mAYBE this thread could be pinned.In the last 2 years I have been to THailand 7 times,mostly on 7 or 8 day trips from Oz.When i first went to thailand i use to splurge and waste my money.
Now that i realised i work hard for it and could go to thailand more often if i spent
less . Some things i dont/wont do anymore is go on a 7 day trip to Thailand every 3 months,7 days is too short and ends up costing more than 14 days.. I dont stay in fancy hotels 2000 b per night anymore they are waste of money by the time i got back to my room at 5am every morning.No giving money at the airport for goodbyes.
One thing i do is wait till i get to Thailand for a haircut,and dentist.
In fact i havnt seen a Aussie dentist in years.Too expensive
The money i wasted in Thailand on my prevoius trips could of paid for my later ones.




What tips /ways to save money have you learnt over the years in Thailand?
are your a Cheap Charlie ? Do u know Cheap Charlies?

This post has been edited by billyboy: 2005-06-20 02:28:34

Buy things to sale at home . Tshirts for example are a very hot item ( with me that is ) . I double the price at the point what i pay for it . Probably you could triple the price and still get rid easily but by doubling the price is still so low nobody thinks too much about spending that amount and they buy every time ( i go 3 times a year ) . Is that being cheap charlie ??? i don't think so but hey ...
Other thing , i allways buy my medicines in Thailand . Maybe you say , i don't use medicines .... well more then often you take a paracetamol for headache or something . Or your throat hurts and you need something for it ... or your muscles hurt from doing something active etc etc ...
I don't really think all that is cheap charlie , it is just common sence . I know a cheap charlie , living in Samui . He actually got quite a big wage ( don't know english name , for money getting when you are sick and are not really able for work anymore ) , but he spends no or really very very little money . He hassles for every bath , which is being cheap charlie , i'd say ...

Start picking old ugly bar girls that will accept less Baht/per day/night/week – up to you.

Don't move much so you won't spend too much energy and need lotsa food.
Try not to sweat to keep water consumption to the minimum.

If you need to move the car get the missus to push it so you don't waste petrol!

Get her to do your hair cut, make your clothes and cook your meals.

Tell her you want her to stay slim and beautiful so she shouldn't eat/drink much - your leftovers from dinner will do her for lunch!

Oh yes. Eat rice and chillies. The hottest kind. That way you eat less. don't use electricity. If you require light at nighttime go to a public place, use it for free, and then crawl back to your dark cave.

LOL Are you fair dinkum about the rice and chillies?

Actually I buy some stuff like lighters etc to sell back in oz ,but dont make a huge profit.

I heard you can get a good meal at Sizzlers for 99 baht which is their salad bar.

To get a haircut i usually go to the barber shop in Pattaya opposite the Hollywood disco ,i think its around 50 baht compared to Australias around 500 b

I got ripped off again on my last trip bought some sandals for 200 b found out i could of bought the same ones for less in Oz.
Not everything is cheap in Thailand,some things are cheaper here in Australia.
Take a Portable DVD Player i saw one at the markets for 7000 b and i saw the same one here in Australia on special for $199 approx 6500 baht.

Best to pick up from the beach,no bar fines,no drinks.
And for those thinking of flying AIRASIA and you think you get it cheap,think again,sure 499 b one way PLUS taxes,admin charges,fuel levy,Takes it up to nearly 1000 b!! Get the bloody bus !

"What tips /ways to save money have you learnt over the years in Thailand?
are your a Cheap Charlie ? Do u know Cheap Charlies?"



That should do for the moment.

This coming from the same guy that wants to open a bar, blah blah blah.........Just a troll is all I can see.

Maybe he has done his money in the bar and now wants to economise.

He was going to open a food satll last week as well. In fact hes trying to sort out a ton of new businesses but can't even seem to manage surviving as a 1 week tourist without being ripped off everytime.

Billyboy are you for real or what?

My tip for saving money in LOS is eat Thai food and drink Chang. Most farang food is over-priced and - usually - sub-standard.

I am a Cheap Charlie to many who meet me but not to my friends.

I am generous when I can afford it which isn't very often, and to quote Richard branson, and I've never forgotten this...

"I'm not stingy or tight but I am careful almost to the point of meanness."

This post has been edited by The Gentleman Scamp: 2005-06-21 02:34:07

How much does Chang/Singah go for in pubs these days? And the buckets of whiskey?


Tip for drinking whiskey buckets. Buy them on the stalls, mix them up yourself and enjoy them on the beach. Especially in Koh Phangan.


Mark

billyboy
If you put as much effort into ways of saving money into ways of making more money you wouldn't have to be cheap charlie and you could enjoy the good things in life.

I cannot believe BillyBoy has been to Thailand 7 or 8 times and knows less than a new born .
Please tell me this is not Australias mental health authorities new care in the community stategy.

Use hotel's soap.

Only visit LOS during the rainy seasons and save on laundry bills.

Buy stuff back to OZ and sell, item like bag and hair crip. ( Women Item)

Eat Thai food. If available, eat sticky rice instead of plain rice, it is the best filler you can get.

Avoid the most expensive tourist sites, never catch tuk-tuks, instead walk or go by songthaeo or local bus; for small easy to get around places, rent a motorbike - it pays off.

For long-distance transport, go by bus or train if possible. If flying, book well in advance with low-cost airline. Drink Thai whiskey instead of beer. Dont get drunk too often, even drinking Thai whisky the cost to get drunk is fairly high in comparison to food costs (for Thai food anyway).

Dont bring toiletry articles from back home, buy them here, and even bring a bit extra with you back home as shampoo etc. is much cheaper here. Buy clothes for yourself here as well, then you won't have to back home.

Or better still just, like don't pay for it at all! You know as an expat you can pick up on the language and methods for free 'night dancing'. I had 8 women last trip and didn't 'Pay' for one of them! Although one of the bitches did try lifting some cash and before you jump on the band wagon she wasn't a bargirl either!

Man, how to save money in thailand is something you could write a book on but here are some tips.

Rent accommodation in cheap guest house or better yet rent a house for 3 - 6 months.
These hotels and guesthouses that charge stupid amounts of cash, thats where most of the cash goes.
On food eat only thai food which should cost you about 2 - 3 dollars a day. This will not fill you much though.
Beer and (to a lesser extent) cigarettes will eat into your budget, so drink the whiskey instead (which is actually better) and try and buy duty free on the flight over. The thai booze contains embalming fluid to preserve it so steer clear of it (unless fcking pounding hangovers are your thing!)

Get a bike pronto! Put it in a thai name you can fully trust and then those rental costs and passport shenanigans should end!
Get a thai drivers liscence (allows lee-way on the dual pricing thing).

Everyone leave billy boy alone! He's had some gimpish step-backs but let him show the warnings others need to know!

He'll learn a lot from you and be thought of the same as you, "a fcuking CHEAP CHARLIE". Don't come back, you give the rest of us a bad name.


And as an added note, you don't know fcuk all anyway about any of the things you mentioned as saving money. I'm not wasting my time to go through everything you posted. In fact stay the way you are and we'll look better.

This post has been edited by Kringle: 2005-06-22 20:57:22

Travel with a copy of the Lonely Planet - will help you cut corners on the cost of accomodation / travel / eating 7 drinking etc.

BTW - Did the Name billyboy come from after a trip to the Philippines?