Living Like a Thai Day 5: It’s a Wash

Written on June 5, 2011 by in Living in Thailand, Thai life

Table of contents for Living Like a Thai

  1. Living Like a Thai
  2. Living Like a Thai Day 1: The 200 Baht a Day Challenge
  3. Living Like a Thai Day 2: Losing Money in My Sleep
  4. Living Like a Thai Day 4: Pee Baa Falang
  5. Living Like a Thai Day 5: It’s a Wash
  6. Living Like a Thai Day 6: The Frugal Tightwad
  7. Living Like a Thai Day 7: I’m Bored
  8. Living Like a Thai Day 8: Going AWOL
  9. Living Like a Thai Day 9: Falling Down That Mountain
  10. Living Like a Thai Day 10: The Belt Tightening Begins
  11. Living Like a Thai Day 11: Tofu, Really?
  12. Living Like A Thai Day 12: Going Native, Almost
  13. Living Like a Thai Day 13: Lunch with the Ladies
  14. Living Like a Thai Day 14: The Late Edition or Quiet Be
  15. Living Like a Thai Day 15: Halfway there!
  16. Living Like a Thai Day 16: Beer & Vegetables
  17. Living Like a Thai Day 17: Red Moon Eclipse Edition
  18. Living Like a Thai Day 18: Once in a Blue Moon
  19. Living Like a Thai Days 19 & 20: Ringing the Bell
  20. Living Like a Thai Days 21 & 22: Aircon Down Pigs Cooking
  21. Living Like a Thai Day 23: Put a Fork in it…I’m Done

Bananas and mangostreens

Living Like a Thai Day 5

I started off my day with a walk to the market to get some fresh fruit for breakfast and just to have around the condo to snack on. I ended up getting a half kilo of mangosteens and a nice heavy bunch of bananas all for 60 baht ( $2.04 ). I had a nice breakfast of 2 mangosteens and a bannana and then headed out for a long walk around town. The photo shows whats left after breakfast.

One thing that I haven’t been able to figure out on my budget is my laundry. Obviously Thai people will wash their own clothes in the sink or a large bucket and then hang it out to dry . I don’t have anything like this at my disposal nor do I have the inclination to wash my clothes like this. I’m willing to change some of my lazy habits but I think this is one that will remain. I looked into laundromats and I’ll be damned if I can find any in Pattaya, there might be one but I can’t find it.

Laundry all washed and folded

Without worrying about it too much I called up my regular laundry people and they picked up my laundry yesterday. Even though the budget will take a hit they are still one of the cheapest laundry’s around and when all was said and done I got my clean clothes back today and a weeks worth of wash cost me 215 baht ( $7.32 ). That’s 12 shirts, 5 pair of shorts, 4 towels, 7 underwears and 2 pair of levis..not bad considering my laundry only charges 10 baht for pants whether they are shorts or levis.

I think the budget can absorb this…it’s not like I went out to a gogo bar last night and spent half my months budget on drinks and women. Although the thought did cross my mind 4 or 8 times :P

Tonight I will dig into some ramen noodles on hand and save a few baht.

Observations today: I forgot how much I love mangosteens and need to purchase fresh fruit more often. Another observation: I am almost at the halfway mark of my 6000 baht budget for the month if you count in rent and electric…it’s only the 5th and I have roughly 3168 baht ( $107.86 ) left for the month!

Living Like a Thai Day 5 Totals

Purchase Amount Cost Total
Fresh Fruit 1 kilo 60 baht 60 baht
Laundry 1 week 215 baht 215 baht
Todays Total 275 baht ( $9.36 )
June Total 832 baht ( $28.32 )
talensig
Previous in series Next in series

More Great Thailand Tales:

11 Comments - Leave a comment!
11 Responses to Living Like a Thai Day 5: It’s a Wash
  1. Joe
    June 5, 2011 | 8:18 pm

    Looks like about $4 per day left on the budget. Good luck Talen !

    Hint: stay far away from Walking St. 5555

  2. arch stanton
    June 6, 2011 | 12:41 am

    nice thread.
    guess you will not be renting too many jet ski’s this month!!

  3. Claudio
    June 6, 2011 | 1:24 pm

    I don’t know of any laundromat in Pattaya, but most apartment buildings (those 2 or 3 story buildings with rooms for 3 – 6K) typically have coin operated washing machines. One load will cost around 30 baht. You don’t have to live there to use the machines.

    • Catherine
      June 6, 2011 | 3:06 pm

      Claudio, I’d forgotten all about those. There’s a lineup of machines a couple of blocks over from me, in a condo’s parking garage.

    • Talen
      June 6, 2011 | 8:13 pm

      Claudio, this is very true, unfortunately I have no apt buildings near me with such facilities…I just now remembered one on third road that has 5 machines outside but I ain’t walkin that far.

  4. Snap
    June 6, 2011 | 4:02 pm

    Talen, interesting experiment! I’ve been reading your daily log entries and just thought I’d let you know :)

    With your change in diet have you noticed any differences? Feeling better or worse for it? I wonder when the month is over if you’ll have gained or lost any weight.

    • Talen
      June 6, 2011 | 8:10 pm

      Snap, I am feeling a tad bit lighter in the first week of the experiment and I am one notch higher on the belt so I suspect at the end of the month there will be a loss. I weighed myself before I began and will do so again on the last day and give the results in the wrap up.

  5. BangkokDan
    June 6, 2011 | 7:57 pm

    Great topic Talen! I wouldn’t have survived a few hours this month…

    • Talen
      June 6, 2011 | 8:09 pm

      Dan, I didn’t think I would last past the first day but it’s not so bad if you don’t mind not drinking, smoking or generally having a good time :P

  6. arch stanton
    June 7, 2011 | 1:29 am

    where is today’s episode?

    • Talen
      June 7, 2011 | 10:20 am

      Arch, Lost internet yesterday so there will be 2 updates today.