An interesting model is the real deal, Sam Walton who founded Walmart from scratch. When he died in 1992 his daily driver was a 1985 Ford F150 pickup even though he was the richest man in the US if not the world. He wore jeans, wore cowboy boots and still had coffee with his old friends in his small town in Arkansas. He never forgot his roots.

Pickup is the chariot of the gods.

When I lived in the UK they just weren't practical (or generally available).

In Thailand, I never intend to drive any other type of car.

Wouldn't be any different if I were a multi-millionaire.

Edited June 29, 201511 yr by MaeJoMTB

My wife thinks most of her teacher colleagues are fools. As teachers, they think they have to keep up appearances and so go into unaffordable debt to get a car and all the gadgets and clothes. On Thai teacher's salary, nobody can afford to run a car, let alone buy one if the salary is the sole family income and they're renting, yet they do.

Wifey's priority one is to get a house, and priority 2 to secure her retirement financially....THEN buy a car. And I never put her up to those goals....She always tells me she must have been farang in a previous life because she knows she is odd for a Thai.

We have one neighbour who probably earns a decent salary (guessing 20-30k/month), and spends all his money on the latest gadgets, cars, bikes hifi stuff etc. I doubt he's in debt, but he rents and won't buy. He has a wife and daughter to support. My wife once asked the wife why they don't buy a house as they have a daughter who will need it one day. Her answer floored me. She said her husband wont buy a house, because if he dies, his wife will marry again and someone else will get to use the house. So he spends all his income on toys and eating out.

Best advice , There is more money working in bars , than teaching .

Teacher/lady ,have small money , sadly 10,000 - 20,000 bht a mounth

Girl bar, no same same lady , she earns 60,000 bht /per mounth, and can find farlang , take care, and marry .

The social dynamics are simple.. supply market demands .

Edited June 29, 201511 yr by elliss

My neighbour has a 48" TV so I bought a 49" TV just so I could annoy him. Happiness can be so elusive but on this one I struck gold.

They're called Hiso's. The have a luxury car, wear the latest fashion, and have the latest gadgets. But I've seen where and how they live privately. A rundown house, a small room for under 8k a month, and piles of debts.

I don't even own a car, in fact, I haven't been behind a wheel for over a decade. I wear comfortable shabby clothes that are several years old, I don't even have a smartphone. I have an average, for a farang, income but spend it on more important stuff like my well serviced and very conveniently located apartment, smokes and booze, and top medical treatment. I have no debts and at 80k my computer is the most expensive thing I own.

Am I happy? Yes I am.

Oh dear, EVERYBODY HOLD YOUR HORSES! There seems to be an error in my definition. When it came down to it, I personally saw two groups: Rich people, and Hisos

Rich people were, as the name suggests, rich. Some show off, most do not.

All Hisos were wannabe rich people who all like to show off.

I had never heard of wannabe Hisos. In my dictionary that would have meant wannabe, wannabe rich people.

Time to update my vocabulary. Jeez, I hope we all agree on the definition of a Ladyboy, otherwise some of my posts would be very embaressing.

The wealthy people I know don't show off but still they can't hide it unless they are a hermit. Being wealthy will expose one to other wealthy people and it will be learned how one can live. Most people wouldn't wait in lines in an airport if mere money would charter a jet. It's easy to get used to a lifestyle where everything caters to your whim and your timing. This isn't really showing off but rather simply doing what's available.

Most people who can afford it will have a housekeeper and landscaper and if wealthy it's really not that big of a leap to start having other services to make life easier.

A real problem for people occurs when they aren't wealthy but insist on appearing that they are.

We have one neighbour who probably earns a decent salary (guessing 20-30k/month), and spends all his money on the latest gadgets, cars, bikes hifi stuff etc. I doubt he's in debt, but he rents and won't buy. He has a wife and daughter to support. My wife once asked the wife why they don't buy a house as they have a daughter who will need it one day. Her answer floored me. She said her husband wont buy a house, because if he dies, his wife will marry again and someone else will get to use the house. So he spends all his income on toys and eating out.

He sounds very sensible.

No point in giving everything to your wife, if she wants a house, she should get a job and buy it herself.

The wealthy people I know don't show off but still they can't hide it unless they are a hermit. Being wealthy will expose one to other wealthy people and it will be learned how one can live. Most people wouldn't wait in lines in an airport if mere money would charter a jet. It's easy to get used to a lifestyle where everything caters to your whim and your timing. This isn't really showing off but rather simply doing what's available.

Most people who can afford it will have a housekeeper and landscaper and if wealthy it's really not that big of a leap to start having other services to make life easier.

A real problem for people occurs when they aren't wealthy but insist on appearing that they are.

American show-off wealthy.

The Brits are much more secretive, live like tramps, you would never know.

The Brits are much more secretive, live like tramps, you would never know.