Money Questions

Okay,

So i'm trying to finalize my budget for moving to Thiland, as I've not managed to save as much as I hoped thanks to my vehicle needing some repair, but that's a different story . . .

Can anybody who lives in Thailand answer me the following questions:

How much is it to get a new cell phone (a basic one, not too many bells or whistles) and how much is it for use a month on average?

also, I will be teaching English while living in Thailand and writing my dissertation, so how much would basic teaching attire (dress shirt, slacks) cost? I'm trying to figure out if it would be better to buy my nice clothes here or there.

Also, besides Visa Runs and boyfriends, are their any expenses you found to be surprising or excessive in Thailand that I should budget for?

Any help would be appreciated

I got a basic new cellphone for 75 dollars. With 1-2 call phone cards, you can buy minutes for as little as 100 baht increments (I think) and the calls are charged at about 3 baht a minute, so it depends how much you talk.
Unexpected expenses? Hmmmm. Tropical diseases. Air conditioning. Farang food (almost everyone tires of always eating Thai food).

I would buy your clothes in the US, cheaper overall and better selection for styles you want, especially if you are not petite size. Also buy some decent shoes there.

Depending on your size you may find it easier to buy some clothes before you come. You may find this bizarre but I have to buy my underpants abroad. Socks on the street are plentiful but poor quality. XXL shirts are not all the same size in Bangkok

You didn't mention what you will do for Internet connectivity. You will need to rely on public transport eg. Skytrain and taxis much more

[Smiles]

" ... You may find this bizarre but I have to buy my underpants abroad ... "
Bizarre, no.
Disgusting, very much so.

Even reading Khun Homintern use the word "underpants" makes me squeamish in the extreme.
The post above should be deleted by the Mod ~ IMHO.

Cheers ...

You are quite the sensitive chap, eh?

for the info . . .

I guess I should have said that I am a US size small, which i think is a medium anywhere else due to vanity sizing.

I appreciate the info, especially to Thaiquila about the cell phone. . . does anyone else have any experience in this realm?

As for clothing, i think I'll buy them here on your recommendation.

By the way, for those of you who are larger and proud of it . . . try these out.

http://fatguyshirts.com/

You didn't mention what you will do for Internet connectivity. much more

Oh, I'm spending my first 2 months at school in Pattaya, so i'll just use internet cafes, and my laptop has a wifi card, so i'll probably mooch off the free hot spots around (and if i have to order a beer, even better)

After that I have an apartment lined up in Bankok, and Broadband comes with the rent. It's a studio that's serviced once/week. It's only 7,000 baht/month, i thought a good deal considering it's on Sathorn.

And while in Pattaya, I'll be staying for two months at Monty's, so i'm sure there's a wifi spot close, or at least an internet cafe.

[TOQ]

If im not mistaken, there is an internet cafe within 2 store fronts of Montys BB..

See you around the pool..


john

The post above should be deleted by the Mod ~ IMHOGetting your knickers in a knot?

[cottmann]

....Also, besides Visa Runs and boyfriends, are their (sic) any expenses you found to be surprising or excessive in Thailand that I should budget for? Any help would be appreciated

The number of sick buffalo that need heart transplants?

Yes I have already budgeted a big $0 for the following:

Water Buffalo
Broken Leg from Motorbike Accident
Sister's Computer Broken
Friend lost 10,000 Baht
Big birthday (50th) for father
Broken farm equipment


I find though, that since I don't off boys, I don't get that many requests for such things. In fact, only once was I asked for money. It was from a friend that works as a legit waiter on soi 4 (which is funny cause he only dates Thai guys) but anyway, he said he broke his arm, and i thought i was being led down the path. Imagine my surprise when I visited Thailand 3 weeks later and his arm was in an honest to goodness cast (not one of those you take on and off). I felt a little guilty when I saw him.

[cottmann]

Yes I have already budgeted a big $0 for the following:

Water Buffalo
Broken Leg from Motorbike Accident
Sister's Computer Broken
Friend lost 10,000 Baht
Big birthday (50th) for father
Broken farm equipment


I find though, that since I don't off boys, I don't get that many requests for such things. In fact, only once was I asked for money. It was from a friend that works as a legit waiter on soi 4 (which is funny cause he only dates Thai guys) but anyway, he said he broke his arm, and i thought i was being led down the path. Imagine my surprise when I visited Thailand 3 weeks later and his arm was in an honest to goodness cast (not one of those you take on and off). I felt a little guilty when I saw him.

But your BF has friends and, in my experience, you can expect some requests from them from time to time as well.

there is no such person. I use friend non-euphemistically.

[cottmann]

there is no such person. I use friend non-euphemistically.

Ah, first message said, "..Also, besides Visa Runs and boyfriends,..." so I jumped to the wrong conclusion!

[Aunty]

What's the dissertation on dude?

in a nutshell, it's on various aspects of how contradictions to traditional buddhism are rationalized in Thai Society. It will focus mainly on cultural transmission between parents and children. It should wind up being about a 6 year study. While I am there, I may change it, but that's what is settled on so far. I am doing this first 2 years looking for a topic, setting up some contacts, and learning the language so I can get this good fellowship at UC Davis.

I am just beginning the necessary stuff to get a Ph.D in Anthropology, but since my Master's was in Counseling Psychology, I have to do something like this to get my Ph.D. paid for.

So quid pro quo Clarice, anyone else got any practical money advice that is not related to living in Thailand and not just boy related?

[Aunty]

Cool. I guess that means you'll have to get to know quite a few Thai families!

Are you concentrating on any particular social or economic class, regional manifestations or age groups? I imagine these would influence how contradictions are rationalised?

Are there any conflicts between traditional Buddhism and the gay-farang sexualisation of young Thai men which demands their prostitution as Thai gogo boys, bar-boys, 10-day discount boy specials, whole sex industry thing? The rationalisation of that conflict, if it exits, would be quite interesting.

[Dboy]

Be sure to visit Plum Island Animal Disease Research Center. It's charming. Lovely beaches

H

Actually I agree with the clothes bit, I don't know why but the majority of clothes are made in the Far East and somehow more expensive there (excluding markets of course, where its just rubbish). I'm talking about quality clothing and so like. Athough my CK 3 in a packet underwear are reasonably priced in the Far East.

I usually find reasonably priced quality underwear in Thailand. I'm not small round the waist anymore but can find stuff to fit me. Quality is much better than what M&S had on display in Fenchurch Street today although some of the ranges they've had in the last two years have been to my taste and standard e.g. "MW".

However, there is a shocking shortage of white shoes. Anyone know where I can get them?

I've not managed to save as much as I hoped thanks to my vehicle needing some repair
When I first read this my thoughts were that you should stay home and get a well paid job before retiring here but now having read the whole thread I can see that you are a young pup with a mission and a backpack. Oh happy memories.
Medical insurance. Buy it here or if you donтАЩt plan on buying any then, initially, ask for treatment advice at pharmacies. Most pharmacists are surprisingly good and are fine until you break a leg in a motocy taxi crash. Then you will want the medical insurance that you did not buy.
ThaiquilaтАЩs advice on shoes is sound. Buy what is comfortable back home. I cannot buy shoes that are wide enough for my feet anywhere in Thailand so the only other option is to get them made and that can be quite expensive. Shoe repair is good and affordable on the streets or at the Mr. Minute places in shopping malls.
I disagree on other points about shirts, trousers and underwear.
Shirts are readily available in the markets at prices you can only dream of back home. If they fall apart then buy new ones. More expensive shirts of better quality are available in places like Central but even there the prices are reasonable compared to the West.
Trousers. If you have a pair you like then take them to a local Indian tailor and get them copied. This will be anywhere from 600 to 2000 Baht.
Underwear тАУ If you are a small or average sized person (not a bloated lard-ass like Homintern) then buy in Central not on the street and it will be fine.
Cell phones. Buy from about 3500 Baht upwards for a new one or around 2000 for a 2nd hand model тАж and budget to lose it or get it stolen every two months. DonтАЩt buy an expensive model тАУ itтАЩs more attractive to a thief.
Boys. If you are young and virile then you will not need to pay for it in Bangkok. Go to Babylon, Caf├й 4, Telephone, Balcony, DJтАЩs and the bars in Soi 2 to get picked up by the young men who have proper jobs. тАж If youтАЩre as old as me then put 2000+ aside for drinks taxis and tips for the soi twilight charity workers. You will probably have to pay for it in Pattaya regardless of how young or how good looking you are.

Cool. I guess that means you'll have to get to know quite a few Thai families!

Are you concentrating on any particular social or economic class, regional manifestations or age groups? I imagine these would influence how contradictions are rationalised?

Are there any conflicts between traditional Buddhism and the gay-farang sexualisation of young Thai men which demands their prostitution as Thai gogo boys, bar-boys, 10-day discount boy specials, whole sex industry thing? The rationalisation of that conflict, if it exits, would be quite interesting.

the first plan is to study bar girls raising children. The second study would be what you may consider called upper middle class families with "urbanized" spending habits. Fundamentally, (and oversimplifying), it deals with the roles of money, globalization, and western influence on the traditional conservative and humble nature of buddhism. If you want to know more, e-mail me, cause i don't want to bore the whole board. Also, because I'm gay, according to advisors, it is best that if i do study prostitution at all is with the women. And it would concentrate on their role in society and the family, not their relatinship with the punters.

oh, and to Padlom, thanks for the helpful post. Yes, It is just me with a backpack on a two year mission. Thanks everyone for the good advice so far.

Are there any conflicts between traditional Buddhism and the gay-farang sexualisation of young Thai men which demands their prostitution as Thai gogo boys, bar-boys, 10-day discount boy specials, whole sex industry thing? The rationalisation of that conflict, if it exits, would be quite interesting.Those naughty, wicked farang - the only people on the planet who corrupted the Thais. Thai gay prostitution was quite unknwn before ... when was it ... um ...

[cottmann]

Rainwalker99, I notice that although you have budgeted for visa runs, your budget doesn't include the cost of a research visa. I'm sure you're aware that farang can do nothing in Thailand without a visa - and that includes research.

[Surfcrest]

Some questions have popped up recently about quality underware available in Thailand.

Yes there are places to buy good quality underware. It may not be Ck or any recognizable brand name but the fabric (cotton) is of the best anywhere.

I prefer the two shops located on the 1st floor and 5th floor called "Green Cotton".
This flyless under (not that anyone really uses a fly anymore) are made of 100% green cotton and are ecellent for people with sensitive skin or who require material the breates really well. I particularily love their sheets and sports wear.

They make some great socks, especially if you like good quality ankle socks (excellent for jogging). I love the smell of the sheets as I use them for the first time as the pleasant aroma reminds me so much of Thailand.

Give them a go.

There are also some good choices at Chatuchak (Weekend Market) for brand names or replicicas (but check for the material) cotton or silk is best.

Surfcrest

[cottmann]

...I prefer the two shops located on the 1st floor and 5th floor called "Green Cotton"....

1st and 5t floors of where, please.

[Surfcrest]

Sorry....that is MBK off National Stadium BTS (Skytain) stop.

Surfcrest

my Master's was in Counseling Psychology...got any practical money advice that is related to living in Thailand and not just boy related?

Are you a licensed counsellor or psychologist in the States? If you are, can you provide counselling/therapy in the following areas:

alcohol dependency
chemical dependency
gambling addiction
shopping addiction
sex addiction
smoking cessation
interpersonal problems
age-related psychological problems
living with/dying from AIDS

There's an increasing number of single women and straight couples retiring in Thailand who might be interested in your services - you won't see them in Pattaya although Edith, Pearl and Sybil could certainly use your help. And please look out for pete1969 if you're ever in Phuket - that boy needs all the help he can get. Just last week alone, we received two calls asking if we had an English-speaking counsellor on staff at our Thai-Burmese only AIDS hospice in Chiang Rai. One well-qualified (PhD in Clinical Psych and years of experience) German therapist I know charges 2,000Bt an hour and she is always over-booked. Of course, she is extremely professional and good at what she does. I'm not sure if she's strictly legal but she's been providing her counselling services openly for quite sometime now.

My licensure has lapsed. I moved from Oklahoma to California where the licensure requirements are different. I am still can legally work in community counseling, but nothing clinical. To answer your questions

alcohol dependency -- Yes, I do that now primarily for adolescents (16-23).
chemical dependency -- Can, but i don't enjoy that work, very dissapointing, low success rate
gambling addiction -- Nope, never dealt with it
shopping addiction -- Nope
sex addiction -- Physician, heal thyself!
smoking cessation -- Yes (I can also do hypnotherapy, which is very successful)
interpersonal problems -- Yes
age-related psychological problems -- I am good in this area when I can get people to have a session with me, but since I am young a lot of people don't give me a thought.
living with/dying from AIDS -- When i did my 1000 hours for licensure, this is the area I concentrated in. It's what I thought I was going to do in life. I soon learned that if it became all I did, I wouldn't sleep well. I do volunteer my services a little bit, but it's not my life calling. I do much better work on the prevention end.
I also have worked with police departments as a crisis counselor, so I've done a lot with suicidal ideation, depression, domestic abuse/violence. But again, i am not a clinical counselor.

so to answer your questions, I could do some short term counseling for people, or even better and cheaper for them life coaching (yes there is a difference) if anyone is interested, but my primary love is still Anthropology. Believe it or not, the knowledge, skills, and abilities are surprisingly overlapping in the two fields.

Also, I don't know if that research visa statement was for me or rainwalker, but I have a non-immigrant B visa. I almost got a Non-Immigrant Education one by mistake, but unless I am wrong, I can only get a work permit with a non-immigrant B. Does anyone know if I am mistaken?

Are there any conflicts between traditional Buddhism and the gay-farang sexualisation of young Thai men which demands their prostitution as Thai gogo boys, bar-boys, 10-day discount boy specials, whole sex industry thing? The rationalisation of that conflict, if it exits, would be quite interesting.Those naughty, wicked farang - the only people on the planet who corrupted the Thais. Thai gay prostitution was quite unknwn before ... when was it ... um ...

Aunty, I don't know if you were being serious or not, but to answer your questions, you need to think bigger. Values conflicts are not a gay-farang to thai thing, or even necessarily a sexual thing. I don't want to bore the board (I know, too late), but if you really want to see buddhist conflict ... well let me tell you where I got this curiousity and this topic. I was walking with a friend near Central Rama III one day after some shopping. We were going to the Watercliff Condos to meet another friend for dinner. We both had a great day of shopping for some nick nacks, and my friend being a Thai person that makes a lot of money had to buy the most expensive brand of everything to show everyone that he had money. Anyway, walking back to the Watercliff there is a small buddhist shrine, of which he insisted I hold his bags so he could give it a proper Wai. It was at that point that I remembered my basic buddhism 101, the cause of all suffering is attachment, to people and to material objects and the Moksha/Nirvana (release) is reached from eliminating that attachment. Now Thai Buddhism has some variations on the theme, but at it's heart, it is the same. It got me interested in learning about Thai Buddhism and the conflicts, hence this work. Sort of like what Clifford Geertz does, for those up on their Anthropology reading. Of course Thais resolve this by haveing a transactional approach to Merit and Charity as opposed to a transformational one, but as you can see I could write about this for a long time. Anyone interested in my final book in 6 years can get a free copy.

What's my point . . . Aunty, the answer to your question is yes, that is one of many conflicts, and not the greatest one. But of course there are more bar girls than bar boys, Soi Thaniya kind of tells me it's not just farang that partake in their services, and if you ever get out by Nawamin or Saphan Kwai or RCA in Bangkok you can see what it looks like when Thais buy their own people for sex. Is it a scurge on thai Society? I don't know the answer, but it is definately not a gay-farang only scurge if it is.

It probably wasn't even a "Buddhist" shrine. It was probably a spirit house, which doesn't really have anything to do with Buddhism whatsoever.

It probably wasn't even a "Buddhist" shrine. It was probably a spirit house, which doesn't really have anything to do with Buddhism whatsoever.I concur with boygeenyus. If that episode is typical of your "understanding" of Thai Buddhism then your "research" will be wasted

[cottmann]

Sorry....that is MBK off National Stadium BTS (Skytain) stop.

Surfcrest

Thanks. Now I've placed the 5th Floor location, but didn't know about the 1st Floor one - I find MBK's 1st floor more confusing than the upper ones.

[cottmann]

....Also, I don't know if that research visa statement was for me or rainwalker, but I have a non-immigrant B visa. I almost got a Non-Immigrant Education one by mistake, but unless I am wrong, I can only get a work permit with a non-immigrant B. Does anyone know if I am mistaken?

Yes, sorry, it was for you. It is my understanding that Thailand issues different types of Non-Immigrant Visa, each of which specifies what the holder can do in Thailand If you intend to research, then that is what your visa permits you to do - and nothing else - i.e., no teaching, no counselling, no charity work, nothing. I may be wrong and you might want to check discreetly with a Thai consulate or embassy.

There is a list of non-immigrant visa categories at http://www.thaivisa.com/275.0.html, e.g.,

diplomatic visa (D) is for those employed by an embassy,
a business visa (B)
or a mass media visa (M) are for accredited business or press representatives,
a dependent visa (O),
an expert visa (EX) are for those performing skilled or expert work,
an investor visa (IM) is for foreigners who set-up their companies under the Board Of Investment BOI
and a study/education visa (ED) is for teachers.
Official ( F). Performance of official duties (involving the Thai government).
Capital Investment ( IM ).
Investment (with concurrence of the ministries and departments concerned). BOI ( IB ).
Investment subject to the provision of the laws on investment promotion.
(ED). Educational study or observation.
( R ). Missionary work.
( RS). Scientific research or training, or study in an educational institution in the Kingdom.
( EX). Performance of skilled or expert work.
( S). Participation in an officially recognized sports event.
Others "O". Others, including dependents and retired persons.

[Surfcrest]

Thanks. Now I've placed the 5th Floor location, but didn't know about the 1st Floor one - I find MBK's 1st floor more confusing than the upper ones.

The far south west corner stall, ground level (Sometimes call the first floor the first floor up above ground level). Same company, more stock....
Although prces are fixed (and reasonable) they sometime will give me a better deal upstairs if I buy a lot (3000 baht or more).
The socks are great, undies, T-Shirts and shorts. The green cotton breathes better in the heat if you are prone to over heating or sweating.

Good Luck,

Surfcrest

[cottmann]

Thanks. Now I've placed the 5th Floor location, but didn't know about the 1st Floor one - I find MBK's 1st floor more confusing than the upper ones.

The far south west corner stall, ground level (Sometimes call the first floor the first floor up above ground level). Same company, more stock....
Although prces are fixed (and reasonable) they sometime will give me a better deal upstairs if I buy a lot (3000 baht or more).
The socks are great, undies, T-Shirts and shorts. The green cotton breathes better in the heat if you are prone to over heating or sweating.

Good Luck,

Surfcrest

Thanks for the location. Much appreciated.