuff - Going out..beers/restaurants etc...30k..

Plus mosy months something obscure will come that needs paying for - Car insurance/Healt insurance...weekend away....something gets broken...etc etc..

I think that are living well beyond your means. If you didn't go out to restaurants and bars you could save 30,000 Baht a month and move into a lower rental for 10-15,000 Baht a month, plus cutting down your housekeeping money about 5000 Baht a month there is no reason why you couldn't stay here in Thailand. You've been living well beyond your means and you don't want to lower your standard of living for whatever reason.

[Soutpeel]

I think that are living well beyond your means. If you didn't go out to restaurants and bars you could save 30,000 Baht a month and move into a lower rental for 10-15,000 Baht a month, plus cutting down your housekeeping money about 5000 Baht a month there is no reason why you couldn't stay here in Thailand. You've been living well beyond your means and you don't want to lower your standard of living for whatever reason.

Thank you George Soro's...BTW none of the posters here are talking about leaving due to financial reasons...thats the OP

So please detail you monthly out going so we can scrutinise and criticise your spending as well

Edited June 23, 2012 by Soutpeel

[Murgatroyd]

Thanks again to those who have posted messages of support. I really appreciate your encouragement.

There seems to be some confusion in certain posters mind over this figure of a monthly budget of 120K Baht. This would represent wealth beyond the dreams of avarice!

This figure was posted by someone else.

My income has dropped below 40K per month, I'm not going to go into my exact budget or what it's spent on each month, just to say that it has become insufficient.

I'd also like to thank the Mods for tidying up the thread and for deleting posts that are not relevant.

Edited June 23, 2012 by Murgatroyd

[transam]

Thanks again to those who have posted messages of support. I really appreciate your encouragement.

There seems to be some confusion in certain posters mind over this figure of a monthly budget of 120K Baht. This would represent wealth beyond the dreams of avarice!

This figure was posted by someone else.

My income has dropped below 40K per month, I'm not going to go into my exact budget or what it's spent on each month, just to say that it has become insufficient.

I'd also like to thank the Mods for tidying up the thread and for deleting posts that are not relevant.

There was a guy on here once who needed 300,000 a month , l believe l told him to change his lady.

[Billmont]

I think you have made a very wise decision. While you have some money you have options, if you leave it until you have no money then options are extremely limited except Condo Diving! It takes a brave man to bare his financial soul, especially so, on TV which is not exactly known for sympathy. However most posts supported you decision and you appear to have an excellent attitude so I am sure that after a spell in the UK will allow you to regroup financially and will soon to able to rejoin your lively wife and stepdaughter. I wish you the very best of luck.

[jts-khorat]

My travel and shipping arrangements have now been made, I'll be leaving mid July. Thanks again for all your help and encouragement. I'll continue to post on the board and try and keep in touch with what's going on in Thailand.

I can only repeat: I wish you and your family the best of luck.

You have made a decision for the best of your family, and now you are acting on it. Maybe, the faster the better, everything else just prolongs the torture.

Many are in a similar situation, they just maybe cannot make themselves move.

I am one of those procrastinators (especially as my income still feeds me "just", so lots of reasons are popping up in my mind that everything will magically get better and there will actually be no need to act at all. For example, at the moment I am "waiting" for my wife to pass her German language exam, without which she will not even get a visa into Germany, even though we are married and together for a good while).

Please keep us updated. If things go well, this might be a great motivator for lots of others standing at the abyss and just looking down. If not, I am egotistical enough to want to learn from it.

Again, I hope you will pull through and everything will be the better for your daring to act when it was needed.

[londoedan]

I don't get the 120,000 a month living expense. That's $1000. a week US. I can live on $1000. in America. This is Thailand ad yes expeses have gone up but give me a break. At 120,000 your living like a King + some. I live quite well on less the 60,000 a month.

12,000 rent 3 bedrooms 2 baths in a beautiful mooban

1,200 private school for my wife's son

1,600 2 smartphone plans

2,000 1 Vigo and 1 Honda Accord insurance

3,400 Electric 2 bedrooms every night aircon and during the day when necessary

2,000 Truevisions

900 Internet

200 Water

15,000 Food

15,000 Misc expenses

53,300 TOTAL

I think you're right 50-60K is a more sensible figure - but only if you don't go out much.

You've not included depreciation on the cars.

[lounger]

There is something wrong with this story. You come to Thailand and run a family then when the going gets tough cut and run, dump the wife and daughter and escape with the money. it must be love! I guess for the average person this would be the second time he has cut and run....

When/if my cash becomes at risk I will be cutting down on the bills not the family I live with.

My advice to others in similar circumstances is to assess the performance of the investments and see if there can be any improvement, this will mean doing research and probably paying for advice. If the existing investments are not doing the job then change the strategy. The next thing is a lot of money should be converted into the currency of your country of residence. This way you avoid translational erosion ( exchange rate nightmares). Of course these points wont apply to people on only pension income but the original poster said he was living on investment income.

[Murgatroyd]

Hello lounger,

It's precisely because I want to secure my future together with my wife and stepdaughter that I'm going home to work my way out of this fix. What on earth would be the point of staying here and going broke in five years... and then having to leave anyway and having nothing to give my wife to support her?

It will hurt very much to be parted from my wife, but we will talk and communicate regularly. I am certainly not dumping her. I hope to be able to return before too long and then have a happy future with my family.

My capitol, such as it is is invested in bonds that won't mature for another three years. It will then have to be invested again, as it wouldn't last more than five years or so if I tried to live on it. The last thing I want to do is to get involved with any "get rich quick" financial advisers who would probably try to have me put my money in a scheme that will at worst gain them a healthy commission and at best, (From their point of view), dissolve into their accounts! The endless stories of people getting scammed by their financial advisers and losing what little they have left when they are trying to repair the damage tend to inspire a lack of trust... and I'd trust someone who wanted to get their hands on my investments under the guise of doing me a favor about as far as I could throw them. If a man tells me that he wants to put me onto a good thing, out of the goodness of his heart and perhaps a small commission and a handlers fee, I instinctively feel that they don't have my best interests at heart.

As for moving all my money over to Thailand, I have a similar lack of trust about moving all my resources to a country that will never allow me to be a citizen and can deport me at a whim, or change the rules and confiscate my assets.