Hand To Mouth.........

[smokie36]

Seriously, 5500 baht a day is not a lot of money in Thailand for a guy on holiday. I'm amazed at anyone doubting that.

Its peanuts....although you can buy them quite cheap in Chiang Rai if you are strapped for cash.

Really 10k Baht a day is more the ticket....all the fun ya want on that kind of budget.

No I am not including accommodation and other costs....pure entertainment.

[MrWorldwide]

If I can take this slightly OT, I just cant do the math on a single Farang teacher's 30K baht salary and come up with anything more than 200 baht a day for food, drink and transport to and from work - not in BKK. I know Thais and Filipinos have to do it on less, but they have the extended family (a liability if they are the sole breadwinner, but I doubt that is the case in the current Thai economy). Thais are brilliant when it comes to sharing food - 3 of them put in 40 baht each and have a 'banquet' - how many Farang do the same ? I've never set foot in a Thai school, and it may well be that the cafeteria (?) is heavily subsidised. I'll leave it to the teachers to explain how that works - atm, its a mystery to me. I *have* bought Thai food in supermarkets (Carrefour, not Family Mart ..), but anything I made at home would inevitably seem dull next to the delights on offer out on the street. Still, rice and pasta - I guess its technically doable for very little.

[krisb]

If I can take this slightly OT, I just cant do the math on a single Farang teacher's 30K baht salary and come up with anything more than 200 baht a day for food, drink and transport to and from work - not in BKK. I know Thais and Filipinos have to do it on less, but they have the extended family (a liability if they are the sole breadwinner, but I doubt that is the case in the current Thai economy). Thais are brilliant when it comes to sharing food - 3 of them put in 40 baht each and have a 'banquet' - how many Farang do the same ? I've never set foot in a Thai school, and it may well be that the cafeteria (?) is heavily subsidised. I'll leave it to the teachers to explain how that works - atm, its a mystery to me. I *have* bought Thai food in supermarkets (Carrefour, not Family Mart ..), but anything I made at home would inevitably seem dull next to the delights on offer out on the street. Still, rice and pasta - I guess its technically doable for very little.

Buying food in a Thai supermarket costs alot more than buying in the market. Those supermarkets arent really for Thais.

[smokie36]

If I can take this slightly OT, I just cant do the math on a single Farang teacher's 30K baht salary and come up with anything more than 200 baht a day for food, drink and transport to and from work - not in BKK. I know Thais and Filipinos have to do it on less, but they have the extended family (a liability if they are the sole breadwinner, but I doubt that is the case in the current Thai economy). Thais are brilliant when it comes to sharing food - 3 of them put in 40 baht each and have a 'banquet' - how many Farang do the same ? I've never set foot in a Thai school, and it may well be that the cafeteria (?) is heavily subsidised. I'll leave it to the teachers to explain how that works - atm, its a mystery to me. I *have* bought Thai food in supermarkets (Carrefour, not Family Mart ..), but anything I made at home would inevitably seem dull next to the delights on offer out on the street. Still, rice and pasta - I guess its technically doable for very little.

Short of being in your early 20's and making your way, why would anyone choose to live on such a sum in Thailand....honestly you want at least five times that a month in spending money to live well.

Like it or not that is the truth.

[krisb]

Ive gotta say Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Pai and those places seem to attract that hippy type alot more, you know the type that think 20baht a day is enough for food and a bed. As for homeless, Ive never seen as the op states.

[smokie36]

Ive gotta say Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Pai and those places seem to attract that hippy type alot more, you know the type that think 20baht a day is enough for food and a bed. As for homeless, Ive never seen as the op states.

You should get down to Pattaya more often. On second thoughts though.....

[krisb]

If I can take this slightly OT, I just cant do the math on a single Farang teacher's 30K baht salary and come up with anything more than 200 baht a day for food, drink and transport to and from work - not in BKK. I know Thais and Filipinos have to do it on less, but they have the extended family (a liability if they are the sole breadwinner, but I doubt that is the case in the current Thai economy). Thais are brilliant when it comes to sharing food - 3 of them put in 40 baht each and have a 'banquet' - how many Farang do the same ? I've never set foot in a Thai school, and it may well be that the cafeteria (?) is heavily subsidised. I'll leave it to the teachers to explain how that works - atm, its a mystery to me. I *have* bought Thai food in supermarkets (Carrefour, not Family Mart ..), but anything I made at home would inevitably seem dull next to the delights on offer out on the street. Still, rice and pasta - I guess its technically doable for very little.

Short of being in your early 20's and making your way, why would anyone choose to live on such a sum in Thailand....honestly you want at least five times that a month in spending money to live well.

Like it or not that is the truth.

Not really. Thats heaps up my way, and thats not being tight. Country life is cheap.

[krisb]

Ive gotta say Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Pai and those places seem to attract that hippy type alot more, you know the type that think 20baht a day is enough for food and a bed. As for homeless, Ive never seen as the op states.

You should get down to Pattaya more often. On second thoughts though.....

No thanks.

Sorry Blether, dont want to turn this into a "how much it costs to live here" thing.

Edited February 16, 2013 by krisb

[smokie36]

If I can take this slightly OT, I just cant do the math on a single Farang teacher's 30K baht salary and come up with anything more than 200 baht a day for food, drink and transport to and from work - not in BKK. I know Thais and Filipinos have to do it on less, but they have the extended family (a liability if they are the sole breadwinner, but I doubt that is the case in the current Thai economy). Thais are brilliant when it comes to sharing food - 3 of them put in 40 baht each and have a 'banquet' - how many Farang do the same ? I've never set foot in a Thai school, and it may well be that the cafeteria (?) is heavily subsidised. I'll leave it to the teachers to explain how that works - atm, its a mystery to me. I *have* bought Thai food in supermarkets (Carrefour, not Family Mart ..), but anything I made at home would inevitably seem dull next to the delights on offer out on the street. Still, rice and pasta - I guess its technically doable for very little.

Short of being in your early 20's and making your way, why would anyone choose to live on such a sum in Thailand....honestly you want at least five times that a month in spending money to live well.

Like it or not that is the truth.

Not really. Thats heaps up my way, and thats not being tight. Country life is cheap.

Retirement is cheaper in the West as well. You want a life in Thailand it costs money....don't kid anyone here.

[krisb]

If I can take this slightly OT, I just cant do the math on a single Farang teacher's 30K baht salary and come up with anything more than 200 baht a day for food, drink and transport to and from work - not in BKK. I know Thais and Filipinos have to do it on less, but they have the extended family (a liability if they are the sole breadwinner, but I doubt that is the case in the current Thai economy). Thais are brilliant when it comes to sharing food - 3 of them put in 40 baht each and have a 'banquet' - how many Farang do the same ? I've never set foot in a Thai school, and it may well be that the cafeteria (?) is heavily subsidised. I'll leave it to the teachers to explain how that works - atm, its a mystery to me. I *have* bought Thai food in supermarkets (Carrefour, not Family Mart ..), but anything I made at home would inevitably seem dull next to the delights on offer out on the street. Still, rice and pasta - I guess its technically doable for very little.

Short of being in your early 20's and making your way, why would anyone choose to live on such a sum in Thailand....honestly you want at least five times that a month in spending money to live well.

Like it or not that is the truth.

Not really. Thats heaps up my way, and thats not being tight. Country life is cheap.

Retirement is cheaper in the West as well. You want a life in Thailand it costs money....don't kid anyone here.

Once again dont wanna turn the thread but our costs living in the village arent 30k a month. Not kidding anybody. Plenty of Thais do it on less quite comfortably.

[MrWorldwide]

If I can take this slightly OT, I just cant do the math on a single Farang teacher's 30K baht salary and come up with anything more than 200 baht a day for food, drink and transport to and from work - not in BKK. I know Thais and Filipinos have to do it on less, but they have the extended family (a liability if they are the sole breadwinner, but I doubt that is the case in the current Thai economy). Thais are brilliant when it comes to sharing food - 3 of them put in 40 baht each and have a 'banquet' - how many Farang do the same ? I've never set foot in a Thai school, and it may well be that the cafeteria (?) is heavily subsidised. I'll leave it to the teachers to explain how that works - atm, its a mystery to me. I *have* bought Thai food in supermarkets (Carrefour, not Family Mart ..), but anything I made at home would inevitably seem dull next to the delights on offer out on the street. Still, rice and pasta - I guess its technically doable for very little.

Buying food in a Thai supermarket costs alot more than buying in the market. Those supermarkets arent really for Thais.

Fair enough - I did get the sense that I was shopping with middle-class Thais, but most of what I see in the markets is produce designed to be eaten within one or two days. I guess you need both, and a better grasp of Thai than I currently possess. I was just trying to stress that I realise that food prices on Suk arent indicative of what 'real' people actually pay, any more than buying lunch in a cafe in Melbourne is indicative of what folk in the suburbs are spending each day, even if our supermarket prices are ridiculously high.

[theblether]

But we are not Thai........if you can't afford to be in Thailand then don't be there.

It's as simple as that.

[smokie36]

Yes kris but how do they do it?

I prefer to eat out four or five times a week....drink in abundance and go to the beach once a month....not to mention the quality buffet situation in Bangkok.

Add on some clubs twice a month and she who must be obeyed clothing bill and you are talking a lot more than 30k.

Just being honest here. Sure if you live in a room and eat Moo Deng twice a day and a large water or two life is cheap. But what life??

[MrWorldwide]

krisb, I wasn't talking about the village - I was talking about Farang teachers in Bangkok.

[theblether]

Well me too......I fly Business Class 8 times a year......I spend more on holidays than most people earn in Thailand, including farangs, and yet on this thread someone says I can't afford to live in Thailand.

Unbelievable.

[MrWorldwide]

But we are not Thai........if you can't afford to be in Thailand then don't be there.

It's as simple as that.

No argument from me - I did start this 'thread within a thread' by saying that I felt any Farang caught begging or threatening people for money (Michael, a notorious Pattaya begger, was a scary guy) should be immediately deported. These guys leave it way too long. When my own money eventually gets below 10k baht, all I need is a bottle of Mekhong, a packet of Diazepam and a bathtub. No bathtub ? Easy :

http://en.wikipedia....iki/Suicide_bag

You can carry that anywhere, or make one if necessary - just have to get the oxygen or nitrogen, and even that would be less important once the Mekhong kicked in. One of my Thai companions claims she rescued me from the floor of a shower stall after a night on Mekhong - all I remember is a really vivid hallucination featuring a train and some soldiers. They withdrew it from sale a couple of years back, but you can still get it if you know who to ask. Extreme ? Sure, but it beats the hell out of either begging (not gonna happen ..), being deported with no money or the Pattaya high dive. To many, it might seem like 'the coward's way out', but I'm <snipped!> if I'd end my days shuffling around on an aged pension here in Oz. Horses for courses.

Grim stuff, and I apologise for taking the thread down such a dark path, but anyone who moves to another country without an 'exit plan' that they are prepared to act on really needs to ask themselves what the hell they were thinking. If your exit plan is to return to the old country, fine - it just ain't mine - but clearly anyone begging in Thailand has no plans to return home.

Edited February 17, 2013 by metisdead

[theblether]

I know that's a Dark Path MrWW, however it is relevant to the OP. The latent respect that is given to the farangs in Thailand is being wiped out by guys such as you described.

Years ago the BiB woildn't have dreamed of stopping a farang and asking for their passport / driving license. Now it's de riguer.

The low lifes have damaged everyone

[BoonToong]

Well me too......I fly Business Class 8 times a year......I spend more on holidays than most people earn in Thailand, including farangs, and yet on this thread someone says I can't afford to live in Thailand.

Unbelievable.

trumpet finally blown.........

Edited February 16, 2013 by BoonToong

[David48]

Well me too......I fly Business Class 8 times a year......

Any spare frequent flyer's points ...

Any assistance appreciated ...

Edited February 16, 2013 by David48

[krisb]

Yes kris but how do they do it?

I prefer to eat out four or five times a week....drink in abundance and go to the beach once a month....not to mention the quality buffet situation in Bangkok.

Add on some clubs twice a month and she who must be obeyed clothing bill and you are talking a lot more than 30k.

Just being honest here. Sure if you live in a room and eat Moo Deng twice a day and a large water or two life is cheap. But what life??

Absolutely Smokie, I agree wholeheartedly! Everytime I go to Thailand I spend several days in BKK and spend heaps on exactly what you mention, but when we go back home to our house in the village I have everything already, there is no buffets unless we go to town for karaoke nights(dont ask!).

[JDGRUEN]

If these men who are observed are in the age of 55 years or above and from the USA... I know why they would be in such a situation. With the economy as it is in the U.S. and with a real jobless rate pushing 20% (not the 8% propaganda the government hands out) then one 'goes to where the weather suits my clothes" as sang in Margaritaville. In the U.S. we have employment Age Discrimination laws that are practically never enforced by anyone. Since 2008 millions of men and women over age 55 have lost their jobs. And as a sobering practical matter these people will never get a professional job again. It would seem that homelessness will increase in places like Thailand - at least there people won't freeze at night sleeping under a tree.

[MrWorldwide]

In 2009, I shouted my ex-GFs family a seafood dinner at a small waterside restaurant outside a fishing village south of Chumphon (yes, I really am that silly). I wasn't surprised when the 'extended family turned out to be half the village, but my GF assured me that the owner was a family friend and that I would get a very good deal. I rolled my eyes, girded my loins and watched the adults at the table throw down beers like it was Christmas and Easter all rolled into one. Happy Days indeed, augmented by a call from a Danish guy who wanted to know if I'd been fooling around with his GF (another freeloader on the trip from Hua Hin). He laughed when I assured him that I hadnt, but there was a certain tenseness to that phone call that didnt improve my mood.

All standard 'cool story, bro' - right up till I got the bill for less than 3K baht. Seafood for (easily) 15 people, bottles of Chang all over the table, rug rats running around with bottles of Pepsi and they hand me a bill for what would have been a very quiet night in Bangkok or even Patts. Yep - 30K would definitely go a lot further in the provinces, particularly one where they take their seafood straight of the boat that caught it. Outstanding, and I think of that night every time I'm presented with a bar or restaurant bill in BKK or Patts, but that's life. By day, the village was as dull as watching paint dry - definitely a precursor to alcoholism, but it would mean a hell of a lot of beer and seafood before you hit rock bottom

[theblether]

Well me too......I fly Business Class 8 times a year......I spend more on holidays than most people earn in Thailand, including farangs, and yet on this thread someone says I can't afford to live in Thailand.

Unbelievable.

trumpet finally blown.........

???

My family died on the green fields of France to give me a chance.

I took it and I worship them. Google Trumper Smith and you will begin to understand the psychology of my family.

From his despair.....my family grew wealthy in thought and deed.

He is my hero, my guiding light.

Any wealth we have comes from him, his suffering and sacrifice. Being descended from The Black Douglas, ( google him ), and James Stuart Vl, my family knows strife.

and yet????......you think it's funny???

[krisb]

Well me too......I fly Business Class 8 times a year......I spend more on holidays than most people earn in Thailand, including farangs, and yet on this thread someone says I can't afford to live in Thailand.

Unbelievable.

trumpet finally blown.........

???

My family died on the green fields of France to give me a chance.

I took it and I worship them. Google Trumper Smith and you will begin to understand the psychology of my family.

From his despair.....my family grew wealthy in thought and deed.

He is my hero, my guiding light.

Any wealth we have comes from him, his suffering and sacrifice. Being descended from The Black Douglas, ( google him ), and James Stuart Vl, my family knows strife.

and yet????......you think it's funny???

Fine Whiskey the Black Douglas

[theblether]

and a fine man too.....my Grandad about 25 generations sgo.or more.

Anyway, back to the OP, what's going on with that??

[Scottythai]

Load of dribble written by tosspots who have never been short of a bob or two thanks to Mummy and Daddy...

Far from relying on Mom and dad but choices and decisions are what lead to being broke at the end of the trip. Different people have different standards of life. I would never run myself dry in a forigen country and i agree with the OP when he says it sets a bad standard for locals to watch. If you are in this type of situation why not go to your Airline and move your ticket forward so you can figure your life out in your home country?

[Scottythai]

Well me too......I fly Business Class 8 times a year......I spend more on holidays than most people earn in Thailand, including farangs, and yet on this thread someone says I can't afford to live in Thailand.

Unbelievable.

Something tells me we work in the same industry. Buisness class flights are provided there for are not coming out of your pocket I bet. But yea Oil and Gas tends to be a different reality to the Teacher who works to survive. I think money is one of the most realitive things there is. To one man 500k is a big sum for a 3 month holiday. Others it could barley last 3 weeks. Hard to put a value on anything on a forum as no one has the same perspective on income

[Chittychangchang]

On my last trip four......I noticed a couple of things last time round that stuck in my mind, and this was one of them. There seems to be an explosion of long tern farangs in Chiang Mai and equally, there seems to be an explosion of people scraping by......I don't think it will be long before we see farang vagrants on the streets of CM, in fact the CM community may know of some already.

This is not a Chaing Mai Phenomenon, or let's hope not for the Chaing Mai residents.

It's a result of American Estate agent selling homes to people who couldn't afford it, who incidently are sitting pretty in their tax exile havens.

What makes a person end up on the bones of their arse in Thailand is probally the thought of going home with nothing to nothing. So why nt beg a sorry existance in the sun? There is plenty that do it in the cold!

I've been on the bones of my bum 20 years ago in the Canary Islands and it was a fun time in my life, however as a middle aged farang in Thailand i find it irresponsible to have ever gotten into that position in the first place!

[Scottythai]

If these men who are observed are in the age of 55 years or above and from the USA... I know why they would be in such a situation. With the economy as it is in the U.S. and with a real jobless rate pushing 20% (not the 8% propaganda the government hands out) then one 'goes to where the weather suits my clothes" as sang in Margaritaville. In the U.S. we have employment Age Discrimination laws that are practically never enforced by anyone. Since 2008 millions of men and women over age 55 have lost their jobs. And as a sobering practical matter these people will never get a professional job again. It would seem that homelessness will increase in places like Thailand - at least there people won't freeze at night sleeping under a tree.

While I see this as true. Life would be easier in a warm climate would there not be a sense of pride to make a person not want to end up being broke in a foregin country? I suppose rock bottom is rock bottom but at the average cost of 1200$ for a ticket to get to Thailand that would a bit far from rock bottom. As most countries like the US have a Welfare system where they will give you money and subsadised housing. But hey everyone has a different plan and being boke in a country sucks at least you won't be cold

[krisb]

If these men who are observed are in the age of 55 years or above and from the USA... I know why they would be in such a situation. With the economy as it is in the U.S. and with a real jobless rate pushing 20% (not the 8% propaganda the government hands out) then one 'goes to where the weather suits my clothes" as sang in Margaritaville. In the U.S. we have employment Age Discrimination laws that are practically never enforced by anyone. Since 2008 millions of men and women over age 55 have lost their jobs. And as a sobering practical matter these people will never get a professional job again. It would seem that homelessness will increase in places like Thailand - at least there people won't freeze at night sleeping under a tree.

While I see this as true. Life would be easier in a warm climate would there not be a sense of pride to make a person not want to end up being broke in a foregin country? I suppose rock bottom is rock bottom but at the average cost of 1200$ for a ticket to get to Thailand that would a bit far from rock bottom. As most countries like the US have a Welfare system where they will give you money and subsadised housing. But hey everyone has a different plan and being boke in a country sucks at least you won't be cold

So if your broke, its ok to beg in another country for warmer reasons?....not really. Go home. Edited February 17, 2013 by krisb