Ways To Cut Down The Cost Of Living In Thailand

[balo]

Invest in a bread machine , you will save in the cost within a year. And the bread tastes 10 times better.

[beautifulthailand99]

A totally nonsensical troll post has been removed.

My sincerest apologies dear mod for my momentary lapse of reason into absurdity I shall self-censor in future. There are enough nut jobs on here with out adding to the madness.

[Naam]

Absolutely impossible to shop for specifically western prepared foods at the same cost as Thai food, would be at least 5x the budget and even then most here would consider it cheap-charlie territory.

However the way I do it - basic fruit and veg (lots and lots of filling veggies yum!), little bit of chicken, pork fish, lots of eggs for protein for the kids, all from the cheapest wholesale market in town at 5am (BKK that's Khlong Toei)

Then you can prepare it however you like, lots of western-flavoured mostly-veg dishes go well with rice.

But ingredients like bread/spaghetti/potatoes are completely out of the budget, rice and rice-based noodles are the starch foundation. Never mind luxuries like cheese!

But then few are shooting for THB 500 to feed seven people for four days. . .

bake your own bread not that is so difficult but @ 25 thb in big c you got a xxxxload of bread that's not so bad at all

a foreigner baking bread in Thailand without a work permit commits a crime

[retell]

Absolutely impossible to shop for specifically western prepared foods at the same cost as Thai food, would be at least 5x the budget and even then most here would consider it cheap-charlie territory.

However the way I do it - basic fruit and veg (lots and lots of filling veggies yum!), little bit of chicken, pork fish, lots of eggs for protein for the kids, all from the cheapest wholesale market in town at 5am (BKK that's Khlong Toei)

Then you can prepare it however you like, lots of western-flavoured mostly-veg dishes go well with rice.

But ingredients like bread/spaghetti/potatoes are completely out of the budget, rice and rice-based noodles are the starch foundation. Never mind luxuries like cheese!

But then few are shooting for THB 500 to feed seven people for four days. . .

bake your own bread not that is so difficult but @ 25 thb in big c you got a xxxxload of bread that's not so bad at all

a foreigner baking bread in Thailand without a work permit commits a crime

;lets bite in this ,,, and why would that be ??? Mr. Naam ? only if you work for commercial purpose such as sell it or give it away , perfectly ok to bake your own stuff , make your own cheese , or smoke your own ham and bacon , but as mentioned before brew your own BEER is illegal

[notmyself]

Sounds lovely.

The point I'm trying to make is that if people cook at home then they can at the very worst make it for the same price if they learn how to do it.

Very true and I wholeheartedly agree.

Maybe we need to send some of them off to the Food In Thailand forum to learn about cooking.

When I were a lad - long time ago - my mother taught me how to cook the basics like veggies and meat, rice pudding and such. Also that it is almost as cheap to cook for two as it is to cook for one.

Being able to do things yourself is great and cheaper. Fix the plumbing, the electrics, do the decorating, lay tiles. All the basics we were taught and never really forgot. They all help cut down on the cost of living and you get the satisfaction of doing it yourself.

One exception here being the car and working on it in extreme heat with the sweat running into you eyes otherwise I'd do more on the car too. Though, I'll not let another Thai mechanic near my brakes again. The loss of one car was lesson enough

I raise mt hat to TV and its members for the quality of the food sub forum.

Saving on food costs certainly falls into the remit of the OP especially in a family unit of 3-4 people. Member FunFon suggests that potatoes are completely out of the budget which I disagree with. At 38 Baht a kilo you can feed 4 people at a cost of B9.5 PP (250g).

You mention 'the basics', people don't seem to be taught these days and it seems to me that many of the parents don't know either so children just don't get to see it being done. I got my basics and more of cooking just because I would spend a great deal of time talking to my mother who spent quite a bit of time in the kitchen. If I wasn't taling to my mother then I was talking to my father who was more often than not fixing or maintaining something around the house or in the garden.

At the age of 16 I bought a motorbike which a couple of weeks later refused to start. I'd blown all my money on buying it and insurance so couldn't affort to get it fixed. I asked my father for a loan and he refused, to make matters worse he would even help me fix it. Couple of days later he gave me a Haynes manual, said all the tools I would need will be in the garage and told me to fix it myself. If I needed parts then he would pay for them. Didn't need parts in the end, just cleaning.

[StreetCowboy]

A totally nonsensical troll post has been removed.

My sincerest apologies dear mod for my momentary lapse of reason into absurdity I shall self-censor in future. There are enough nut jobs on here with out adding to the madness.

So now you're the arbiter of how many nutjobs we need? Do you work for the Election Committee?

[ongchart]

Home cooking is the best way to save money and eat healthy. I am lucky in that I have a MIL who is not too old and can cook very well, and when she is not around, wife or sister in law cooks. Yes, I pay for maybe 40% of the ingredients needed each month, mostly for chicken and fish, which I must have, but it is still cheaper (10 times?) than taking everyone out for all the meals. MIL has a vegetable patch, where most of the veg and herbs are taken. Rice is self-cultivated, so each year's harvest lasts for a year (I don't pay anything towards the harvest). I invested 40,000 baht a few months back in a couple of mushroom huts, and now we sell mushrooms worth 600 to 1200 baht a day. I also get my 'gang hed' fix every other day - it's one of my favorite Thai food, healthy, nutritious, and costs very little.

We've built our own house on land next to MIL's, no aircon, lots of natural light, with solar powered ventilation fan, 3G broadband at 500 baht / month. Washing is done twice a week with a washing machine. No TV. Booze only on 2 nights a week, 2 bottles of Singha shared with my FIL.

I make a decent income (min 200k baht / month ) from my overseas trading biz, but I do spend quite a bit on air travel for my biz. I take Thai wife on trips with me whenever I have a good month, so I combine work with pleasure. I will stick to the simple lifestyle as we are happy with it.

Just a point to show not everyone appreciates the 'good life' by western standards - took FIL and wife plus a good neighbor friend to a very nice restaurant in main city center - they said they didn't enjoy the meal because they were eating amongst some perceived hi-so patrons.

My final point is - live the life that brings happiness to you and your loved ones. If you need to scrimp consciously and as a result is unhappy, then perhaps you are living in the wrong place.

Sorry for rambling on - maybe I should have let FIL have that last 2 glasses of Singha!

[balloon chaser]

I like to drink but I've found I spend everything in my pocket by the end of the night. So, I just take a very small amount with me. I buy 6 beers and that's that. Usually I don't remember anything after that anyways so why spend more.

I remember I once spent 8,000 baht on drinks alone one night out a couple years ago. Never even remembered anything from that night. It was a huge waste.

[testaccio]

I like to drink but I've found I spend everything in my pocket by the end of the night. So, I just take a very small amount with me. I buy 6 beers and that's that. Usually I don't remember anything after that anyways so why spend more.

I remember I once spent 8,000 baht on drinks alone one night out a couple years ago. Never even remembered anything from that night. It was a huge waste.

If you don't remember anything does that also mean that you get completely wasted? After just 6 beers? You can consider yourself lucky then.

[DerekMarshall]

Nothing wrong with people economising, people all over the world are watching their purse strings and tightening the due to the global financial crisis and here in Thailand no harm in anyone balancing the books due to the strong Baht - (even governments are trying to do it, it´s called austerity).

Probably the best way to make up that loss in income/reduced due to a strong Baht is to prepare in advance and perhaps reduce expenditure, No 1 and 2 being rent and bills like electricity. Top way to reduce electric costs is by using a fan and not air con. Personally I have never liked air con - I just really dislike going from a cool room to the blazing heat outside. In the cool season some may even get away with switching the fan off during the night.

Edited April 20, 2013 by DerekMarshall

[4NDR345]

1. Eat thai food, not western food.

2. If you need to drink, do it at home at all times.

3. Do not have a Thai girlfriend, or a gik, or whatever.

Now, that is already 80% of all costs saved right there.

1 eat western food (cook yourself with ingredients from the local market )

2 find some friend to come over to yr house for a drink or go to theirs ( just get a tray or box of whatever yr poison)

3 find a thai girlfriend nothing wrong with that ( if it is find another)

same same 80% saved

1. But it i still more expensive than regular thai food

2. Yes, that is what i said.

3. Most of the time, the foreigner is the one with more money, so he will end up paying more than the girl, very seldom is it the other way around.

[pattayadingo]

Sounds lovely.

The point I'm trying to make is that if people cook at home then they can at the very worst make it for the same price if they learn how to do it.

Very true and I wholeheartedly agree.

Maybe we need to send some of them off to the Food In Thailand forum to learn about cooking.

When I were a lad - long time ago - my mother taught me how to cook the basics like veggies and meat, rice pudding and such. Also that it is almost as cheap to cook for two as it is to cook for one.

Being able to do things yourself is great and cheaper. Fix the plumbing, the electrics, do the decorating, lay tiles. All the basics we were taught and never really forgot. They all help cut down on the cost of living and you get the satisfaction of doing it yourself.

One exception here being the car and working on it in extreme heat with the sweat running into you eyes otherwise I'd do more on the car too. Though, I'll not let another Thai mechanic near my brakes again. The loss of one car was lesson enough

I raise mt hat to TV and its members for the quality of the food sub forum.

Saving on food costs certainly falls into the remit of the OP especially in a family unit of 3-4 people. Member FunFon suggests that potatoes are completely out of the budget which I disagree with. At 38 Baht a kilo you can feed 4 people at a cost of B9.5 PP (250g).

You mention 'the basics', people don't seem to be taught these days and it seems to me that many of the parents don't know either so children just don't get to see it being done. I got my basics and more of cooking just because I would spend a great deal of time talking to my mother who spent quite a bit of time in the kitchen. If I wasn't taling to my mother then I was talking to my father who was more often than not fixing or maintaining something around the house or in the garden.

At the age of 16 I bought a motorbike which a couple of weeks later refused to start. I'd blown all my money on buying it and insurance so couldn't affort to get it fixed. I asked my father for a loan and he refused, to make matters worse he would even help me fix it. Couple of days later he gave me a Haynes manual, said all the tools I would need will be in the garage and told me to fix it myself. If I needed parts then he would pay for them. Didn't need parts in the end, just cleaning.

That's the way to go

[bangkokburning]

I had my rant, so here is my contribution...

If you are a party monster, just rent a clean but basic room. If your days of partying are limited, rent a place that you can spend time in. Cool (not overly hot) room, basic cable and Internet.

If you like games, stay at least one generation back. Buy the surplus. Movies...free or nearly so.

Live in an area that allows activities and being outdoors in nature.

Shop in multiple supermarkets and wet markets for best deals. Never buy fruit in a supermarket.

Cooking at home can save money, esp farang food. But, it will.always be cheaper to eat Thai out.

Drink spirits, not beer. Unless you are out, usually beer is cheaper esp in monger venues. Frequent only places that have a drink special on. After you have been here a few years, all gogos look the same and sometimes the lrast popular can be more fun or at least more amusing. Drink at a drinks shop, not at a stupid beer bar. Its not as though that ONE pretty girl there is paying you mind anyway. Drink proper spirits with minimum 38% alcohol.

Learn to travel and do your visa runs yourself. Like anything else its confusing because you dont understand. Learn from each run.

Drink water. Soda, iced tea or coffee is unhealthy, fattening and waste of money. These are treats not for daily consumption.

Use free wifi. When you need to buy something, get a few hours from.DTAC for b10. Buy what you need and check any financisl, etc sites as needed for update.

Moving off the runner / TR system saves. O extensions vs multiple entries are about a wash (single is cheaper though), use what fits.

You dont need the latest electronics.

Flying is never cheap. Figure in the taxes and taxis to from both airports. Maybe you will need a room that evening also whereas if you took the bus, youd arrive in the morning.

Train is cheaper than the bus as it is connected by MRT and saves you two taxis.

You can drink the water in BKK, but you might want to add 1 drop per L bleach to water and let it stand.

Buy quality clothes. You will look and feel better, they will last much longer.

Get a small group of friends together and sample new Thai foods. This will allow you to expand what you can eat from the menu very inexpensively.

A 400b room is not all that different than a 700b room. Holiday in lesser known places.

I never liked oatmeal, but a friend got me to start eating it. The best thing about it is its always in the room. Bteakfadt 10b.

I have a million of them..

I've always been a minimalist, always looking for ways to cut my spending but not the quality of my life. Seems I was the Simplicity movement before it even arrived.

Enjoy your life and money when you are young, especially in these uncertain times.

What do you NEED when you are old? I simple, clean room or two. A nice place to gather some fresh air. TV, Internet and books. Ones life slows considerably at 75

Im very interested in doing a blog about frugal living in Thailand (urbsn and rural) as well as combining info and analysis on the condo market. Interest?

[MrWorldwide]

Looks like we are back on the 'rice and water' diet - personally, I'll just slip this bag over my head and crank up the nitrogen when it gets that grim .....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_bag

Will seem extreme to some TVers, but there is a major difference between 'living' and 'existing'. There are refugees in God-forsaken camps in Jordan who could tell us about that difference, but I dont plan to wait until I get to that stage before I check out.

[bangkokburning]

Looks like we are back on the 'rice and water' diet - personally, I'll just slip this bag over my head and crank up the nitrogen when it gets that grim .....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_bag

Will seem extreme to some TVers, but there is a major difference between 'living' and 'existing'. There are refugees in God-forsaken camps in Jordan who could tell us about that difference, but I dont plan to wait until I get to that stage before I check out.

I simply do not understand the mindset of people that think that somehow "subsisting" on Thai food is a hardship. It must be one of the best cuisines in the world. Further, unless one is paying top dollar (and I do mean top) the farang food here is of marginal quality and preparation in the cheap restys in the tourist ghettos and same old garbage in the fast food joints.

Further, I would have to go out of my way (from my flat) each meal simply to consume fast food, let alone a proper western meal.

People just never move beyond life in the tourist ghettos.

Next week my wife and I are going on a daytrip up near Nontaburi. We are going to spend the entire day sampling hard to find sweets and snacks. Bet the entire day including transport wont cost b250.

[watcharacters]

Rent a place and then don't pay your rent.

For at least a year!

.

I thought it was 14 months.

[bangkokburning]

One thing I still love about Thailand...

I leave my flat with a few hundred baht in pocket. Pick up quite a few small items, have lunch and return.

Empty my pockets, I still have the better part of 100b. Ive got my stuff, my stomach is full.

I still love you Thailand ☺

[watcharacters]

Absolutely impossible to shop for specifically western prepared foods at the same cost as Thai food, would be at least 5x the budget and even then most here would consider it cheap-charlie territory.

However the way I do it - basic fruit and veg (lots and lots of filling veggies yum!), little bit of chicken, pork fish, lots of eggs for protein for the kids, all from the cheapest wholesale market in town at 5am (BKK that's Khlong Toei)

Then you can prepare it however you like, lots of western-flavoured mostly-veg dishes go well with rice.

But ingredients like bread/spaghetti/potatoes are completely out of the budget, rice and rice-based noodles are the starch foundation. Never mind luxuries like cheese!

But then few are shooting for THB 500 to feed seven people for four days. . .

.

that's a pretty low budget.

"But then few are shooting for THB 500 to feed seven people for four days. . ."

[kriswillems]

Don't go to 7/11. Buy in bulk in Makro. This will save you about 30 to 40%.

Cook at home, especially when you have a family.

Use a new car on CNG (if you need a car).

If you live near a True or 3BB wifi spot, use that for 100B/month instead of broadband internet for 600B/month.

Don't have a landline, use only mobile phone.

[Thakkar]

-snip-

It’s easy to tell guys to quit smoking, drinking and womanizing, the trick it to make smoking, drinking and womanizing more affordable.

This brings to mind the story of the old rich guy, who said on his deathbed, "I spent much of my money on wine and women and, like a fool, squandered the rest."

T

[MrWorldwide]

Looks like we are back on the 'rice and water' diet - personally, I'll just slip this bag over my head and crank up the nitrogen when it gets that grim .....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_bag

Will seem extreme to some TVers, but there is a major difference between 'living' and 'existing'. There are refugees in God-forsaken camps in Jordan who could tell us about that difference, but I dont plan to wait until I get to that stage before I check out.

I simply do not understand the mindset of people that think that somehow "subsisting" on Thai food is a hardship. It must be one of the best cuisines in the world. Further, unless one is paying top dollar (and I do mean top) the farang food here is of marginal quality and preparation in the cheap restys in the tourist ghettos and same old garbage in the fast food joints.

Further, I would have to go out of my way (from my flat) each meal simply to consume fast food, let alone a proper western meal.

People just never move beyond life in the tourist ghettos.

Next week my wife and I are going on a daytrip up near Nontaburi. We are going to spend the entire day sampling hard to find sweets and snacks. Bet the entire day including transport wont cost b250.

OK, so you saw 'rice and water' and that somehow became 'Thai food' ?? I accept that the Thais can make some great food with a few staples, but its only monks who have to live on rice and water.

I'm talking about total subsistence - even flavoured noodles would be considered a delicacy in the aforementioned refugee camps. If you can live off the land, more power to you, but I'm guessing that you are not growing every single thing you consume. All I'm saying is that when it gets to the point where I have to watch every baht / Ringgit / Riel, I'm checking out - I dont have a family to support and don't plan to, and I'm stunned by the number of expats who rush headlong into a relationship that sees them feeding a whole new set of mouths virtually from the get go, but that's a topic for another thread (more correctly, another 500 or so threads).

[jcnbkk]

Plenty of <6000 baht rooms around,

eat thai food at mom & pop shop, or buy take away

skip ladydrinks & paid female companionship,

skip being white knight as well,

yes, go-go was my biggest expense, by far !

plenty of <2000 Baht rooms around.

I rent a complete house for 6000 Baht

And what area would they be?

[robblok]

Plenty of <6000 baht rooms around,

eat thai food at mom & pop shop, or buy take away

skip ladydrinks & paid female companionship,

skip being white knight as well,

yes, go-go was my biggest expense, by far !

plenty of <2000 Baht rooms around.

I rent a complete house for 6000 Baht

And what area would they be?

Here you rent a complete house also for 6000 bt.. Bangyai area.

[Thakkar]

toybits, on 17 Apr 2013 - 11:04, said:

A wise man said - "It does not matter how much money you earn each month. What matters is how much money you have left at the end of the month."

Sometimes there's more month left at the end of the money!

T

[ongchart]

What do you NEED when you are old? I simple, clean room or two. A nice place to gather some fresh air. TV, Internet and books. Ones life slows considerably at 75

Im very interested in doing a blog about frugal living in Thailand (urbsn and rural) as well as combining info and analysis on the condo market. Interest?

It's important to assimilate and learn to consume local produce and cooked food. Every country is the same - if you want to stick to your Farang food in a foreign land, especially in Asia, there is no way you can get them cheaper than local food. If you can, likelihood is they are not anywhere near the real version back home. Then why bother?

TV members should contribute to OP's blog, so we can all share where to get cheap and good food.

[maxme]

What do you NEED when you are old? I simple, clean room or two. A nice place to gather some fresh air. TV, Internet and books. Ones life slows considerably at 75

Im very interested in doing a blog about frugal living in Thailand (urbsn and rural) as well as combining info and analysis on the condo market. Interest?

It's important to assimilate and learn to consume local produce and cooked food. Every country is the same - if you want to stick to your Farang food in a foreign land, especially in Asia, there is no way you can get them cheaper than local food. If you can, likelihood is they are not anywhere near the real version back home. Then why bother?

TV members should contribute to OP's blog, so we can all share where to get cheap and good food.

Assimilate, you mean like Thais do in the west or?

I find assimilate to be a crude and a useless term as there is no assimilation in any country really. If you mean integrate then it is possible but then Thailand has to contribute by creating fair immigration laws. Though some of the western immigration laws are a bit harsh, once the immigrant has managed to pass, he/she can integrate into the society. With the current laws in Thailand it's hardly likely but one of the reasons is that it still is an undeveloped country.

[Thakkar]

Light your cigars with 50 baht notes instead of 100 baht notes. There's some big savings right there.

T

Edited April 22, 2013 by Thakkar

[DavidSL]

Plenty of <6000 baht rooms around,

eat thai food at mom & pop shop, or buy take away

skip ladydrinks & paid female companionship,

skip being white knight as well,

yes, go-go was my biggest expense, by far !

plenty of <2000 Baht rooms around.

I rent a complete house for 6000 Baht

And what area would they be?

This reads to me as a, 'Yeah, but not where I'D wanna live!' response. If so, might I suggest you look around a bit more. I know of one fellow living in a 30,000 a month condo in Ari surrounded by nothing but more condos - no restaurants, no 7-11, no where good to eat except a couple of upmarket over-priced bakeries. Therefore, if your suggestion is that, 'more money means better living' then you haven't even begun to assimilate here.

Of course, I could be imagining all this, and you were actually asking for the location so that you might seek one out.

[MrWorldwide]

Wait - a condo complex without a 7-11 nearby ? Surely that's a business opportunity right there.

[ongchart]

Assimilate, you mean like Thais do in the west or?

I find assimilate to be a crude and a useless term as there is no assimilation in any country really. If you mean integrate then it is possible but then Thailand has to contribute by creating fair immigration laws. Though some of the western immigration laws are a bit harsh, once the immigrant has managed to pass, he/she can integrate into the society. With the current laws in Thailand it's hardly likely but one of the reasons is that it still is an undeveloped country.

What has assimilation got to do with immigrations laws? Eating Thai food most of the time you are in Thailand is part of the assimilation process. If you can't stay more than 3 months without a visa run, then its your own circumstances causing this inconvenience. Every country has is own immigration laws that cause inconvenience to some foreigners. To say Thailand has no fair immigrations laws because it is an undeveloped country is just plain ignorance - try getting a long stay visa in Japan. Edited April 22, 2013 by ongchart