The goal, if anyone can remember back that far, was to live for the whole month of June on only 200 baht a day in Pattaya, Thailand. Obviously I didn’t make my goal as the experiment shut down on June 23rd when my tonsils decided to attack again…and they are still attacking.
Even though I didn’t make it all the way to the finish line I did learn a bit about myself and living more cheaply in Pattaya if not Thailand.
The impetus for this experiment came from a post that Martyn at Beyond the Mango Juice wrote back in March of 2010 entitled Red Red Whine. In this post Martyn wrote about the average Thai’s daily wage and what it could buy. At the end of his post Martyn issued this challenge:
I would like some of my fellow Thai bloggers to pick up the ‘One70 Baht Challenge’ and give it a go for one day. It just might make an interesting blog post for one or two of you. Here’s the rules and what your 170 baht must cover.
- All alcoholic and soft drinks must be paid for from the daily allowance. An early morning tea or coffee is the exception.
- Cigarettes or tobacco.
- All food consumed during the day.
- No usage of your own car, truck or motorbike. Travel must be paid for on public and private transport, or by your own devices.
- Entertainment, newspaper etc.
Good luck and please let me know how you get on.
I took up the challenge, not for a day but for a month. I did adjust the 170 baht daily allowance to 200 baht due to inflation and living in the tourist town of Pattaya.
Another impetus for trying this experiment was to curb some of my lazier ways and get back to eating and shopping in the Thai markets instead of the convenient 7/11′s , expat pubs and supermarkets which are generally more expensive.
I was quite surprised to see so many people get behind this experiment and urge me on, it made for some really good comments and discussions that provided good information for all. I was also surprised at the amount of e-mails and comments I received against the experiment. Many of the more negative comments pointed out that I am not Thai, I am not really living like a Thai etc. The e-mails and comments that bothered me were the ones that claimed I was making fun of Thai’s or belittling Thai’s which is absolute nonsense.
From the very beginning I was very clear about my intentions regarding the experiment and why I was doing it, it was more to understand my spending habits than actually re-creating the day to day life of an average Thai. It was never my intention to make fun of Thai’s or treat them in any way disrespectful, consciously or sub consciously. After reviewing everything I had written for the month I think I am safe in saying that the only one I made fun of, belittled or disrespected was myself…and I enjoyed it.
The one thing I think I observed through all the comments and e-mails is the fact I don’t think many readers realize that most of my friends in Thailand are indeed Thai and come from every walk of life. Some are in the nightlife industry, sure, but others are taxi drivers, hotel workers, business owners and security guards. We go out to eat, we stay in to eat, we have a drink together, we share stories and I daily share smiles with many of them. I treat all of them with the utmost respect because that is how they treat me.
What I Thought I learned Living Like a Thai
Incredibly I really did learn quite a bit about myself and my lazy ass spending habits. After being here a few months I started falling into the same old patterns. When I first arrived I cooked at least a few times a week but I got away from that and into prepackaged food from 7/11 or eating at expat joints.
While Ramen noodles are good to have around for a quick snack when you don’t want to go out they aren’t a good source of anything but a full stomach.
I’m not one to eat vegetables normally but for some reason in Thai food I will eat just about anything thrown in. I had forgotten my love for Chinese kale, Cauliflower, pak choy and red peppers. Buying these things and rice at any Thai market is generally very cheap and makes for a great meal…add in some chicken or pork and you are golden.
Cleaning and hygiene products… definitely a product of my western upbringing I have always bought the name brands but during this month of living cheaply I found many comparible Thai brands that are just as good and much cheaper. The biggest problem for an expat living in Thailand that is stuck on a certain brand from home is the hefty import taxes that raise the prices dramatically.
While all of these things are good to know it’s nothing new or earth shattering…anyone that has been to Thailand or lives here knows these things, you just have to stick to them and not get lazy with the conveniences that may be around.
What I really Learned
The biggest thing I learned this month had nothing to do with food, cleaning products or budgets…The biggest thing I learned is that I am part of a community, and believe it or not I forgot that during the whole month.
As I have been out and about over the last few days I have re-connected with a lot of people I saw little of this month. They all asked where I had been and how I was and it was then that I realized just how badly I failed the experiment. I took on the challenge with my American mind that always tells me if you don’t have money you don’t go out. Sure, I went for morning walks and such but I stayed in a lot more than normal and shut out a small community that I had become part of.
As I walked home from a check up at the clinic this afternoon I noticed my friend Tok was at work, he’s a security guard at one of the condo’s near me. We met about 8 months ago, in the early days it was just a hello or how are you today and we built on a friendship from there. Now we regularly chat and play Makruk together ( Thai Chess ), and I lose every time. Further up the road on my way home I noticed another friend having dinner at the roadside restaurant and popped in to have a bite and a talk about his family and the fact that low season is really bad.
Other friends have wondered where I was and several have scolded me for not letting them know I am sick so they can check in on me and take care if needed, both male and female, young and old.
The Take Away
Anyone can live cheaply in Thailand it only takes the will to do so…to truly live like a Thai you have to embrace the community around you, make friends and join in. In good times and bad they are there to support you even if it’s just a smile.
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