How Do They Do It?

[Confuscious]

I have been chatting with a lot of Thais, and they seem all to have a happy life and they have always food on the table.

Although most of them make at the best between 7,000 and 9,000 Baht a month.

Yesterday, I was chatting with a woman who was working as a housemaid and she had 7,500 Baht a month.

Half of that money was send every month to her mother who takes care of her child.

From the other half, she need to pay the rent (750 Baht a Month), Electricity, and other expenses.

On food she spend about 40 Baht a day (breakfast and dinner made at home).

Still, she is looking good and happy.

I tried last month to live with 10,000 Baht a month.

Rent, electricity, water, Hi-speed Internet and 3G not included.

After 16 days, the 10,000 Baht was gone.

I kept a record of the money that was spend and I did not made any foolish expenses.

How do the Thais do it to live with 7,000 Baht?

Edited May 9, 2013 by Confuscious

[cardholder]

You have explained it already.

They live in a hovel and spend 40 Baht a day on food.

By my calculation she has the best part of 1,000 Baht a month to spend on the lottery

[Spoonman]

If my food and rent total for the month come to less than Bt.2000 I reckon i could live the rest on Bt.5500 if I had to.

[Gsxrnz]

Here's my 4,950 bahts worth:

Food 50 baht/day

Water 50 baht/month

Electric 50 baht/month

Rent 750 baht/month

Clothing 3 pieces second hand at 100 baht each per month

Personal needs 500 baht/mth

Lotto 200 baht/month

Taxi 20 baht/day

1,000 baht/month for incidentals (maybe a massage and a bottle of whisky)

No aircon

No petrol

No motorbike

No debt

Some free food and water at job

The odd handout from friends/family/employer (shared food or alcohol, or clothes/shoes)

4,950 baht month. I sure couldn't do it but I wish I could!

[Soutpeel]

You have explained it already.

They live in a hovel and spend 40 Baht a day on food.

By my calculation she has the best part of 1,000 Baht a month to spend on the lottery

And when they are short..a quick visit to loan sharks R us will fix the problem...

[Spoonman]

Here's my 4,950 bahts worth:

Food 50 baht/day

Water 50 baht/month

Electric 50 baht/month

Rent 750 baht/month

Clothing 3 pieces second hand at 100 baht each per month

Personal needs 500 baht/mth

Lotto 200 baht/month

Taxi 20 baht/day

1,000 baht/month for incidentals (maybe a massage and a bottle of whisky)

No aircon

No petrol

No motorbike

No debt

Some free food and water at job

The odd handout from friends/family/employer (shared food or alcohol, or clothes/shoes)

4,950 baht month. I sure couldn't do it but I wish I could!

Where do you spend the other Bt.2050 ?

[kannot]

I have a lovely new house available for an honest hard working Thai or couple age 25-35

Fully air conditioned inc free electric an water ,free motorcycyle and gas plus the chance to more than double their income grpwing crops on the land .

No takers, they all want to be lazy and be security guards round here.

Not my words, the words of a old woman digging her field as told to my wife.

Offered salary of 10k a month

Edited May 9, 2013 by kannot

[Thakkar]

We all cut the coat to suit the cloth. I can imagine a billionaire reading TV's perennial pissfest on monthly expenses and wonder how some of these retiree farangs survive on 300,000 a month and what pathetic lives they must lead.

T

[impulse]

Here's my 4,950 bahts worth:

Food 50 baht/day

Water 50 baht/month

Electric 50 baht/month

Rent 750 baht/month

Clothing 3 pieces second hand at 100 baht each per month

Personal needs 500 baht/mth

Lotto 200 baht/month

Taxi 20 baht/day

1,000 baht/month for incidentals (maybe a massage and a bottle of whisky)

No aircon

No petrol

No motorbike

No debt

Some free food and water at job

The odd handout from friends/family/employer (shared food or alcohol, or clothes/shoes)

4,950 baht month. I sure couldn't do it but I wish I could!

You forgot to factor in Lotto winnings. Oh, wait.

[Confuscious]

Here's my 4,950 bahts worth:

Food 50 baht/day

Water 50 baht/month

Electric 50 baht/month

Rent 750 baht/month

Clothing 3 pieces second hand at 100 baht each per month

Personal needs 500 baht/mth

Lotto 200 baht/month

Taxi 20 baht/day

1,000 baht/month for incidentals (maybe a massage and a bottle of whisky)

No aircon

No petrol

No motorbike

No debt

Some free food and water at job

The odd handout from friends/family/employer (shared food or alcohol, or clothes/shoes)

4,950 baht month. I sure couldn't do it but I wish I could!

Electric = 50 baht a month????????????

Living on a pen light battery?

[Soutpeel]

Here's my 4,950 bahts worth:

Food 50 baht/day

Water 50 baht/month

Electric 50 baht/month

Rent 750 baht/month

Clothing 3 pieces second hand at 100 baht each per month

Personal needs 500 baht/mth

Lotto 200 baht/month

Taxi 20 baht/day

1,000 baht/month for incidentals (maybe a massage and a bottle of whisky)

No aircon

No petrol

No motorbike

No debt

Some free food and water at job

The odd handout from friends/family/employer (shared food or alcohol, or clothes/shoes)

4,950 baht month. I sure couldn't do it but I wish I could!

Electric = 50 baht a month????????????

Living on a pen light battery?

Maybe installed solar panels...

[Soutpeel]

Here's my 4,950 bahts worth:

Food 50 baht/day

Water 50 baht/month

Electric 50 baht/month

Rent 750 baht/month

Clothing 3 pieces second hand at 100 baht each per month

Personal needs 500 baht/mth

Lotto 200 baht/month

Taxi 20 baht/day

1,000 baht/month for incidentals (maybe a massage and a bottle of whisky)

No aircon

No petrol

No motorbike

No debt

Some free food and water at job

The odd handout from friends/family/employer (shared food or alcohol, or clothes/shoes)

4,950 baht month. I sure couldn't do it but I wish I could!

Where do you spend the other Bt.2050 ?

A short time ?..

[richardjm65]

Does it really matter that much? Weeds and beetles come free - frogs too. Then there's all the other stuff that they've learned to survive on, which you would not touch. Wanna get pissed? Lao khao does the job.

I remember once giving an expensive brandy to Thai guests, there was no evidence of enjoyment, indeed, because it was mellow and did not burn their throats, they thought it was just weak rubbish.

So that was a lesson learned.

I also remember being the big man with my first Pattaya 'friend', and taking her for a fine meal at a good restaurant. Waste of time and money, as she simply did not want that sort of food. Next time, I gave her 20 baht for street food while I ate what I wanted in what I considered a reasonable restaurant. Both of us happy - both well satisfied.

That happened about 40 years ago. Not much has changed.

Except that now I have my partner of some 20 years, she'd kill for smoked salmon, lobster, squid, prawns in garlic and will eat her way through my good cheese, and when I ask where it is, she'll say 'it's not furniture - I ate it already'.

But she'll still do the weeds and beetles thing too. Go figure.

[Spoonman]

Wow, street food in Pattaya 40 years ago was 20b. I would have thought 40 years on it would increased a lot in price than it has.

[richardjm65]

Wow, street food in Pattaya 40 years ago was 20b. I would have thought 40 years on it would increased a lot in price than it has.

My guess is that she probably pocketed 15 baht of the 20. No big deal.

[Spoonman]

Wow, street food in Pattaya 40 years ago was 20b. I would have thought 40 years on it would increased a lot in price than it has.

My guess is that she probably pocketed 15 baht of the 20. No big deal.

LOL. Stooged 40 years ago !!

[Thakkar]

Wow, street food in Pattaya 40 years ago was 20b. I would have thought 40 years on it would increased a lot in price than it has.

My guess is that she probably pocketed 15 baht of the 20. No big deal.

.

I guess scamming is as old as the other profession.

T

[Confuscious]

Does it really matter that much? Weeds and beetles come free - frogs too. Then there's all the other stuff that they've learned to survive on, which you would not touch. Wanna get pissed? Lao khao does the job.

I remember once giving an expensive brandy to Thai guests, there was no evidence of enjoyment, indeed, because it was mellow and did not burn their throats, they thought it was just weak rubbish.

So that was a lesson learned.

I also remember being the big man with my first Pattaya 'friend', and taking her for a fine meal at a good restaurant. Waste of time and money, as she simply did not want that sort of food. Next time, I gave her 20 baht for street food while I ate what I wanted in what I considered a reasonable restaurant. Both of us happy - both well satisfied.

That happened about 40 years ago. Not much has changed.

Except that now I have my partner of some 20 years, she'd kill for smoked salmon, lobster, squid, prawns in garlic and will eat her way through my good cheese, and when I ask where it is, she'll say 'it's not furniture - I ate it already'.

But she'll still do the weeds and beetles thing too. Go figure.

I agree with you on most things you wrote.

In my test, I found that I can eat a very good breakfast for 20 Baht at my child's school.

For that price, I can not even pay the gas to cook a meal.

Also, most of the Thais don't pay for water.

They refill their water bottles at a public water tap.

This may not be the big saving, but when you don't have much to spend, every sadthang counts.

A 1 liter drinking water will sell at most places for 10 Baht, which would be 300 Baht a month if you drink 1 bottle per day.

And yes, I agree with the remark that most Thais have learned to live on things I would not even dare to touch.

But I have planted in my garden trees and vegetables and I like to eat sometimes for dinner a simple rice bowl (cooked at home) with a yellow mango from my tree and some vegetables cooked in water.

It's a delicious dinner and something different from the "Cordon Blue with French Fries and a glass of wine."

I have in my garden a tree which has white flowers.

These flowers can turn tap water in delicious drinking water if you drop them into the water a night.

And cooked, they are a delicious vegetable to eat with rice and chicken.

While doing this test, I have learned a lot of things from the Thai people.

Not everything that comes for free is bad.

[Payboy]

Having an Aeon card helps, I guess.

[cardholder]

Does it really matter that much? Weeds and beetles come free - frogs too. Then there's all the other stuff that they've learned to survive on, which you would not touch. Wanna get pissed? Lao khao does the job.

I remember once giving an expensive brandy to Thai guests, there was no evidence of enjoyment, indeed, because it was mellow and did not burn their throats, they thought it was just weak rubbish.

So that was a lesson learned.

I also remember being the big man with my first Pattaya 'friend', and taking her for a fine meal at a good restaurant. Waste of time and money, as she simply did not want that sort of food. Next time, I gave her 20 baht for street food while I ate what I wanted in what I considered a reasonable restaurant. Both of us happy - both well satisfied.

That happened about 40 years ago. Not much has changed.

Except that now I have my partner of some 20 years, she'd kill for smoked salmon, lobster, squid, prawns in garlic and will eat her way through my good cheese, and when I ask where it is, she'll say 'it's not furniture - I ate it already'.

But she'll still do the weeds and beetles thing too. Go figure.

I shall be happy to relieve you of said 'weak' brandy - just to save you any embarrassment with future Thai visitors............

[JLCrab]

For many years I rented a one room serviced apartment in a 100-room hotel with one king-size bed. It was a double size room but still just one room. The room next to mine was the same size. A selling crew from Bangkok was staying at the hotel for a month or so and the wives, mothers, babies, etc. of the crew stayed in the room next to me.

One early morning I counted 13 pairs of shoes outside the room of the folks that were then spending the night in that room.

[NeverSure]

A lot of adult children still live with parents even if they have a "good" job by Thai standards. They all share. If there is a child, they all share.

[Confuscious]

A lot of adult children still live with parents even if they have a "good" job by Thai standards. They all share. If there is a child, they all share.

Agree.

But the opposite is also true.

One of the Thai families in my street lives together with their children.

One of their sons (who is graduated from University) has never levied anything heavier else than a glass of beer with Lao whiskey and ice.

Still the family is supporting him and sharing their "wealth" with him.

The answer from one of his brothers when asked about this is: "We shall share and support everything with the family WITHOUT questioning."

Tomorrow we could be in his position and we would be glad to be supported.

[richardjm65]

Does it really matter that much? Weeds and beetles come free - frogs too. Then there's all the other stuff that they've learned to survive on, which you would not touch. Wanna get pissed? Lao khao does the job.

I remember once giving an expensive brandy to Thai guests, there was no evidence of enjoyment, indeed, because it was mellow and did not burn their throats, they thought it was just weak rubbish.

So that was a lesson learned.

I also remember being the big man with my first Pattaya 'friend', and taking her for a fine meal at a good restaurant. Waste of time and money, as she simply did not want that sort of food. Next time, I gave her 20 baht for street food while I ate what I wanted in what I considered a reasonable restaurant. Both of us happy - both well satisfied.

That happened about 40 years ago. Not much has changed.

Except that now I have my partner of some 20 years, she'd kill for smoked salmon, lobster, squid, prawns in garlic and will eat her way through my good cheese, and when I ask where it is, she'll say 'it's not furniture - I ate it already'.

But she'll still do the weeds and beetles thing too. Go figure.

I shall be happy to relieve you of said 'weak' brandy - just to save you any embarrassment with future Thai visitors............

That's most kind of you, Cardholder, gracious even. I'll bear that in mind, if my seafood scoffing, eight meals a day wife has not already sussed out the hiding place and disposed of it, like she did with the vodka, gin, campari, whiskey and vintage port.....

Sometimes I wonder if I've over-educated her.

[wildorchid]

one

I have a lovely new house available for an honest hard working Thai or couple age 25-35
Fully air conditioned inc free electric an water ,free motorcycyle and gas plus the chance to more than double their income grpwing crops on the land .
No takers, they all want to be lazy and be security guards round here.
Not my words, the words of a old woman digging her field as told to my wife.
Offered salary of 10k a month

Ok so you offer a new house rent free, including power, and water, gas for motor bike, and free use of land for crops,(personal choice) well so far that sounds good, BUT,

you ask for a "Hard working Thai couple 25-35, for a salary of 10K per month, correct?

you know about the minimum wage now here in Thailand, 300 baht per day, But I understand your offer of house power, water, gas and motor bike free use, but I wounder if you and your wife would do this (unspecified) work done for (AMMAZING?) offer you make? there is a reason and it's NOT always lazy people, maybe sometimes it not a good enough salary package? I live in nice quiet area, an average size house, full furnished, aircon, cable TV, WIFI water, power, for half what you offer, Maybe think again about what you offer as remuneration ?

[krisb]

Living in the country it's not that hard. Living in the city it would be hard.

[Confuscious]

Living in the country it's not that hard. Living in the city it would be hard.

Yes, but in the city you will hardly find anybody who would be working for 7,500 Baht a month.

Although, I know a friend (woman) who is working for the railway in Bangkok and has exactly 19,000 Baht a month.

Not exactly a dream salary for somebody who works for the Government in Bangkok.

A few years ago, I was working in Bangkok and I meet a woman who was working as a graphic designer on AutoDesk 3D Studio in Bangkok.

The company she worked for produced advertising movies.

Her salary was 13,500 Baht a month.

A year later, she was hospitalized with a kidney failure, and she was not even fully insured for medical cases.

Her family needed to fund her hospital bill.

[meatballs]

I've tried to live on 300 baht a day and to say it is living modestly is an understatement . She must live with a couple other women to keep her costs down.

[Confuscious]

I've tried to live on 300 baht a day and to say it is living modestly is an understatement . She must live with a couple other women to keep her costs down.

Living on 300 Baht a day is nearly impossible for a foreigner.

Somebody said this already in this thread.

The Thais are already adapted to eat and drink things and live in a situation where we could barely survive.

[thaicbr]

one

I have a lovely new house available for an honest hard working Thai or couple age 25-35

Fully air conditioned inc free electric an water ,free motorcycyle and gas plus the chance to more than double their income grpwing crops on the land .

No takers, they all want to be lazy and be security guards round here.

Not my words, the words of a old woman digging her field as told to my wife.

Offered salary of 10k a month

Ok so you offer a new house rent free, including power, and water,  gas for motor bike, and free use of land for crops,(personal choice)   well so far that sounds good, BUT,

you ask for a "Hard working Thai couple 25-35, for a salary of 10K per month,   correct? 

you know about the minimum wage now here in Thailand, 300 baht per day,    But I understand your offer of house power, water, gas and motor bike free use, but I wounder if you and your wife would do this (unspecified) work done for (AMMAZING?)  offer you make?  there is a reason and it's NOT always lazy people, maybe sometimes it not a good enough salary package?   I live in nice quiet area, an average size house, full furnished, aircon, cable TV, WIFI water, power, for half what you offer,    Maybe think again about what you offer as remuneration ?

Maybe read again. He stated hard working Thai OR couple. And I think it's a decent deal and 22% higher than minimum wage. How much of any ones salary goes out on accommodation and vehicle? At least 30 - 40% of salary at a guess. And probably an opportunity to live better than if working in a factory etc.

And your last statement are you trying to say that you rent an air con house with wifi. Water .electric and bought and run a motorcycle for less than 5,000baht per month... really!!!

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