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

[kevvy]

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.

so you fly on buisness class 8 times a year .....big deal

[kevvy]

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.

so you fly on buisness class 8 times a year .....big deal

and you know what we farangs live on each year and our income .

[Dancealot]

Being a budget guest in Thailand i spend 30K on accommodation and 30K on expenses a month. I call this hand to mouth.

I could spend an awful lot more but for me it is not necessary. I have met quite a few blokes in the Kingdom who are living it out on their minimum government pension of 40K/month. They tend to stay in 1 place of their choice and don't move around too much. I call this hand to mouth.

[Geekfreaklover]

Fair point, but surely it's a hellish existence living in Thailand with no money?

Probably the happiest people I've met in Thailand have been Buddhist monks.

[true blue]

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.

so you fly on buisness class 8 times a year .....big deal

and you know what we farangs live on each year and our income .

ive lived here 12 years married have a 5 year old car two condos paid for,one for mai noi,i eat out every night,drink in thai bar 5 nights a week till around midnight,now and agian go to yellow or loy kro.and i transfer once a year,from account in uk to acount in thailand,10thousand quid,and last year that lasted me 14 months,

[kevvy]

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

tell us about the USA welfare system , i have lived there for 3 years and it sucks as i knew good people who did not have a job. so you think being broke in a warm climate in a foreign land is the answer

[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

tell us about the USA welfare system , i have lived there for 3 years and it sucks as i knew good people who did not have a job. so you think being broke in a warm climate in a foreign land is the answer

Wouldn't know I have neither been broke or on welfare. I did leave Canada due to paying 42% tax to cover lazy people and have been happily in Thailand tax free for the last 5 years. I suppose if a guy had no pride and wanted to be warm Thailand is as good as any place. But I think you just skimmed my post and sis not read what was written

[Jingthing]

Watch out for a coming population bomb of underfunded older baby boom (more like bust now) Americans. In the U.S. if you lose employment after age 50, your future employment prospects are often grim. Some of these less than flush Americans will still be flush enough to handle the Thai retirement visa system and many will be vulnerable to life events that make their marginal financial situation much worse. Most will stay in the USA, but some will go to perceived budget retired expat destinations globally and that still does include Thailand:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/fiscal-trouble-ahead-for-most-future-retirees/2013/02/16/ae8c7350-5905-11e2-88d0-c4cf65c3ad15_story.html

There was already mounting concern for the long-term security of the country’s rapidly graying population. Then the downturn destroyed 40 percent of Americans’ personal wealth, while creating a long period of high unemployment and an environment in which savings accounts pay almost no interest. Although the surging stock market is approaching record highs, most of these gains are flowing to well-off Americans who already are in relatively good shape for retirement.

Edited February 17, 2013 by Jingthing

[Scottythai]

bleater completely lost me when he said he 'claims it back from my companies'.

Personal expenses should be exactly that - personal expenses. Using big alcohol bills as a tax dodge went out sometime in the early 90s here in Oz ...

Firstly 'bleater' is not particularly fair as his name is theblether ...

As for 'claiming' personal expenses, now you are stretching your post further ... you know nothing of his situation.

If he were in the throws of a start-up business in Thailand then this would be a legitimate expense depending on his countries tax laws.

Why not ask the question, rather then presume and jump to the answer.

I have appreciated some of your precious posts ... but this one is way off target ...

.

1. I think you mean 'throes', not 'throws', unless his business is Judo or Mongolian Wrestling I'm not going to spend my days pointing out typos or whatever, but you seem keen to correct me re theblitherer, er, theblether ...

2. This was never about his 'situation', simply my fervent wish that we start comparing apples with apples. I would happily go from ~6K a day to the aforementioned 10K if I knew I was going to get 4K of that back. Somehow, this turned into a pissing contest, and I apologise for my part in that.

One of the unfortunate realities of many Thai-based boards is that there is always a gallery of English teachers ready to pounce on every grammatical indiscretion, but I am neither English nor a teacher :I shall now retire to my basement for a cold shower and a damned good spanking with a piece of wet licorice. Toodles.

Black Licorice? I miss that (not the spanking) just good black Licorice

[kevvy]

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.

so you fly on buisness class 8 times a year .....big deal

and you know what we farangs live on each year and our income .

ive lived here 12 years married have a 5 year old car two condos paid for,one for mai noi,i eat out every night,drink in thai bar 5 nights a week till around midnight,now and agian go to yellow or loy kro.and i transfer once a year,from account in uk to acount in thailand,10thousand quid,and last year that lasted me 14 months,

well i dont have 2 cars , but own 3 houses , a 3 story building , six apartments and building a 38 house village which is half built and have contracts for them as well. so everyone can boost what they have , it just takes some idiot to start it.

Oh , and my family made money out of trucking which was started by my grandfather , once again you love talking about you ,

[poanoi]

Splendid....a bunch of anonymous nicknames bragging on internet how much money they have to equally

anonymous & irrelevant audience.

Show your pic or shut up

[BoonToong]

Show your pic or shut up

Er,,,,,,,,,

That's great, coming from a monkey!

[NancyL]

I know quite a few long-term expats who are living a "hand-to-mouth" existence in Chiang Mai. Often they do indeed have a bank account to support their retirement visa, but live on their pension benefits and never touch that 800,000 baht retirement visa account. Some even have more stashed away for an "emergency". I'm met a couple of guys who were so used to claiming poverty and living on less than 20,000 baht per month that they actually "forgot" about bank accounts as dementia set in.

Many of these people had financial reversals during the 2007-2008 downturn and believed all those websites about how you can "retire in Thailand and live like a king on less than $500 per month". Some actually can make a nice, orderly life on this budget -- but are totally thrown off when they have health-related expenses.

Some (many) have totally burned bridges with family members back home and/or have been here so long that they really don't have any family members "back home". Do you actually think a grandniece or grandnephew is going to accept the return of some elderly relative they haven't seen for decades when all they remember about their long-liost uncle are their parents' or grandparents' horror stories about that relative?

Edited February 17, 2013 by NancyL

[MrWorldwide]

Show your pic or shut up

Er,,,,,,,,,

That's great, coming from a monkey!

Jesus - beat me to it !

That said, I agree with him (?) - why is it that my Indo boards are blissfully free of pissing contests yet Thai-based boards are dominated by them ? Why are we such pathetic wanke_rs ? The really amusing thing is that if you go the other way and claim to be able to live on a bowl of rice and a single Chang per day, someone will tell you that's 'luxury !'

Oh, almost forgot that photo -

Edited February 17, 2013 by metisdead
: Inappropriate and copyrighted photo removed.

[diddums]

I cannot recall seeing any real foreign vagrants....have seen a couple of scampster beggars and one busker on Silom....but thats it in 14 plus years.

Mind you I might live in a more proper neighbourhood.

[Neeranam]

I was down and out in Thailand once through alcoholism. I've also been in a similar situation in Scotland, but not as down.

Thailand is much easier to survive and the people here are so very compassionate. Ironically, it was tourists and many exapats who never held out a helping hand. They are somehow repulsed that a fellow whitey could fall on hard times - why the hell not? Most people that fall are mentally sick - I try to treat them in the same way I would those with heart disease, cancer or AIDS.

I remember I used to hang out around Sukhumvit soi 7 in the mid/late 90's and couldn't believe the way some of the sexpats there treated farang begging for money. I have my theories as to why - they feel very disgusted or embarrassed or inadequate with a very low self-esteem so love to point the finger at others who are worse, giving them a feeling of contentment. What is worse - a sick person looking for food or some 60 year old guy with take-away prostitute from the soi 7 beer bar spitting on him saying that he gives farang a bad reputation?

[smokie36]

Splendid....a bunch of anonymous nicknames bragging on internet how much money they have to equally

anonymous & irrelevant audience.

Show your pic or shut up

Hey theblether! You got one on your hook!!

[diddums]

I was down and out in Thailand once through alcoholism. I've also been in a similar situation in Scotland, but not as down.

Thailand is much easier to survive and the people here are so very compassionate. Ironically, it was tourists and many exapats who never held out a helping hand. They are somehow repulsed that a fellow whitey could fall on hard times - why the hell not? Most people that fall are mentally sick - I try to treat them in the same way I would those with heart disease, cancer or AIDS.

I remember I used to hang out around Sukhumvit soi 7 in the mid/late 90's and couldn't believe the way some of the sexpats there treated farang begging for money. I have my theories as to why - they feel very disgusted or embarrassed or inadequate with a very low self-esteem so love to point the finger at others who are worse, giving them a feeling of contentment. What is worse - a sick person looking for food or some 60 year old guy with take-away prostitute from the soi 7 beer bar spitting on him saying that he gives farang a bad reputation?

Might have seen you there.

Probably did not give you any money though...sorry about that.

How did you turn it around from such a low level and why did you not go home...wherever that is where they most likely have assistance for someone in that situation ? ...I know you will say no money for plane lide...but you should have been able to get enough to do just that if you were determined enough.

Or washed windows on asoke intersection for example....

Sorry...just read the alcoholism bit again...so doubt you would have been able to save any dosh for an airfare.

Edited February 17, 2013 by diddums

[BoonToong]

I've seen dishevelled farrangs in Bangkok a couple of times but I didn't give them money. Simply because I didn't want them to go and spend it on more booze; in my mind I'm helping their demise. I would have bought them some food but someone had beaten me to it.

[BoonToong]

I was down and out in Thailand once through alcoholism. I've also been in a similar situation in Scotland, but not as down.

In the part of Scotland where I grew up, being an alcoholic wasn't 'down', it was fashion

[diddums]

Splendid....a bunch of anonymous nicknames bragging on internet how much money they have to equally

anonymous & irrelevant audience.

Show your pic or shut up

Hey theblether! You got one on your hook!!

What does a pic have to do with it ?

I own 4 pushbikes...wanna see my pic ?

[Naam]

Wouldn't know I have neither been broke or on welfare. I did leave Canada due to paying 42% tax to cover lazy people and have been happily in Thailand tax free for the last 5 years. I suppose if a guy had no pride and wanted to be warm Thailand is as good as any place. But I think you just skimmed my post and sis not read what was written

[qdinthailand]

You show me yours, I'll show you mine!

[Naam]

Fair point, but surely it's a hellish existence living in Thailand with no money?

Probably the happiest people I've met in Thailand have been Buddhist monks.

i never saw a smiling monk.

[chiangmaikelly]

Fair point, but surely it's a hellish existence living in Thailand with no money?

Probably the happiest people I've met in Thailand have been Buddhist monks.

i never saw a smiling monk.

Now you have

[StreetCowboy]

Splendid....a bunch of anonymous nicknames bragging on internet how much money they have to equally

anonymous & irrelevant audience.

Show your pic or shut up

Hey theblether! You got one on your hook!!

What does a pic have to do with it ?

I own 4 pushbikes...wanna see my pic ?

If you could post a picture of one of the bikes, that would be nice.

SC

[theblether]

Ehm.......where do I start? I only mentioned the fact I travel Business Class 8 times a year to rebutt a flame that I can't afford to stay in Thailand.

So how about we drop that nonsense?, the day I can't afford a £500 flight and the required income to live in Thailand I'll take the solution suggested by MrWorldWide.

The topic is about people living hand to mouth...........JT has predicted a boom in the numbers of breadline Retirees from the States. Here's my prediction, the Thais will get sick of the problems caused by dealing with people of this ilk and they will raise the bar even higher as far as retirement visas and the like are concerned.

For those that think that the "Grandfather" clause will be their salvation, you may well be right, but I predict a surge in arbitrary visa extension refusals. One member ( apologies for not tracking back to get the name ) on this thread has already said that the Visa officer questioned his right to stay because he didn't like the look of him.

If? When? that comes to pass there will be a fair few irritated guys on here complaining bitterly about being unfairly targetted due to the insidious effect of the Hand To Mouth Brigade.

ps. Obviously if I ever get refused a visa I'll just nip down to the airport and book a flight out. Business Class of course.

[kevvy]

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

tell us about the USA welfare system , i have lived there for 3 years and it sucks as i knew good people who did not have a job. so you think being broke in a warm climate in a foreign land is the answer

Wouldn't know I have neither been broke or on welfare. I did leave Canada due to paying 42% tax to cover lazy people and have been happily in Thailand tax free for the last 5 years. I suppose if a guy had no pride and wanted to be warm Thailand is as good as any place. But I think you just skimmed my post and sis not read what was written

same as Australia got sick of paying big tax , for all the people living off welfare. unmarried girls get paid every fortnight , because they have children to raise , i wouldnt mind if they were genuine , as i have seen many unmarried mothers going to work , while a great majority just sit at home collecting the pension . Australia is one of the easiest countries to get welfare. i am glad you have found happiness , its a wonderful thing to have especially when you have love to go with it

[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.

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

tell us about the USA welfare system , i have lived there for 3 years and it sucks as i knew good people who did not have a job. so you think being broke in a warm climate in a foreign land is the answer

If you are directing the question towards me ... I can only say - it seems some have found a warm climate to be an answer. As for me personally - I have a modest pension and unless the U.S. Government collapses It will see me through with no great difficulty in Thailand. Also, I don't plan on marrying a dependent woman in Thailand. This statement may bring laughs and derision from some guys here on TV ... but the eligible Thai women I have come to know all have good jobs, a home and a retirement fund. Now whether they will share any of this is another question all together.

[Briggsy]

I have a hard time getting my head around the individual who comes to Thailand, decides to stay and spend every last cent/shilling/peso/whatever, without a plan to bailout back to the world of the known support system. So they have absolutely nothing to go back to? Absolutely no prospects of any type - family, friends, sources of income, handouts, social safety nets?

So here in LOS, they forget about visa renewals (with associated costs)? The forget they have no income, and no job to provide same? They somehow think they'll be able to fly under the radar and be able to live on the streets, or live the homeless life here, in Thailand, trying to outcompete with the locals?

I just don't understand myself, having never come close to such an 'existence'.

I don't understand them either. But head down to Pattaya's bars where they sell beer at retail price + 5 Baht and you'll find them eventually. They are there. Don't forget they are usually getting something from the UK, such as a basic state pension.

Edited February 17, 2013 by Briggsy