Hey Everyone - Im new and going to phuket on a budget

[PhuketonBudget]

Hey,

I'm heading to Phuket For a month early next year. As the name suggests im going on a budget. Don't worry i have read the stickys etc but i have a few things i want to say and ask. Hopefully this is readable as im terrible at writing but i'll try and keep it organised. So after that shitty introduction lets get on with it.


Firstly Budget.

Now my main reason for going to phuket, is to train Muay Thai. As i said i'm going for a month and trying to take close to 100,000Bt. My training and Accomodation comes to 20,000 so that leaves me 80,000 for the month.

Now i'm staying in Chalong, which i believe according to google is 25 mins car drive away. So i am hoping the prices for food etc will be a little less than patong. I've budgeted £5000 bt for food and water. for the month. Obviously i'm going to be heading into patong. But i am really going to try and limit myself to at most 3 times a week.

Plus paying the maid to clean , bring fresh towels water etc and laundry.
Want to get some training equipment too, as well as setting aside money for a motorbike and other activities during the day.

I have really been put off by alot of you saying you take 5000bt out with you for nights out. I'm not sure how you can spend so much. I always thought thailand was cheap, but your talking close to £100. At that rate i'll never last a month.

I think im going to limit myself to 6 LT (6000) But knowing me i'll probally go over that. so first question i guess is. Will the bar girls go to chalong? also will i be expected to give them extra for the taxi home or do they pay out of their LT money?

I know its not exactly a bank breaker, but i like to plan things out. Because i also have to get a 2 hour massage (no extra) after training everyday , with some scuba diving etc. All of which i have to budget for.

I'm going by myself, so i really want to make sure i experience everything as well as taking time to get rid of stress and relax. As im by myself i'll probally head over to the MTB. That being said, i do have one thing i want to talk about Freebies. Now personaly i wont be getting any of these, because i dont want to be caught out the next day. So i'll always arrange a price before i go.

However i know alot of you get upset about this. You tend to play the (she has to feed her family card). I hope i dont offend anyone but, that to me sounds like people trying to justify paying for sex. Mabye because they feel guilty?

I mean paying a girl for sex is taking advantage of the bad situation they are in. so the people who have a go at the ones who get away without paying are a bit hypocritical. (no offence). The real damage is done when you have sex with a girl who would normally be out of your league, because she gets a comfortable bed for the night and some money.

Now i will be doing this, so im not saying you shouldnt pay for sex. My point is this, paying for sex is taking advantage of a girls situation and an all round shitty thing to do. Anyone who does it (me included) should realise this, and mabye not blow a fuse when someone gets away without paying, because really they are no worse than the ones who pay.

Also the bar girls make alot of money compared to others in Thailand. Who is to say they might like a guy and want some fun, as opposed to going with somone they dont like and getting paid for it. They probally had a good night of lady drinks and their cut of the bar fine. So its Fair enough.

Also i know alot of you count the girls as friends or girlfriends when you leave the county. which is why it upsets you, i don't doubt you like each other. But how many of your friends send you emails about a sick buffalo and ask for money. or how many of your gfs, have sex with other guys?

Again im not trying to cause offence because im saying the same about myself. Plus i'll probally bump into a few of you in MTB and don't want you thinking im a prick. Just an opinion and you can disagree, debate is healthy .

So if you dont want to read all that, the bottom line is

The bar girls take us for idiots, whith more money than brains. They don't really respect us and obviously don't respect themselves. Thats not to say i'll be nasty to them. I'll be nice and kind as i always am,id actually pride myself on trying to give them what would be a nice night where they got well treated in comparason. But i'll never trust them for one second. I also wont feel bad for them.

Anyone agree with this?


Cheers.

[Matt Knickerbox]

Originally Posted by PhuketonBudget

Hey,


Anyone agree with this?


Cheers.

No, but good luck.

enjoy

[PhuketonBudget]

sorry you think that. Wasn't trying to troll, Just an opinion thats all. hey i can accept that lol

No hard feelings.

[Nicke]

Just a word of freebies, then you should also know you belongs to her and she will become very upset once you move on to next girl, and that can ends badly. As you are a kind of boyfriend then.

Easier to pay and keep it business, freebies are not.

IMHO by not paying is also abusing the girl, which I dont like. Some people tends to believe bgs makes a lot of money, a few does, most dont.

[easyrider_au]

Nicke, my apologies for flaming in the newbie section.

My thoughts are still the same nevertheless.

[Hobbsy]

If you want freebies and think you can get them - go for it - but go for it with non BGs if you don't want hassles. If you pick up in a "pay" for play area then you should expect to pay.

And paying for a girl who expects to be paid for sex is not taking advantage. Not paying IS.

Many of us can get freebies its not difficult but our 'experience' tells us they come with their own baggage which makes it easier just to pay and keep it a business transaction.

[karma]

i tend to get a lil agressive when i read ' i didnt have to pay '.
sitting in a pattaya bar one night talking to a girl 2 men came to the bar one of them stairing at 'my' girl. she told me she had gone with him the night b4, and as she would leave in the morning he told her that there had been no discussion about money so he wouldnt pay her anything. that was low season and i knew she was very dissapointed.
perhaps (hopefully) after spending some time in los u'll get a different viewpoint about the whole thing.
anyway i'd say this is a good 'rule' to follow:

Originally Posted by Nicke

Easier to pay and keep it business, freebies are not.

[sishow]

If you get a reputation for not paying, dont expect any bg/fls to go anywhere near you!

Remember you are they for a month of fun, the girls are not, there are in the bars/disco's to work.

If you do find tg's to agree to no money, they tend to think of you as more of a long term benefit. So when/if you are seen with another girl, or ignore them, they will go mental. And a mental Thai lady is not the best enemy to have, especially if they know where you live!!!!!!!!!!!

[Setanta]

From one paddy to another... how the f... are you going to spend so much if your primary purpose is to train muay thai.

Seems to me that your ambitions exceed the time allotted. Take it easy son. Don't plan too far ahead. Just relax it will all fall into place.

Don't be a cheapie charle. Pay the ladies. they earn their money.

[faultytowers]

Originally Posted by PhuketonBudget

Firstly Budget.

so that leaves me 80,000 for the month.

Sound good but Thailand (especially Phuket) is not as cheap as people think.

Now i'm staying in Chalong, which i believe is 25 mins car drive away.

Factor in tuktuk/motorbike fares to Patong (?? 3 times a week ??)

I've budgeted £5000 bt for food and water. for the month.

5000 baht for a month = 1250 per week = under 180 baht per day. If you are training hard you will be starving when you finish , plus high temperature/humidity means you will need lots of water.

Obviously i'm going to be heading into patong. But i am really going to try and limit myself to at most 3 times a week.

Plus paying the maid to clean , bring fresh towels water etc and laundry.
Want to get some training equipment too, as well as setting aside money for a motorbike and other activities during the day.

Lots of added expenses , your budget is disappearing fast !!!

I think im going to limit myself to 6 LT (6000) But knowing me i'll probally go over that. so first question i guess is. Will the bar girls go to chalong? also will i be expected to give them extra for the taxi home or do they pay out of their LT money?

If you manage to get a LT for 1000 baht (in High Season) who is willing to travel to Chalong , then I think they would at least expect you to pay their taxi home.

I know its not exactly a bank breaker, but i like to plan things out. Because i also have to get a 2 hour massage (no extra) after training everyday , with some scuba diving etc. All of which i have to budget for.

2 hour massage everyday , plus scuba diving !!!!! , even more of your "budget" gone.





I think you need to stop and think about your plans/budget again , I think your expectations far exceed what you will be able to afford. Either increase your budget or take a serious look at what you can realistically do without ending up flat broke for your last week.


No comment on the rest of your post , flaming is not permitted in the Newbies Area.

[PhuketonBudget]

Thanks everyone for the replies, espically the last one about the budget situation. I'll take it all on board.

From one paddy to another... how the f... are you going to spend so much if your primary purpose is to train muay thai.

Well i was going to bring less than that until i read what the people on here spend.

Looking at the last post, that would suggest i need more.

Ok Training and Accom 20,000
Food and water 9,000 (meals in camp comes to 80 baht on average) water is 5baht
Laundry 800 baht (month)
motorbike -------------4000 (month)
fresh towels clean sheets 800 baht month
massage, sauna, pool, 400 for each time say 3 a week 1200 x 4 = 4800


Total = 39,400 on necessities. Round that up to 45,000 because there are always other little bits and pieces etc.

Thats leaves 55,000 for fun. Thats near 2,000 a day on fun activities, i obviously wont be going scuba diving etc everyday. So that more than enough ?

Am i missing anything?

Again apologies if i pissed anyone off, i accept because i havent been before, you would havea better understand of the bar girl scene than me. But like i said i will always pay, ill make sure upfront that the price is 1000 baht.

BTW i'm going in may which is low season right?

[faultytowers]

Originally Posted by PhuketonBudget

motorbike -------------4000 (month)

Just make sure you have good insurance , hospital fees can be very expensive !!!!.

[shez21]

I've never been one to have a set budget.
I tend to set aside a certain amount of money in my bank account for my holiday and on arrival I don't go silly with my money.

You've never been before so you may find it hard to "pull your head in" when it comes to spending. You may get caught up in the atmosphere of the place.....in fact....you will.......and this could end up in a budget blowout.

My advice is when you arrive, don't be so fixated on 1000bht for this.....and 2000bht for that.
Your opinions, needs and desires will change once you are amongst it.
For example, you may find that you don't want a motorbike all the time. All of a sudden you've got more baht to play with.

If I may try and give you an example of pre-conceived ideas and plans.
I am a Firefighter and I never ... ever..... go to a fire with a set or rigid plan.
I always have an idea of what I will do but I have to allow for each set of circumstances.
Have an idea....not an exact plan ...of what you will do and how you will spend your money......and do things accordingly once you arrive and you are in amongst it.

I agree with the other BM's about creating a difficult situation if you get a freebie and then move on to another girl. Can be big trouble. Word will spread and trust me it does....and then all of a sudden your choices are narrowed.
Always give them something.

Above all else.....enjoy yourself.

[PhuketonBudget]

Hey good advice. Thinking about it, you can rent motorbikes a day at a time. So i guess i can just do that if im stuck, can always get the bus during the day.

I'm just shitting myself incase i run out. Or more to the point shitting myself because i know i'll probably get a taste for going out and going home with an attractive woman and ill blow all my money on that.

Just hope i can keep my eye on the fact i'm there to train 80& of the time i'll allow 20% for play

[flipside]

Originally Posted by PhuketonBudget

The bar girls take us for idiots, whith more money than brains. They don't really respect us and obviously don't respect themselves. Thats not to say i'll be nasty to them. I'll be nice and kind as i always am,id actually pride myself on trying to give them what would be a nice night where they got well treated in comparason. But i'll never trust them for one second. I also wont feel bad for them.

Anyone agree with this?

Cheers.

Not really. You're making sweeping generalisations about people you've never met. You ought to judge each encounter on its own merits.

That said, I do feel that the whole scene is often tinged with a kind of sadness, both for the girls and their customers. And, I do feel bad for girls; it's not a fair world and there's no reason why I should have the advantages I do simply because I was born where I was.

Anyway, whenever I meet any of the girls, I'll do my best not to have any preconceptions at all about what kind of person she is.

[zarf]

Trying to budget can be a nightmare when there are so many tempting options available!
Why not just put as much as you can in your account (preferably one that doesn't charge for a withdrawal) and you can adjust the amount you are spending as you go?

[Caerphilly]

If your budget is so tight you may have noticed nearly 5% drop in exchange rate over last few weeks, may be best to set your budget based around a pesermistic exchange rate

[MrDK]

It can be done on 100k, however, money seems to have their own legs at times. Beverages in bars can quickly run up. Being there for training you may by default have to limit your alcohol intake. Going for a massage (only) is sometimes easier said than done and another 3-500 baht have found legs.

I don't know what exactly it will cost you to take a tuk-tuk from to Patong and back, however, when I was there last I stayed in Karon (shorter distance) and I paid between 300 and 350 each way. That is 300+ to go there, 300+ to go home with a lady and finally 300+ to send the lady back in the morning. All in all 1,000 baht in transportation for a LT. The LT will be a minimum of 1,000 baht, sometimes it could be 1,500; for good measure lets say 1,250. In addition to that comes a BF of up to 500 and don't think you can get by without at least a few LD; likely another 500. All in all it looks like you are spending upwards of 4,000 baht for a LT, plus the cost of what you will be consuming yourself. As you can see going out with 5k is not extravagant.

So just maybe you can do it on 100k and still have a bit of fun. It was me I would secure some reserves and plan not to use it ... but should it be needed it is there. The last thing you want is to go home wishing you had another 50k baht.

[Slow]

There are many ways to respect a BG

!. Always pay
2, The way you pay says a lot about you, and can increase your favor many times over.

I used the old red envelope trick, and it never failed to get a huge and very pleasant response. Just discreetly leave it on her purse when you go to shower. Also when spending a few days or more with a Lady be sure and give her some spending money, separate form what you are going to pay her, it easy to forget that these girls don'thave the resources we take for granete.

[Hunter Valley]

I too have decided to set myself a budget for my LOS holiday.

$$$$ SPEND $$$$.

No point going on a holiday to watch the dollars.

$5000 Aussie dollars will see my holiday in LOS for weeks well spent.

HV.

[ThaiLearner]

Hi

There is a chap on another board who is staying a long time in LOS and he has managed to average 1100 bht a day inc rent but excluding deposits , this is in Pattaya.

[MrDK]

Originally Posted by ThaiLearner

Hi

There is a chap on another board who is staying a long time in LOS and he has managed to average 1100 bht a day inc rent but excluding deposits , this is in Pattaya.

During a 500 baht ST in Pattaya I usually can make 2 deposits.

[Nootcrapper]

I live in Rawai. I think you will find everything to satisfy all your needs in Chalong or nearby Rawai. Lots of choices for food, bars, BG's, BB's and live entertainment but not on the scale of Patong or even near it. If you