Table of contents for Living Like a Thai
- Living Like a Thai
- Living Like a Thai Day 1: The 200 Baht a Day Challenge
- Living Like a Thai Day 2: Losing Money in My Sleep
- Living Like a Thai Day 4: Pee Baa Falang
- Living Like a Thai Day 5: It’s a Wash
- Living Like a Thai Day 6: The Frugal Tightwad
- Living Like a Thai Day 7: I’m Bored
- Living Like a Thai Day 8: Going AWOL
- Living Like a Thai Day 9: Falling Down That Mountain
- Living Like a Thai Day 10: The Belt Tightening Begins
- Living Like a Thai Day 11: Tofu, Really?
- Living Like A Thai Day 12: Going Native, Almost
- Living Like a Thai Day 13: Lunch with the Ladies
- Living Like a Thai Day 14: The Late Edition or Quiet Be
- Living Like a Thai Day 15: Halfway there!
- Living Like a Thai Day 16: Beer & Vegetables
- Living Like a Thai Day 17: Red Moon Eclipse Edition
- Living Like a Thai Day 18: Once in a Blue Moon
- Living Like a Thai Days 19 & 20: Ringing the Bell
- Living Like a Thai Days 21 & 22: Aircon Down Pigs Cooking
- Living Like a Thai Day 23: Put a Fork in it…I’m Done
The belt tightening begins
With my falling off the budget wagon as it were the other night I have very little to live on daily now. With just a tad over 100 baht to spend a day there is absolutely no room for error if I am going to make it to the end of the month. Food and water will never be an issue as I know where and how to eat well and cheaply and while I am supplementing my meals with ramen noodles for the most part I am eating 2-3 quality hot Thai meals a day.
It’s the extras that have me worried for the budget a little. Things, like laundry, hygene products, and Jack Coke err um possible unintended spending like getting sick and needing to go to the clinic. It’s going to be tight but I sill think I can make it.
Living Like a Thai Day 10
As you can see by the opening picture I was running low on ramen noodles and needed to pick up some more. As per Claudio in early comments on this thread I searched out the noodle packs instead of the packaged noodle cups and found what I like. A 5 pack package of spicy pork flavored noodles was just 54 baht ( $1.83 ) at Carrefour/Big C ( they almost have the new signage up ). On my way to the supermarket I stopped by a fruit stand and had an unripe mango for breakfast…for those that don’t know an unripe mango has the same consistency as an apple and it’s very good. Total spend for my mango breakfast was 20 baht ( $.68 ).
I had a lot to do today so I pretty much skipped lunch but decided on a very good dinner. I headed up to the night market on Soi Bucow Bookow Buakow and drooled my way around the various food stalls until I found what I was looking for. Spicy pork and rice with 2 chicken heart skewers at a whopping 30 baht ( $1.02 ). That’s my exact budget for the day 
Observations today: I am going to start working out in the mornings after my walk swimming or hitting the gym, coupled with eating healthier for the most part I might just be able to get into decent shape.
Living Like a Thai Day 10 Totals.
| Purchase | Amount | Cost | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mango | 1 | 20 baht | 20 baht |
| Ramen noodles | 5-pack | 54 baht | 54 baht |
| Dinner | 1 | 30 baht | 30 baht |
| Day 10 Total | 104 baht ( $3.54 ) | ||
| June Totals | 1705 baht ( $58.05 ) | 1809 baht ( $61.59 ) |
Well, that’s all for today…hopefully tomorrow will be trouble free
Blog Post RSS
Awww thanks for telling me that it’s chicken hearts on those skewers!
I have eaten those in blissful ignorance many a time. Knowing what they are I don’t think I can eat them again…
Aaron, I can understand eating them once or twice and not knowing what they are but how can you eat them often and not notice they are miniature hearts on a stick? They are tasty though…
Willful ignorance on my part I guess…:)
Buckle-down Talen.
This is when the real test comes in !
A throw-back to a monk’s living, or we haven’t reached that point as yet?
Whatever it is, have FUN all the way … ! It can be done, even when frugal.
Joe, I have a Wat just up the street and the thought has crossed my mind to join the order…as it is I would get a free haircut, food and lodging…come to think of it free clothes and laundry too but I don’t think they would like my lady friends much
how much is pasta compared to noodles , might make a nice change , also is there anything cheap to add to your water ? Here I can get powdered lemonade etc , maybe its time to build a still in the back yard to make some moonshine
Dave, Pasta is relatively expensive all things considered. There is gatorade typw powder to put in drinks so that is a pretty good idea as it’s fairly cheap.
i would have suggested having a couple of thai style …….tv and remote control days to increase slightly the daily limit but you are already almost down to a minimum
Arch, I think that’s more of a reality than a suggestion
“It’s the extras that have me worried for the budget a little. Things, like laundry, hygiene products…”
Hmmm… sounds like the comment you made on day three is starting to haunt you :
“I didn’t realize I would be barred from buying hygiene products…even on 133 baht a day I think I can afford a bar of soap at least…”
Chuck, it gets worse…as of right now after I showered I am out of soap, shampoo and toothpaste
I just polished off a Family Mart CP Spaghetti Carbonara for 69 baht and feel guilty.
My ex-GF fed me a couple of chicken parts on a stick one night and I couldn’t figure out what they were, except they were difficult to get anything out of them. She was happily chewing away on them. It was a day or two later when I asked and she told me they were bums. Hearts or bums, I think I’d choose hearts! Thank Buddha for the delay.
Tally ho, Talen!
Rick, I love the chicken skin skewers that have the butthole right at the to
I’d go with the hearts as well 
I personally relish the chicken breasts pressed between bamboo and I understand eating the hearts, the skin and a-hole not so much, but, what I really don’t get is eating the feet.
My wife loves them. She buys chicken foot soup with an extra bowl full of feet. When she is done she has two empty bowls and a pile of Phalanges in front of her.
If this was something she grew up with it might make more sense but it isn’t. She didn’t have chicken foot soup until she moved to Pattaya – and then she fell in love with it.
Chuck, I love the chicken pressed between bamboo too. I will never understand the chicken feet thing, every now and then I get offered a bowl of soup and it always has a chicken foot in it…I decline.
OMG – Tiin Gai – I did try it once to be polite to the future in-laws — and was one of those things that was actually just as bad as you might imagine it would be. I just don’t get it – what is there besides skin, cartiage, and bones? The broth I guess I could bear at least. They have chix feet at the Asain store here, but so far my wife has only teased me that she’s planning on cooking up a new batch. Funny – I don’t think they serve that local delicacy at the fancy Thai restaurant here in town…
Chicken feets is nasty business…but I bet if you find a good Thai restaurant and ask nicely they will serve you a bowl.