Ways To Cut Down The Cost Of Living In Thailand

[FunFon]

5. Brew your own bear

...

7. Ditch the broad band and use 3G instead.

-

5 could be dangerous.

And my high-speed costs under 400 a month, while I go through the GB limit of 3G in a couple of days even without any YouTube or downloading, can't see how that could ever be a savings unless you only did text-based messaging, turned off pictures from loading in your browser.

Or is there some unlimited 3G pre-pay I don't know about? (and don't count Edge, need unlimited 3G please).

[scorecard]

Rent a 4-5 storey shophouse for the same rent as a medium apartment (20% of a farang-standard serviced one, and yes do pay the rent on time)

Get 2-3 others in to share the cost of a maid, send her down to the wet market for fruit veg and a bit of your favorite protein sources and have her cook.

Street food suddenly looks very expensive, less tasty and a lot less healthy.

Makro/Tesco/Big C for bulk essentials.

No need to set foot in any supermarket unless you're really craving an occasional western luxury brand-item.

My Thai adult son recently did a rationalization of and reduces family costs. Some examples:

- Cancel True Visions, go to True Life, once only payment (he also reinforced some family rules about kids only allowed to watch TV max of one hour per day, and most of this time must be Animal Planet Vids, etc. Thai soap operas totally banned - which entailed telling his MIL when she visits she cannot watch soapies at his house. She ignored the ban, son pulled the plug.

- Change internet to lower price (3BB - 990Baht to 590Baht), almost zero difference in speed for general surfing, e-mail etc.

- Car or motorcycle cannot be used to go to local shops (just 10 minutes walk)

- Buy all fresh foods (fruit, veg, meats from local (clean) markets)

- Cook at home, (also so that kids learn how to cook)

- Actively change shopping process:

- Previously wife (and son also) looked at all items on supermarket shelves and anything not in cupboards at home they put in the trolley

- Now, check the cupboards before leaving the house, make a list, buy ONLY what is actually needed.

- Expensive so called special brand washing powder for washing machine stopped, use normal soap brands - bulk bulk at Makro - put clothes and powder and water in machine late evening, switch on next morning - actually cleaner that special powder.

- Wife has to get kids breakfast organized the previous evening, and eat breakfast at home - no more breakfast at school for kids and wife.

- No more packs of take home sushi (200 - 300Baht) every time his wife goes to Big C or wherever.

- Learn how to use timer on air-con and use it every night.

- Regularly check that lights in unoccupied rooms are turned off (wife the biggest offender).

- Reduce outside car wash to once a month, but maid now cleans car at home every week or more often as needed.

and more...

Edited April 18, 2013 by scorecard

[homeownership]

Number 8 of my previous list was about food, heres a old favourite.

Fish in Thailand, is plentiful in streams and rivers, not to mention the sea.

Catching fish

1. Do not use a rod, Thai fish are smart. You will die of hunger.

2. Do not shoot, or attempt to denonate any device in order to secure your meal. You will be imprisoned for life for being a mad person.

3. Instead, go a hardware store and get some "chicken wire" or equivalent. Something with large holes to let the small fish out but keep the large fish.

4. Construct a trap of sorts. Put a small amount of cooked meat, doesnt matter what in a trap made by chicken wire. Come back an hour later and retreive your live fodder. Taking a large knife remove the head from the body completely, this will kill it quick and clean.

5.After the body stops flapping, take a sharp knife and run the knife from under the tail to the point where the head used to be. 6. Remove all the organs. Look for a brown tube (sometimes called a mud vein), this is tricky but remove it (its basically shit).

7. Get a barbecue going from woods, get it hot but not too hot, a steady low heat is better than a roaring flame.

8. Wrap the fish with onions, fennel and salt, cook to your liking.

9. Eat with boiled rice, and other veg. Make a sauce out of the juices and add to the dish.

10. Enjoy your very low cost meal. Better than eating out.

[homeownership]

5. Brew your own bear

...

7. Ditch the broad band and use 3G instead.

-

5 could be dangerous.

And my high-speed costs under 400 a month, while I go through the GB limit of 3G in a couple of days even without any YouTube or downloading, can't see how that could ever be a savings unless you only did text-based messaging, turned off pictures from loading in your browser.

Or is there some unlimited 3G pre-pay I don't know about? (and don't count Edge, need unlimited 3G please).

I agree, let the bear go and try brewing your own beer or wine.

Come on now, you know those pornos eat up your allowance, spend time with her indoors, its free (well its prepaid I suppose).

[BookMan]

Rent a 4-5 storey shophouse for the same rent as a medium apartment (20% of a farang-standard serviced one, and yes do pay the rent on time)

Get 2-3 others in to share the cost of a maid, send her down to the wet market for fruit veg and a bit of your favorite protein sources and have her cook.

Street food suddenly looks very expensive, less tasty and a lot less healthy.

Makro/Tesco/Big C for bulk essentials.

No need to set foot in any supermarket unless you're really craving an occasional western luxury brand-item.

My Thai adult son recently did a rationalization of and reduces family costs. Some examples:

- Cancel True Visions, go to True Life, once only payment (he also reinforced some family rules about kids only allowed to watch TV max of one hour per day, and most of this time must be Animal Planet Vids, etc. Thai soap operas totally banned - which entailed telling his MIL when she visits she cannot watch soapies at his house. She ignored the ban, son pulled the plug.

- Change internet to lower price (3BB - 990Baht to 590Baht), almost zero difference in speed for general surfing, e-mail etc.

- Car or motorcycle cannot be used to go to local shops (just 10 minutes walk)

- Buy all fresh foods (fruit, veg, meats from local (clean) markets)

- Cook at home, (also so that kids learn how to cook)

- Actively change shopping process:

- Previously wife (and son also) looked at all items on supermarket shelves and anything not in cupboards at home they put in the trolley

- Now, check the cupboards before leaving the house, make a list, buy ONLY what is actually needed.

- Expensive so called special brand washing powder for washing machine stopped, use normal soap brands - bulk bulk at Makro - put clothes and powder and water in machine late evening, switch on next morning - actually cleaner that special powder.

- Wife has to get kids breakfast organized the previous evening, and eat breakfast at home - no more breakfast at school for kids and wife.

- No more packs of take home sushi (200 - 300Baht) every time his wife goes to Big C or wherever.

- Learn how to use timer on air-con and use it every night.

- Regularly check that lights in unoccupied rooms are turned off (wife the biggest offender).

- Reduce outside car wash to once a month, but maid now cleans car at home every week or more often as needed.

and more...

What are the expected monthly savings?

[martynsnowmans]

STOP , drinking , smoking and shagging , you wont die .... it,ll just feel like you did .....

[scorecard]

Rent a 4-5 storey shophouse for the same rent as a medium apartment (20% of a farang-standard serviced one, and yes do pay the rent on time)

Get 2-3 others in to share the cost of a maid, send her down to the wet market for fruit veg and a bit of your favorite protein sources and have her cook.

Street food suddenly looks very expensive, less tasty and a lot less healthy.

Makro/Tesco/Big C for bulk essentials.

No need to set foot in any supermarket unless you're really craving an occasional western luxury brand-item.

My Thai adult son recently did a rationalization of and reduces family costs. Some examples:

- Cancel True Visions, go to True Life, once only payment (he also reinforced some family rules about kids only allowed to watch TV max of one hour per day, and most of this time must be Animal Planet Vids, etc. Thai soap operas totally banned - which entailed telling his MIL when she visits she cannot watch soapies at his house. She ignored the ban, son pulled the plug.

- Change internet to lower price (3BB - 990Baht to 590Baht), almost zero difference in speed for general surfing, e-mail etc.

- Car or motorcycle cannot be used to go to local shops (just 10 minutes walk)

- Buy all fresh foods (fruit, veg, meats from local (clean) markets)

- Cook at home, (also so that kids learn how to cook)

- Actively change shopping process:

- Previously wife (and son also) looked at all items on supermarket shelves and anything not in cupboards at home they put in the trolley

- Now, check the cupboards before leaving the house, make a list, buy ONLY what is actually needed.

- Expensive so called special brand washing powder for washing machine stopped, use normal soap brands - bulk bulk at Makro - put clothes and powder and water in machine late evening, switch on next morning - actually cleaner that special powder.

- Wife has to get kids breakfast organized the previous evening, and eat breakfast at home - no more breakfast at school for kids and wife.

- No more packs of take home sushi (200 - 300Baht) every time his wife goes to Big C or wherever.

- Learn how to use timer on air-con and use it every night.

- Regularly check that lights in unoccupied rooms are turned off (wife the biggest offender).

- Reduce outside car wash to once a month, but maid now cleans car at home every week or more often as needed.

and more...

What are the expected monthly savings?

Son's calculation, around 5 - 7,000 per month.

[Loptr]

Question........ Why all these save-save-save-cheap-cheap threads?

Answer: Because some people like to learn. Because some people would like to contribute to local businesses rather than spend the money at huge conglomerates. Because some people would like to leave as much as they can to their nearest and dearest(s) while still living exactly the same lifestyle.

How about the truth. Some expats are skint, have no money and either have no marketable skills or refuse to re-enter the workforce to earn a decent wage and would rather scrape by living on the edge.

[BookMan]

.

Son's calculation, around 5 - 7,000 per month.

A decent saving over 12 months.

Exercises like your son is doing also help longer term for all the family to learn good money management skills

[retell]

5. Brew your own bear

...

7. Ditch the broad band and use 3G instead.

-

5 could be dangerous.

And my high-speed costs under 400 a month, while I go through the GB limit of 3G in a couple of days even without any YouTube or downloading, can't see how that could ever be a savings unless you only did text-based messaging, turned off pictures from loading in your browser.

Or is there some unlimited 3G pre-pay I don't know about? (and don't count Edge, need unlimited 3G please).

I agree, let the bear go and try brewing your own beer or wine.

Come on now, you know those pornos eat up your allowance, spend time with her indoors, its free (well its prepaid I suppose).

got a 7 mb tot here and rent out some bandwith so the kids in the village can enjoy internet 20 Thb a hour pays the 600 Thb back usually double ,

brew beer just as a hobby next month got some hop seeds coming in the mail, pornos cost money??? how you do that can look just about all i like to see from those with no problem many sites without the restriction from thailand do not even need a proxy or some like that or just download p2p

Edited April 18, 2013 by retell

[homeownership]

Its funny, one of the things that first attracted to me to Thailand, was the simplicity of life here. The first place I really called home was a village called Ban Rong Ku, near the town of Wiang Pa Poa. Which is in Chiang Rai Provice in between Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai. I still have a house there.

Everyone but everyone barbecues their food there because there is no mains gas. Gas cylinders are expensive and so its the done thing. Every evening, the whole village is a filled with barbecue smoke and people dont sit around on TV, they used to talk to each other about who was getting married, who has moved to BKK and what to plant the next day and where.

I dont know how it happened, but my old life somehow caught up with me and started to take over. Mobile phone, broadband, even VPN so I can keep my UK IP address and avoid the 3BB blockade on porn sites.

My car is thirsty and is only ever used for long distance, where I usually fly and I ride around on a red vespa moped.

I have a flat screen 60" TV which has sky tv, which I dont watch and a canyon coffee outlet just 100m from my front door.

Every conveince has been afforded me and yet all I want to do is be bitten by mosquitos, while some old fella puts string around my wrists and blesses me, to the point where I cry like a baby. Go to bed at 8am and sleep, like I have never slept before.

Thailand is changing, but so am I. The more Thailand becomes like the UK or other western country, the more Thai I am becoming, isnt that strange or perhaps its not as strange as you think, we are after all here for a reason and its not just for the sex.

[Morakot]

Make your own charcoal for cooking. In this way you also don't need to buy a TV as you'll be watching the kiln.

[chiang mai]

But based on the two previous posts it seems that porno is a factor, how odd!

[Neeranam]

STOP , drinking , smoking and shagging , you wont die .... it,ll just feel like you did .....

it is in dying that we are born to eternal life - St Francis

Do work of all kinds with a mind that is void

And to the voidness surrender all of the fruits;

Eat the food of voidness as the holy ones do,

You'll have died to yourself from the very start. - Buddhadasa Bhikkhu

[FunFon]

Come on now, you know those pornos eat up your allowance, spend time with her indoors, its free (well its prepaid I suppose).

-

There is no "her" anymore, had to let the whole harem go starting about six months ago, but a couple do come by with food for the kids once in a while just to chat and visit, no freebies for old time's sake I'm afraid.

Even so I've never got anything out of porn, nor live shows, just doesn't do anything for me.

Ted talks, videos from MeFi and Boing Boing are actually the bandwidth culprits, but even just TV.com eats up half a GB in a few days unless you turn off the pictures loading.

[Kitsune]

Its funny, one of the things that first attracted to me to Thailand, was the simplicity of life here. The first place I really called home was a village called Ban Rong Ku, near the town of Wiang Pa Poa. Which is in Chiang Rai Provice in between Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai. I still have a house there.

Everyone but everyone barbecues their food there because there is no mains gas. Gas cylinders are expensive and so its the done thing. Every evening, the whole village is a filled with barbecue smoke and people dont sit around on TV, they used to talk to each other about who was getting married, who has moved to BKK and what to plant the next day and where.

I dont know how it happened, but my old life somehow caught up with me and started to take over. Mobile phone, broadband, even VPN so I can keep my UK IP address and avoid the 3BB blockade on porn sites.

My car is thirsty and is only ever used for long distance, where I usually fly and I ride around on a red vespa moped.

I have a flat screen 60" TV which has sky tv, which I dont watch and a canyon coffee outlet just 100m from my front door.

Every conveince has been afforded me and yet all I want to do is be bitten by mosquitos, while some old fella puts string around my wrists and blesses me, to the point where I cry like a baby. Go to bed at 8am and sleep, like I have never slept before.

Thailand is changing, but so am I. The more Thailand becomes like the UK or other western country, the more Thai I am becoming, isnt that strange or perhaps its not as strange as you think, we are after all here for a reason and its not just for the sex.

Sorry I missed the tip to cut down cost of living (which was the original topic remember ?)

[pokerkid]

Learn to speak Thai, make friends with regular families and never have to go looking for love in all the wrong places.

I recognise in advance that the below target profile doesn't match that of many here, but do contend it's the only way to get good value for money in this area for an old fat guy without a lot of money. I also concede that some will assume this is an "exploitative pig" approach to some that assume the worst, fire away. . .

Do go looking in remote rural areas, ideally ones not densely populated by ex-BGs and mia farang (IOW no western-standard houses scattered around the villages)

Don't consider a GF that

has greedy parents

has ever left home or worked outside the family farm fields or in construction

has learned any English

has been with a foreigner

ever touched a computer

(and thus obviously)

uses makeup, dyes her hair, or has gotten a tattoo

has ever had a baby

Do bargain hard for most of the sin sot to come back, get banked as a "severance package" for their daughter if things don't work out

Do state her allowance up-front and that any money to be sent home to come from this

- but do budget for a secret additional 30% set-aside for contingencies

- do not otherwise go above this except at your discretion and random intervals occasional bonuses for extra effort, gifts for clothes & electronics

- do take a very hard line on "rescuing" family emergencies, anything life-threatening you choose the hospital and doctor and pay yourself directly (if you can afford it)

- find ways to encourage her to learn how to save money in order to fund her large purchases

Do make it clear that "love" (however you define it) may well come in time, but don't pretend nor encourage her to lie, in fact make it clear any dishonesty in either direction is an immediate deal-breaker.

Do make it clear that you're the boss, your way or the highway on matters large and small and be 100% consistent about that from the beginning

- do not compromise on her performance levels in her duties, do not accept any tendency to laziness or frequently making excuses

- but be generous on the flip side about anticipating and taking care of her needs, devoting yourself to her growth and education - help her learn english, computers and send her back to school!

- act as any responsible guardian would with a strong interest in her being able to function in the globalised modern world as a responsible adult to the extent she's able

Don't expect it to last forever, realise if you get a few good years together you're ahead of the game, let her go if/when the time comes, plenty more fish in the sea

OH MY GOD, this must be the most moronic post i have seen so far at thaivisa.

dont consider a gf that uses make up............ seriously ? not even going into the other drivel you posted, just not worth the effort

[FunFon]

dont consider a gf that uses make up............ seriously ?

-

Seriously why? What's so difficult to understand? The makeup itself isn't a big deal, it's the lack of worldly experience that's critical. And as I aknowledged, not to everyone's taste, just my own preferences and guidelines.

I have been known to make exceptions, but only for exceptional cases, and have usually regretted them.

At some point after they've been with me for a while I'll pay for them to be taught how to use makeup properly (so it's hard to tell it's even there), but only for when they go out, not for time with me.

[lazygourmet]

What is more vulgar than money?

Speaking of it

[Rob8891]

Learn to speak Thai, make friends with regular families and never have to go looking for love in all the wrong places.

I recognise in advance that the below target profile doesn't match that of many here, but do contend it's the only way to get good value for money in this area for an old fat guy without a lot of money. I also concede that some will assume this is an "exploitative pig" approach to some that assume the worst, fire away. . .

Do go looking in remote rural areas, ideally ones not densely populated by ex-BGs and mia farang (IOW no western-standard houses scattered around the villages)

Don't consider a GF that

has greedy parents

has ever left home or worked outside the family farm fields or in construction

has learned any English

has been with a foreigner

ever touched a computer

(and thus obviously)

uses makeup, dyes her hair, or has gotten a tattoo

has ever had a baby

Do bargain hard for most of the sin sot to come back, get banked as a "severance package" for their daughter if things don't work out

Do state her allowance up-front and that any money to be sent home to come from this

- but do budget for a secret additional 30% set-aside for contingencies

- do not otherwise go above this except at your discretion and random intervals occasional bonuses for extra effort, gifts for clothes & electronics

- do take a very hard line on "rescuing" family emergencies, anything life-threatening you choose the hospital and doctor and pay yourself directly (if you can afford it)

- find ways to encourage her to learn how to save money in order to fund her large purchases

Do make it clear that "love" (however you define it) may well come in time, but don't pretend nor encourage her to lie, in fact make it clear any dishonesty in either direction is an immediate deal-breaker.

Do make it clear that you're the boss, your way or the highway on matters large and small and be 100% consistent about that from the beginning

- do not compromise on her performance levels in her duties, do not accept any tendency to laziness or frequently making excuses

- but be generous on the flip side about anticipating and taking care of her needs, devoting yourself to her growth and education - help her learn english, computers and send her back to school!

- act as any responsible guardian would with a strong interest in her being able to function in the globalised modern world as a responsible adult to the extent she's able

Don't expect it to last forever, realise if you get a few good years together you're ahead of the game, let her go if/when the time comes, plenty more fish in the sea

OH MY GOD, this must be the most moronic post i have seen so far at thaivisa.

dont consider a gf that uses make up............ seriously ? not even going into the other drivel you posted, just not worth the effort

In a slightly earlier thread, FunFon was lamenting that TV can use up half a gig of bandwidth..... then uses up some of his precious bandwidth with this post????

Suggestion, FF, give up TV too

[pokerkid]

dont consider a gf that uses make up............ seriously ?

-

Seriously why? What's so difficult to understand? The makeup itself isn't a big deal, it's the lack of worldly experience that's critical. And as I aknowledged, not to everyone's taste, just my own preferences and guidelines.

I have been known to make exceptions, but only for exceptional cases, and have usually regretted them.

At some point after they've been with me for a while I'll pay for them to be taught how to use makeup properly (so it's hard to tell it's even there), but only for when they go out, not for time with me.

sounds to me that you are the one lacking wordly experience .

[ALFREDO]

STOP , drinking , smoking and shagging , you wont die .... it,ll just feel like you did .....

Need only the last, but its not cheap than either!

[balo]

Watch movies only on Wednesdays , its 100 baht , rest of the week its 180 baht. So if you watch 3 movies on a Wednesday you will save 240 baht...

[ALFREDO]

Rent a 4-5 storey shophouse for the same rent as a medium apartment (20% of a farang-standard serviced one, and yes do pay the rent on time)

Get 2-3 others in to share the cost of a maid, send her down to the wet market for fruit veg and a bit of your favorite protein sources and have her cook.

Street food suddenly looks very expensive, less tasty and a lot less healthy.

Makro/Tesco/Big C for bulk essentials.

No need to set foot in any supermarket unless you're really craving an occasional western luxury brand-item.

My Thai adult son recently did a rationalization of and reduces family costs. Some examples:

- Cancel True Visions, go to True Life, once only payment (he also reinforced some family rules about kids only allowed to watch TV max of one hour per day, and most of this time must be Animal Planet Vids, etc. Thai soap operas totally banned - which entailed telling his MIL when she visits she cannot watch soapies at his house. She ignored the ban, son pulled the plug.

- Change internet to lower price (3BB - 990Baht to 590Baht), almost zero difference in speed for general surfing, e-mail etc.

- Car or motorcycle cannot be used to go to local shops (just 10 minutes walk)

- Buy all fresh foods (fruit, veg, meats from local (clean) markets)

- Cook at home, (also so that kids learn how to cook)

- Actively change shopping process:

- Previously wife (and son also) looked at all items on supermarket shelves and anything not in cupboards at home they put in the trolley

- Now, check the cupboards before leaving the house, make a list, buy ONLY what is actually needed.

- Expensive so called special brand washing powder for washing machine stopped, use normal soap brands - bulk bulk at Makro - put clothes and powder and water in machine late evening, switch on next morning - actually cleaner that special powder.

- Wife has to get kids breakfast organized the previous evening, and eat breakfast at home - no more breakfast at school for kids and wife.

- No more packs of take home sushi (200 - 300Baht) every time his wife goes to Big C or wherever.

- Learn how to use timer on air-con and use it every night.

- Regularly check that lights in unoccupied rooms are turned off (wife the biggest offender).

- Reduce outside car wash to once a month, but maid now cleans car at home every week or more often as needed.

and more...

The crazy things what the children and adults will do, in the now plenty of spare time - not allowed TV times, Cartoons

and Soap Operas,will cost a lot more than you save. Some meager kilowatt hours of electricity.

Internet usage and Computer usage, Games, Casino-Games? ect. will expand.

Possibility unexpected Offspring will be produced.

[ABCer]

Well, well, this thread is much better than the boring, silly arguments as to <40K> not enough.

I like the humour and the recommendations. All of them are good, but two are not possible for implementation.

One - to ride a bike. Sorry, I cannot, but it is a great source of savings for the able.

Two - eat local food at street vendors stalls. True, it is the cheapest way to live, but I refuse to suffer. For me cooking

at home western food is the only alternative, however expensive. I built a well equipped kitchen and eat out once a week

to please my girl. Believe me it is no problem! I taught my lady to cook what and how I like my food and now it's no

problem. Luckily she likes it too (so she says).

Thailand has beautiful cheap produce. All we have to do is cook it. Except for the foods Thais do not eat widely, like

cheeses, olives, herring and so on. In these instances one has to apply ingenuity.

My recommendation: go to MK Restaurants - good and cheap (relatively speaking). And no boozing around!

It's hard, I know. If you find this impossible, - ask FF for the address of his landlady.

Cheers.

[ABCer]

Its funny, one of the things that first attracted to me to Thailand, was the simplicity of life here. The first place I really called home was a village called Ban Rong Ku, near the town of Wiang Pa Poa. Which is in Chiang Rai Provice in between Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai. I still have a house there.

Everyone but everyone barbecues their food there because there is no mains gas. Gas cylinders are expensive and so its the done thing. Every evening, the whole village is a filled with barbecue smoke and people dont sit around on TV, they used to talk to each other about who was getting married, who has moved to BKK and what to plant the next day and where.

I dont know how it happened, but my old life somehow caught up with me and started to take over. Mobile phone, broadband, even VPN so I can keep my UK IP address and avoid the 3BB blockade on porn sites.

My car is thirsty and is only ever used for long distance, where I usually fly and I ride around on a red vespa moped.

I have a flat screen 60" TV which has sky tv, which I dont watch and a canyon coffee outlet just 100m from my front door.

Every conveince has been afforded me and yet all I want to do is be bitten by mosquitos, while some old fella puts string around my wrists and blesses me, to the point where I cry like a baby. Go to bed at 8am and sleep, like I have never slept before.

Thailand is changing, but so am I. The more Thailand becomes like the UK or other western country, the more Thai I am becoming, isnt that strange or perhaps its not as strange as you think, we are after all here for a reason and its not just for the sex.

You sound very touching, kid

But! Stick to the topic, which is not you, but your economics.

And tell us when you decide to be more saint than the Pope, because

right now you are more Thai than Thais.

[patongphil]

Well, well, this thread is much better than the boring, silly arguments as to <40K> not enough.

I like the humour and the recommendations. All of them are good, but two are not possible for implementation.

One - to ride a bike. Sorry, I cannot, but it is a great source of savings for the able.

Two - eat local food at street vendors stalls. True, it is the cheapest way to live, but I refuse to suffer. For me cooking

at home western food is the only alternative, however expensive. I built a well equipped kitchen and eat out once a week

to please my girl. Believe me it is no problem! I taught my lady to cook what and how I like my food and now it's no

problem. Luckily she likes it too (so she says).

Thailand has beautiful cheap produce. All we have to do is cook it. Except for the foods Thais do not eat widely, like

cheeses, olives, herring and so on. In these instances one has to apply ingenuity.

My recommendation: go to MK Restaurants - good and cheap (relatively speaking). And no boozing around!

It's hard, I know. If you find this impossible, - ask FF for the address of his landlady.

Cheers.

Wow now I have definitely read too much of this crap.

[FunFon]

Wow now I have definitely read too much of this crap.

-

What you don't have a street vendor selling kippers in your local market?

Mine poaches a few in milk for me every Friday just when the sun's coming up. But you're right she charges 60 THB, haven't been able to indulge for the past few years. . .

Edited April 18, 2013 by FunFon

[Kitsune]

Live on donated food without having to shave your head !

My friend's family lives on free food from the temple.

Their local temple apparently has not got a fridge so the grandma of his family provides the temple with daily ice.

In return she receives enough food to feed the family of 7 people + 9 dogs!

[Morakot]

In return she receives enough food to feed the family of 7 people + 9 dogs!

Ooh no! Don't mention the dogs; Monty's Burmese labourers might find out about them.

Edited April 18, 2013 by Morakot