Are finances important to you? Ar e you a cheap charlie?

[Mickp]

Telling other farangs in a bar you dont tip can be frowned upon and your looked at as a Kienow
I try to be a CC every trip just because I dont believe in wasting money but when I see a boy I really have to have then I always end up paying more just to snare him.

I dont drink or smoke and I dont stay in luxurious hotels but I do fly Business Class more for comfort than anything else.

Of course I have a minimum standard of room as long as its clean, has Wi Fi , decent shower,and safe and relatively close to things then im happy.

My last visits were the Baan Dok Mai and Mosaik, I prefer Mosaik however my last visit wasnt the best with the younger crowd shouting all night in adjacent rooms .

Im financially secure,however I do like to save money when I can.

I certainly dont stand for hours haggling over a motorbike taxi fare or anything like that though.

I dont really haggle unless it comes to clothing which I buy a lot in Thailand.

I guess my weaknesses are being lazy on holidays and hiring motorbike taxis wherever I go along with the fact I find walking can be dangerous with the lack of pedestrian access.
I dont like to be one of those Farangs who sit on a bar drink for hours but nor do I like to be pressured into buying constant drinks by a waiter.

I have become a bit tougher over the years and dont tip every waiter or establishment I go to just for the sake of it.

I know you will get those farangs who say you should leave at least 20 baht for the poor poor waiter even if he snubs you and slams your drink on the table etc but I have got that way I dont care what anyone thinks.

I had a very very rude waiter last year and I wont go into the story but I didnt leave a tip and this was noticed by a farang at the next table who interjected as I was leaving "Not even a tip for the staff?

I politely said no to him and walked off,not sure why it was his business?

I find now I dont tip to have to make everyone else happy or somehow its a requirement because its not, or I should somehow feel sorry for the waiting staff for their low paid job.

I often wonder how the straight guys around Soi Bukhao who seem to throw their money away on alcohol girls and tips will be in their future financially.

As I said I will make a budget this trip but only to see where my money goes.

I dont judge others who are Cheap Charlies in fact I respect them a lot more, I wish I could be more like that.

As we get older money doesnt grow on trees, we need or needed to work for it.
You never know when you might need it.

Im glad I own my own apartment and have a investment property with a mortgage mind you but more for taxation purposes.

Without that I couldnt afford to go to Thailand but many guys do especially straight caucasian guys I have met who use their Credit Cards etc to party in Pattaya, who go home after their 2 week millionaire jaunt back to their rented homes working again to save for their next trip.
Sure its their life its up to them.

But i would find it horrifying to be 50yo with no home ownership nor any assets.

Years ago when I was much younger going to Pattaya I splurged a lot on boys including discos , karaokes, isaan concerts, etc but as I get older I have more or less lost interest in this but I always remember looking at the much older farangs nursing a drink and I thought what Cheap Charlies they were !

Not until I got older did I realise how hard it is to get money and to work everyday for it.

Whilst im financially secure Im still working a full time job and money doesnt come easy and who knows nowadays how long the once secure jobs will last with technology coming in?
I do worry about things like that.

Being financially secure means doing things you want to do, it means having cash for emergencies.

I dont think you should look down at Cheap Charles, I think they need to be respected.

Reading Christians Blogs he sounds like a sensible young man saving money where he can and not easily a push over, I wish I was more like him in my younger days.




I hope my rant hasnt bored you .

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[Smiles]

So ... you've managed to answer all your own so-called questions. So what else do you wish to know?
Or, to use your own literary technique, am I being harsh?

As for "I hope my rant hasnt bored you". I recuse myself.

[frequent]

I guess my weaknesses are being lazy on holidays and hiring motorbike taxis wherever I go along with the fact I find walking can be dangerous with the lack of pedestrian access

You're aware that the travel insurance you took out probably doesn't cover you for motorcycle accidents? Read the fine print

I hope my rant hasnt bored you .

Nope, I'm always entertained by basic stupidity and over-simplification and your post has both in spades

[Mickp]

You're aware that the travel insurance you took out probably doesn't cover you for motorcycle accidents? Read the fine printNope, I'm always entertained by basic stupidity and over-simplification and your post has both in spades

My apologies, I will try to delete it.

[Mickp]

Seems I cannot delete it now?



If the Mods would kindly delete my post I would appreciate it.

Thankyou

[frequent]

My apologies, I will try to delete it.

No need to apologise; I'm sure others will find it equally entertaining

[Oliver]

Don't be silly, Mickp; there's nothing offensive in your post and so no need to delete it.

[kittyboy]

Your post was not really a question but a set up so that you could talk about your own situation. Your own finances. Your own spending habits. Your own spending values.

If you really want to know about other people pose a real question.

Examples of questions that are actually designed to elicit responses might be:

For those who are living in Pataya full time, How much do you need to spend to live a comfortable life?

How do you full time residents keep from getting bored?

See how easy it is to shift your focus from yourself to others and you might get actual responses. That is assuming you are interested in any way in what other people have to say.

[cdnmatt]

What do you mean he didn't ask a question? The thread is titled "Are finances important to you? Are you a cheap charlie?".

I haven't been on a holiday in ages, because I have the dogs, not enough money, and I tend to stay away from highways and airports for now.

But yeah, I always tip service staff even when on holiday. There's been a few times I didn't tip, but you have to provide really shitty service for that to happen. How much I tip all depends on whether or not that person will take care of me again. For example, if it's just some random restaurant we'll probably never go back to, then just the standard 10%.

However, say I order room service at the hotel, or have a drink at the hotel bar, then I'll tip around 20% or so. Or sometimes you'll have the same tour guide for several days paid daily, and I'll definitely tip generously then. Simply because I know those people are going to take care of me again. I don't really view it as a tip, but moreless paying for premium service, which is what tends to happen.

Then up where I live, I always tip well, because it's always the same people taking care of us. Restaurant staff, tuk-tuk drivers, hair dresser, etc. It's always the same people, and unsure if they'd treat us as well without the tips, but I do know the all take excellent care of us.

And it's just the small things. Show up at a restaurant, the staff rushes over to greet us, ensures we have pillows to sit on, we never wait for anything, they're happey to take special orders (eg. extra shrimp), etc. Or the couple times I've had to go into town by mself, right when one of the tuk-tuk drivers who knows me sees me step off the songtaew, they rush over and grab my arm to ensure I don't get hit by a car or miss a sidewalk curb and take a fall. Or when I get a hir cut it's always at the same place, because it's just around the corner and I can get there myself. Right when I open the door, the lady rushes over, helps sit me at the sofa, then when it's my turn helps guide me to the chair.

Again, just the small things. Unsure if they'd still act like that regardless of tip, but I do know tipping well definitely doesn't hurt.

However, I have gotten cheap in various areas of life. For example, alcohol -- I don't buy Crown Royal, and instead just drink Blend 285, and good enough for me. I make my own spaghetti sauce now indyrsf og buying Ragu. Much cheaper, and tastes better. I make my own dog treats as well, and that probably saves us a good $100/month. Things like that.

[Smiles]

Don't be silly, Mickp

I haven't agreed with Oliver on anything since 2004, but in this case, RIGHT ON kiddo!
By the way, I never thought Mickey's post was offensive.


For Cndmatt: nice long and semi-complicated post. So what's the prognosis on those peepers? Any chance they will get better? It seems like a very long time since B-day.