Welcome to the “About Me” page on the my monthly spend section. I wanted to write this page to give you more information about me and my circumstances. Without this the numbers and information in the following articles could be taken out of context.
Personal Details
Name: Richard
Age: 31
From: Reading, England
Lives: La Salle, Bangkok
Time in Thailand: 2 years ( arrived May 2013 )
Income: Between 65,000 – 90,000 Baht a month ( from Thailand and UK )
Income
I work in Thailand at a language school. I really enjoy my job and I get to meet a wide variety of people everyday. I never really get stressed at work and I can be creative in the activities and classes I conduct. My job includes medical and dental insurance.
I also have money coming in from the UK. I have part ownership of a house which is rented out and have savings. However, all this money is kept in the UK to pay off the cost of my accommodation here ( see below )
My income varies monthly depending on the number of hours I teach and the performance of my savings in the UK.
What I Will Include
In my reports I will include information on the following. More details on each can be found below this list.
Accommodation – My monthly outgoing for my condo
Utility Bills – Electricity, Water, Internet, Cable and Mobile Phone
Transport – My cost of travelling to work and around Bangkok
Food – Eating in restaurants and shopping at supermarkets etc.
General shopping – Non-food items I buy such as clothes, toiletries, electronics etc.
Entertainment – Drinking, Partying and general trips like cinema etc
Travel – Any travel / holidays I go on.
Others – Anything else not included in the above.
Accommodation
As you will see my biggest outgoing is for my condo which I purchased in April 2015. The money for this comes from both the UK and Thailand and money is sent back to cover this every month. In 5 years the condo will be paid off.
It cost 2.6 Million Baht and after paying a deposit I transferred the remaining balance from the UK. I loaned the money and pay it back at 30,000 Baht a month. I will have this paid off in 5 years when another property I have part ownership of is sold.
The condo is 64 sq metres and has 2 bedrooms, a living / dining / kitchen area and a bathroom. It is a corner unit which is something I really value as I get lots of natural light and fresh air into the condo. I have lived in 1 bedroom units and having to use the lights all day when you’re inside isn’t fun. It also means I don’t need as much AC with a fresh breeze blowing through all day. The price included all furniture and electrical equipment so I was happy with the price I paid.
I live alone in my condo, my girlfriend lives around 15 minutes away with her mum. I have a lot of space to relax and invite friends over. The kitchen means I can make my own food which is great when I fancy western food. Cooking pasta, pork chops and a full English breakfast was not impossible in a studio room but now it’s part of normal life for me.
With a bigger size condo comes higher bills right? Well actually I have the corner room so that fresh breeze means less on AC and as you will see my electricity bills aren’t crazy. Internet, water and TV bills are also reasonable. Yearly I have to pay a maintenance fee of around 10,000 Baht which covers facilities and cleaning etc.
Utility Bills
In my condo I have a True TV and Internet package which gives me 20 MB broadband and 101 channels of TV. I also have to pay electricity directly to the MEA at 7/11 and water to the juristic department at my condo. I use DTAC and change packages to include various amounts of internet data and calls.
Transport
This will cover getting to/ from work and transport for getting around. I live away from the BTS and MRT so this will mainly be buses, taxis and songthaews.
Food
I normally eat out in a restaurant 3 times a week and this section will cover those costs along with other food I buy to take home or cook at home.
General Shopping
This section is for other items I buy in shops not related to food. Things such as books, electronics, toiletries and clothes will be in here.
Entertainment
As you can see for this blog I wrote for Ajarn.com my lifestyle has changed in my second year compared to my first here.
I have cut back on the partying but will include details here of my spend and also include trips to the cinema etc.
Travel
This section will cover my holiday spending and costs.
Others
Any extra costs will be added to this section.
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