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Minimalist living in Pattaya


georgegeorgia

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I wouldn't be so sure about his life expectancy, he seems to be in a good health condition, and people like him can get very old, maybe he will live another 20 years, or even more, and reading this, I would say he is a happy man. He might need some friends for a little help in his years to come, and it's certainly not a bad idea to save some money for those to help you when you need them. I wish him all the best, sincerely.

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I come to visit my wife we have a home in chiang rai.. I want to come on marry visa for 1 year because she will have Baby September.. I will not earn any money for this period but have big savings is this good enough to meet the requirements?. I read so much stuff I have a headache.. I am a UK citizen... Also tell me do I have to go to immigration office every 90 days and if we go to Laos shopping for the day does this cause me problems? Thank you

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I come to visit my wife we have a home in chiang rai.. I want to come on marry visa for 1 year because she will have Baby September.. I will not earn any money for this period but have big savings is this good enough to meet the requirements?. I read so much stuff I have a headache.. I am a UK citizen... Also tell me do I have to go to immigration office every 90 days and if we go to Laos shopping for the day does this cause me problems? Thank you

This post is about living frugally in Pattaya, not visa requirements. You need either to start a new post or do a bit of research to see what the requirements are for a visa.

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Good luck to this guy who found he can live a better life in Thailand than Oz BUT

No wonder the thais want to change the visa requirements for many farangs.

Thailand doesn't need a bunch of cheap charlies living off the smell of an oily rag.

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I cannot say what it is "minimalist life" in Thailand because, if living space means a lot for you, for a total of $600/month everyone can have better life here than in the US with a salary of $3,000/month...At least in California, where a typical rent for a one bedroom apartment is $1,500/month, and here a nice small house can be rented for $150/month. Anyway...in the US, $3,000/month income will not get you the best dates in town, specially if you are old and fat. Here, $500/month budget, if you do not need a car, do not smoke, do not drink, and do not pay for sex, may be more than enough to have a good living and date a lot of women..... that before, were only in your dreams.

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Yeah, right, I can't see anything wrong in this man's life.

And he seems to keep his body in a good condition, so even if he's got old now, he probably didn't get fat.

I'm a pensioner myself now, 66 yo, but I never got fat in my life, because I don't drink much beer and only eat Thai food. I was checked in hospital very carefully before I emigrated to Thailand, and they told me I can get very very old if I keep on living like that - in Thailand, certainly not in Europe with its declining Euro-crisis Scam economy.

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Yes depends on needs vs wants.

One thing that lets the majority yes i did say majority of farangs down is laziness.

Some of us are just too lazy to walk instead we spend money on transportation.

Some of us instead of waitimg for a bus to BKK we will pay triple for a air cond car to take us

We are a inpatient lot and we want fast quick convenient convenience service and we are prepared to psy for it.

so instead of going to say a bigger supermarket with cheaper prices we will go to a 711 because its close and convenient but on some things the prices are higher.

Look i admit when i was staying in jomtien i either used the 711 or that supermarket up the road which was in some prices dearer than the 711.

Edited by georgegeorgia
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You call that the "Good Life"?

Son! In My Country! We call that living below the Poverty Line!

I met a Guy once, who used to come and sit with us for a Beer, to my dismay. He to called himself a Minimalist. He used to Bum Cigarettes off me like crazy with the excuse he was trying to quit smoking, or forgot his pack at home. Every time it was his round to pay he was always in the toilet. If he ever got caught sitting down at the table, it was then that he suddenly discovered he forgot his wallet at home.

Overheard another man once while sitting down to eat in some Truck Stop place. He was in his mid 40's, and eating out with his wife and 7 smaller children. He was bragging to the waitress, and I do mean bragging, that he hadn't worked in 17 years and was living off welfare. Or also called social assistance in other countries. He looked healthy enough to me to be able to do any type of work at any job.

Is this the kind of life you dream about?

Son! You are far better off to work hard when you are young and can, and to save your money, so that when you are older you can enjoy your Retirement, and not live like this guy, or a beggar.

There is no short cuts to this and you only get one chance in your life to do it right.

That's just it " you only get one chance in your life " .I have been " on holiday for the last 25 years " I am now 51 years old.Thailand is a great country but you need to live these things when you are young! waiting until you are 65 years old is just " way too old " and you are " out of the game " Pattaya is packed with old farang who look about 90 years old ( kind respect if you do feel " a bit old " gentlemen ) so viewers Start living the dream now and don't wait until you are over 60!!!!

Greetings to you all!

F.J xclap2.gif

Well I have been living the life in Thailand on and off for 30 years, just about to hit 60yo and I feel better now than I ever did, not stopping for me till i drop down dead

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You call that the "Good Life"?

Son! In My Country! We call that living below the Poverty Line!

I met a Guy once, who used to come and sit with us for a Beer, to my dismay. He to called himself a Minimalist. He used to Bum Cigarettes off me like crazy with the excuse he was trying to quit smoking, or forgot his pack at home. Every time it was his round to pay he was always in the toilet. If he ever got caught sitting down at the table, it was then that he suddenly discovered he forgot his wallet at home.

Overheard another man once while sitting down to eat in some Truck Stop place. He was in his mid 40's, and eating out with his wife and 7 smaller children. He was bragging to the waitress, and I do mean bragging, that he hadn't worked in 17 years and was living off welfare. Or also called social assistance in other countries. He looked healthy enough to me to be able to do any type of work at any job.

Is this the kind of life you dream about?

Son! You are far better off to work hard when you are young and can, and to save your money, so that when you are older you can enjoy your Retirement, and not live like this guy, or a beggar.

There is no short cuts to this and you only get one chance in your life to do it right.

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I guess it's up to everyone to get happy the way you want.

I have been working all my life, nothing was given to me for free, before I retired at the age of 65. I'm not living on welfare or social benefits from a country that I consider to be absolutely disgusting, the pensions I get now is from Farang pension funds where they took more than 30pct of my gross income away over the years.

I don't have to go scrounging around restaurant tables, Farangs wouldn't even give me 10 THB credit if I had to wait for money in front of Western Union next door.

Let's see what your plans are when you get old.

Theoretically, you can get up to 130 years if you are in a real good state of health.

Practically, shit happens, and you may only get 100 years old.

Like my mother died at the age of 90, she had been working all life long, and never been sick. She called me on telephone the evening before she died, and told me she would leave next day, so she lay down in bed and died with a smile. She wwas fully aware of what happened around her, just the doctors could not understand why she actually died.

You know, when your life expectancy is another 30 or 35 years if you keep healthy, that doesn't only mean that you live longer, it also means that you live better.

We're talking about life in Pattaya, so let's talk about sex. Most old Farabgs are physically impotent at the age of 60+, or - even worse - they are afraid of getting impotent. But in a good physical condition, you can have sex many many years ahead of 65, and I mean real wild sex.

Remember, Thailand is not Puritanistic when it comes to pussy sex. Sex is not considered to be a sin, it's rather gym, it's fun, and it's good for your health.

You might have to pay for it, but then again: nothing wrong with that if you are able to save half of your pensions every month. Just take someout of wherever you stashed it, and give some to the lady you were in.

Make sure you don't get STD.

If you expect only another 10 years to live, you might think: Hm, I heard you can survive AIDS for 20 years now, so what do I care? Unfortunately, many pensioners think like that. They don't give a damn shit about her girl who might be pregnant, they do it the easy way and say: she's a prostitute anyway, so she's the source of all evil, and I'm only a victim of prostitution in Thailand. No Sir, your wrong, STDs are contagious in both directions, and you might be the one that imported STD into Thailand. You better use condoms, and go for a HIV test from time to time. It shouldn't be too difficult to find out if your favourite lady has other lovers beside you. She might think about it, yes, the hot spots in front of some bars makes one think about making a life out of being a butterfly. But on the other side, a permanent man with savings, and one that gets a HIV check regularly, that's something you don't risk.

I am fully aware that I might be used as an ATM sometimes. I regard it as a pension funds for my gf's daughter, her welfare for her education - if you want to see it this way.

They have a good social habit in Thailand: Thais put everything on a table, and then share it with everyone who needs something.

I feel really sorry for you if you sit in the Farang side of this table. You should put a fence around your 'no touch area' and a warning that the cigarette package in front of you is your private property area, and a taboo zone for "scroungers". But then, please, don't blow your cancerous breath on the Thai side of the table.

Like it or not, some minimalist Farang might be sitting there, and he or the Thais around him might not want to die from the cancerous blue dust you blew over the table.

You can kill yourself on the Farang side, but - only yourself.

BTW: I am not a fundamentalistic non-smoker, in fact I smoke quite a lot, and I consider it my right maybe to kill myself, but certainly no right to kill Thai babies around me.

I think the minimalist in question is not so very far away from me.

Most important: he's obviously happy, and his savings might turn out to be a contribution to Thailand's welfare. And he might be fully aware of it, ge obviously has a very well-functioning brain, regardlessof whether you share his point of view or not.

Your side of the table, the Farang money side, was built over Thai soil, so don't lean out too far on it, and make sure you paid the rent.

Remember ancient Greece in the Roman Empire?

Those were the philosophers of Rome, and a society of lazy analphabets kept them as labour slaves.

Well, today Greece is still there, and as it turns out now, it's the only part of Europe where democracy survived - and the claws from the money side of the table are again stretching out. Beware of any Spartans, Mr Farang on the money side. And beware of philosophers among them - you might have the money, but they might have the brains and the eyes to watch you :D

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No I watched him most times wash his t shirts in the sink or soak them and then hang on the balcony.

On one ocassion i remember him telling me there was a washing machine downstairs I think 20 baht by memory.

Im half his age ,I admire him for his lifestyle,watching TV on his balcony,sipping tea,reading books,going out everyday other day but not spending anything other than occassionaly in a food court.

Could I do that? I dont know,I probaly would get bored,what would i do all day,maybe at his age its different?

He said its no different to his life in Australia except he prefers it in Pattaya.

Look quite frankly I would get bored,i need a job to go to or something to do but then again im not old as him.

What do you do sit in your house all day watch TV ,read books ,go out some days to meet people in a bar or food court,not really exciting but can be done if your a minimalist person .

What kind of visa is he using and how?

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Yes, I know this argument from immigrant workers when I worked together with them, and there is some truth in it.

It does make a difference whether you live a minimalist style by choice, or whether you are forced to live that way.

It always gives me a bad feeling when someone reminds me that I "actually" belong to the elite side of society. I'm also aware that I might only cheat myself if I consider half of my income kind of welfare for the family of my Issan gf and her (sometimes extended) family. Charity and welfare are different things, the difference is in the access to either, and donations to charity can be taken away easily, and you might feel like a god with too many dependants around.

That's why I tried to make a deal with those "dependants" around. I'm

In fact, I'm dependent on them, they make up my flat and my environment, they do transportation of goods and people, you might say: I give them jobs, and they work for me - sometimes with me. I know the danger of a (Mafia style) patronage system. I should have a structured (and -f***- selective) organization with some division of labour around me. But I will need a bunch of money around, and I will need it in a Thai bank.

My real problem is not here, but in Heidelberg, Germany, where banks and authorities made me pay for all kinds of "forced services" that I never wanted or needed, and I have to send a lawyer to court in Germany now to get my property back, fully aware that I always run the risk of being put behind bars, to keep me away from the part of society that regard me as a "public menace" - from the upper middle class.

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What kind of visa and how ???

Retirement visa.How? He has money saved in the Bank...he even saves over 20,000 baht per month from his pension living in Jomtien.

He boasted to me he saves sometimes 25,000 baht a month even out of his Australian Pension.

I would have a guess he for sure has a few thousand $$ in his Bank.

Edited by georgegeorgia
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Boring in a "Minimalist" retired life in Thailand?.....How about..

1) Read and write....Write a book, a novel, a journal..Experimenting with cooking.

2) Search online for free movies, music, documentaries, books, etc, etc, on you tube.

3) Meet new friends using Facebook and online groups...at your home or in a nice and welcoming coffee place. to meet new people

4) Gardening....even doing some veggies, herbs, or flower crop

5) Small home or garden improvement you can do by yourself, even a small wood or bamboo shed

6) Walking, or exploring around your area with a bike

7) Take care of a nice, easy maintenance, soi dog for walking companion

8) Join local temples or churches to integrate to the community, and make local friends, accepting its invitations to local and private events, even funerals. Do merits (donations). A 20 bath note, one time a week will not damage your budget.

9) Help the Thai English teacher at your local elementary school one..two times a week for free..

10) Visit periodically the local markets, just for fun and practice your Thai skills, and meet more people

11) Assist free community event and festivals, and free shows in local schools and universities, to have fun and meet new people.

12) Save some money to do a weekend short trip by bus or with travel school groups visiting other towns...even bordering countries.

12) Date a lot if you like.....and cheap. (In few months you will have many local friends and matchmakers offering "referrals") plus Internet. Be safe and discrete with all your dating. Avoid bad gossip.

13) And more important..

Do not live inside town, or in a condominium, or on any area where you will be and feel isolated from the community, and will become just one more farang. Live outside the tourist area, become the "local" farang, well known and respected by local resident and authorities, even by Immigration and Police officers. Do not become another number, become a face. A smiling face. Thai people smile a lot because they are relaxed and like to joke...Sabai..Sabai..learn to RELAX.

Do not get into ANY confrontation with a culture you do not know well..and probably never will. Do no believe what other "farangs" said and think about Thai people and Thai authorities. Thais are wonderful people, if you meet them in wonderful places, not on the streets and bars where its occupation is "chasing" farangs for a living. You will find bad people in any country...if you look for.

Have a good nutrition and exercise, and sleep 8 hours a day...if still having time after all that activity. No kidding.

Edited by umbanda
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Just to add to this I found his lifestyle uncomfortable.

I went out with him a few times,he preferred to walk or get the baht bus,only paid 10 baht,i cant do that,most times i cant stand around in the heat so just got a motorbike taxi which he was horrified when i told him it cost me 80 baht or so to get into Pattaya.

I just dont have the patience to wait around for baht buses or walk a long way in the heat.

OMG that's a good life ?? Using Baht buses eating tasteless food , no air con ????
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I dont really like the idea of being a well known local farang.

I think its ok to say hello to neighbours and being polite but i prefer keeping to myself most times.

But good post anyway and some good points if your bored.

Thank you. To be well know have many advantages.

I was living in Lampang when I was single, and at that time I had to do my immigration reports in Chiang Mai. I noticed that some Chiang Mai farangs were treated "better" than myself...Now living in Chiang Rai, I feel like in home at the immigration office here, joking and relaxing with the officers.

Being a well know local means a lot, not only not have to pay local goods and service with "mark up", sometimes getting it for free.....and I may be very useful in case of any problem, accident, etc. I had that experience too.

Now, in Chiang Rai and married, sometimes I am missing my times in Lampang and its people, but after 2 years here, I become a local, and enjoy it every time. I know many farangs in the same situation and sharing my feelings. It is not a secret.

Like many farang friends I have here, and talking about this issue...I also can say... With a a wife 25 years younger, to be bored is lack of imagination.

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I guess it's up to everyone to get happy the way you want.

I have been working all my life, nothing was given to me for free, before I retired at the age of 65. I'm not living on welfare or social benefits from a country that I consider to be absolutely disgusting, the pensions I get now is from Farang pension funds where they took more than 30pct of my gross income away over the years.

I don't have to go scrounging around restaurant tables, Farangs wouldn't even give me 10 THB credit if I had to wait for money in front of Western Union next door.

Let's see what your plans are when you get old.

Theoretically, you can get up to 130 years if you are in a real good state of health.

Practically, shit happens, and you may only get 100 years old.

Like my mother died at the age of 90, she had been working all life long, and never been sick. She called me on telephone the evening before she died, and told me she would leave next day, so she lay down in bed and died with a smile. She wwas fully aware of what happened around her, just the doctors could not understand why she actually died.

You know, when your life expectancy is another 30 or 35 years if you keep healthy, that doesn't only mean that you live longer, it also means that you live better.

We're talking about life in Pattaya, so let's talk about sex. Most old Farabgs are physically impotent at the age of 60+, or - even worse - they are afraid of getting impotent. But in a good physical condition, you can have sex many many years ahead of 65, and I mean real wild sex.

Remember, Thailand is not Puritanistic when it comes to pussy sex. Sex is not considered to be a sin, it's rather gym, it's fun, and it's good for your health.

You might have to pay for it, but then again: nothing wrong with that if you are able to save half of your pensions every month. Just take someout of wherever you stashed it, and give some to the lady you were in.

Make sure you don't get STD.

If you expect only another 10 years to live, you might think: Hm, I heard you can survive AIDS for 20 years now, so what do I care? Unfortunately, many pensioners think like that. They don't give a damn shit about her girl who might be pregnant, they do it the easy way and say: she's a prostitute anyway, so she's the source of all evil, and I'm only a victim of prostitution in Thailand. No Sir, your wrong, STDs are contagious in both directions, and you might be the one that imported STD into Thailand. You better use condoms, and go for a HIV test from time to time. It shouldn't be too difficult to find out if your favourite lady has other lovers beside you. She might think about it, yes, the hot spots in front of some bars makes one think about making a life out of being a butterfly. But on the other side, a permanent man with savings, and one that gets a HIV check regularly, that's something you don't risk.

I am fully aware that I might be used as an ATM sometimes. I regard it as a pension funds for my gf's daughter, her welfare for her education - if you want to see it this way.

They have a good social habit in Thailand: Thais put everything on a table, and then share it with everyone who needs something.

I feel really sorry for you if you sit in the Farang side of this table. You should put a fence around your 'no touch area' and a warning that the cigarette package in front of you is your private property area, and a taboo zone for "scroungers". But then, please, don't blow your cancerous breath on the Thai side of the table.

Like it or not, some minimalist Farang might be sitting there, and he or the Thais around him might not want to die from the cancerous blue dust you blew over the table.

You can kill yourself on the Farang side, but - only yourself.

BTW: I am not a fundamentalistic non-smoker, in fact I smoke quite a lot, and I consider it my right maybe to kill myself, but certainly no right to kill Thai babies around me.

I think the minimalist in question is not so very far away from me.

Most important: he's obviously happy, and his savings might turn out to be a contribution to Thailand's welfare. And he might be fully aware of it, ge obviously has a very well-functioning brain, regardlessof whether you share his point of view or not.

Your side of the table, the Farang money side, was built over Thai soil, so don't lean out too far on it, and make sure you paid the rent.

Remember ancient Greece in the Roman Empire?

Those were the philosophers of Rome, and a society of lazy analphabets kept them as labour slaves.

Well, today Greece is still there, and as it turns out now, it's the only part of Europe where democracy survived - and the claws from the money side of the table are again stretching out. Beware of any Spartans, Mr Farang on the money side. And beware of philosophers among them - you might have the money, but they might have the brains and the eyes to watch you :D

I read and reread your post because theres some bloody good points in there just you write it in a cryptic type way.
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The point if this thread is this...if you live on a Pension from your own Country regardless if its a old age,Disability,whatever and its around the -40k 45k baht mark per month then you can still live in Thailand.

In fact I think the Australian Old age pension is about $850 a fortnight or $1700 a month...??

So thats more than 45,000 baht a month and some still cant live on that !!

Regardless even if i have $500,000 in the bank I would still live in a small condo granted it might be a 1 bedroom rather than a studio but thats all I need for myself...I dont need a large condo with swimming pools and gym.

I dont need to go out every night..I actually am more of a homebody anyway.

Rather stay home and watch Law and Order on Universal or Judge Judy thann piss up in a bar.

Yes im sure you have heard of the farangs who came to Thailand on a pension of 40-45k a month and couldnt do it !!!

They HAD to do it in the West though didnt they!!!! Whether that be in a council flat in the UK or in Australia....so why they couldnt do it in Thailand ??????

You can go to any Club Pub in the West and you will see on pension day all the pensioners sitting at poker machines gambling their money away.

Now my Mother used to go to a very Large Club every week I think it was a bowling or Rugby Club and they had over 1000 poker machines and she used to sit there and watch all the other pensioners gamble their pensions away whilst she sat at a table drinking the free cups of tea and coffee they had for pensioners on pension day and played the bingo.

Some of the ones that came to Thailand on a pension couldnt do it because they couldnt live as a minimalist they werent brought up with that lifestyle.

If you can live in the UK or Australia or NZ on a pension then im damn damn sure if people like my friend Larry can do it and still save 20k a month from his pension then im sure others can too !!!!

Edited by georgegeorgia
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The title of this thread is a little pretentious. Minimalism conjures up something philosophical or spiritual, such as Zen Buddhism. The title should really be living cheap in Thailand, surviving on a shoestring or just how to get by just above the poverty line. Its all a bit sad and pathetic really.

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Just to add to this I found his lifestyle uncomfortable.

I went out with him a few times,he preferred to walk or get the baht bus,only paid 10 baht,i cant do that,most times i cant stand around in the heat so just got a motorbike taxi which he was horrified when i told him it cost me 80 baht or so to get into Pattaya.

I just dont have the patience to wait around for baht buses or walk a long way in the heat.

OMG that's a good life ?? Using Baht buses eating tasteless food , no air con ????
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