Monthly food budget ?

[Jello]

Here's yet another Monthly Food Budget post for you to consider-

I haven’t been keeping a monthly tally (been afraid to since I started going to Villa) but I do keep all my receipts. I do not budget when it comes to food. I buy what I want as long as the price seems reasonable to me.

But, after reading this thread I decided to total up my receipts from last month to see how bad it was. Here's the results:

At home I eat western style food most of the time. I do all my grocery shopping between Makro, Tesco, and Villa. The total of all receipts last month was 16,000. This is not only food but dog food for 2 large dogs and household items such as laundry soap, toiletries and cleaning supplies.

We ate out 4 times last month for a total of 2,000B.

The wife hits the market for her Thai food ingredients that I didn't get. I don't keep track of that, but from what I see I'd estimate she spends no more than 200B per day average, so 6,000B per month.
(My wife works and I don't monitor what she does with her money.)

Total spent 24,000B for 2 adults, 2 children and 2 dogs.

I'm not doin as bad as I thought!
I think you food budget is a reasonable amount Bumper. If it's not enough then maybe time to change a bit and give up the luxury of Spam !

[bumper]

Got the luxury items, covered I will buy them myself. But, I like the Lobster a lot better then I do Spam

Actually feels like I'm getting something special for my money.

That part is easy buy all my meat from Chern Chen, so I will pay there an see if that makes a difference.

As much as I hate I will join the shopping trips.

I've gotten really good feed back, that really helps when your flying blind. I can't complain I have an excellent retirement, the trick is trying keep some of it for my wife's future and making sure she is debt free. While still enjoying my retirement within reasonable limits.

[mortiboy]

Looking at all these posts, I feel so humble towards my wife.
Although we live comfortable, have enough food,
It seems, by seeing the way most farangs enjoy, to me, a very comfortable living indeed.
I would love to be in same position. Not for me, as I am happy with my standard of living here.
But seems compared with other farangs here, I am really back of the crowd.
So I feel disappointed that I cant give my wife same joys of better living standards.
However,she still happy with what we got.
I would not want disclose to her the standard of living other farangs have.
I think she would be surprised!
As I already said,my food bill is about 6,000 baht.
Spend 2,000 baht in the month on meat.
So compared with 25,000 baht ,I dont think I could spend that on food if I could!

[Paladin]

I pay out 25000 baht each month.
I give TW 10000 Baht to which she does what she likes. Its her money.
Rent is 5000 Baht, the rest is for food to which 2000 Baht a week is spent. There is only the two of us.
2000 Baht pays for Internet. electricity and water.
Only on rare occasions do I go shopping, I consider it to be a woman's thing and she is very happy to go out and do her own thing. The first word a female baby says is "SHOPPING" and I am sure we have all heard them say that many times and they are much happier when they pay the cashier.

[trubrit]

This topic has made me evaluate my own supermarket shopping over the last month, mind you it includes a few Xmas extras that I wouldn't normally buy, but excludes all my alcohol purchases.Top of the list is Ngee Soon which is all dry goods as they don't sell fresh meats etc at 10k, followed by Makro, mostly fresh stuff at 8k, Chern Chim and Tesco at 6k each, Big C and Tops at 3k each .I reckon I spent about 5k over normal for festive stuff, which brings me back to the original 25k per month as per Bumps OP.We grow most of the Thai somtum stuff in the garden along with a few fish in a tank and our yearly consumption of rice is given as rent on my wife's land that is farmed out ,so local market purchases are negligible .

[bumper]

Look living within your means is nothing to be ashamed of. Rather I would say that is something to be proud of. Good for you. Your wife has an excellent husband it's not all about money.

I wasn't always in this position the first two years here were very tight. There was no car, ect. I was still paying child Support. Two of the retirements that I now have didn't exist then. It has been a building process I also love a good Peanut Butter and jelly sandwhich. That can go a long way through a month.

We have a housekeeper so the wife can go on rides with us. The house and the dogs get taken carer of while we are we away. Other then that we really don't need one. As Truebrit pointed out that number includes more the just food.

Money will never make you a good or bad man.

[Paladin]

Bumper, you are right. People make money, money does not make people

[welshwizard]

Look living within your means is nothing to be ashamed of. Rather I would say that is something to be proud of. Good for you. Your wife has an excellent husband it's not all about money.

I wasn't always in this position the first two years here were very tight. There was no car, ect. I was still paying child Support. Two of the retirements that I now have didn't exist then. It has been a building process I also love a good Peanut Butter and jelly sandwhich. That can go a long way through a month.

We have a housekeeper so the wife can go on rides with us. The house and the dogs get taken carer of while we are we away. Other then that we really don't need one. As Truebrit pointed out that number includes more the just food.

Money will never make you a good or bad man.

Very well put . Its a pity a few more of the udon farang as mr pompous and friends do not share your views and continuously deride those with less money than them calling them names as cheapie charlie and want to put the visas up to keep the riff raff because they cannot afford the luxury food and that they eat. I like you am in the early years of thailand and find money tight. I am ok because i am strong minded have travelled a lot and only eat thai food except for bread butter and tea.
Hollidays and good time are what to spend your money on not lots of food .
ww
Never visited a farang bar or shop as bi would never pay those crazy 200/300% more than uk prices they charge.
Would never pay more than 80baht for a 50 baht beer anywhere .
I spend about 10,000 baht a month on food for myself wife and kid. My income with my wife is about 45,000baht a month and i spend every baht but on things i think are important not on expensive imported foods or beers.
When i get to 65 i will have 3 pensions and lots bahts but will eat the same food ,perhaps more restaurants but jelly sandwichs mmmm perhaps i will buy some this week, brings back memories.

[udonthani]

we use around 10K/month for 2 adoults and 2 children at 18 and 15, and we eat mostly Thai food. We are shopping at the local market in Nong Samrong and in Tesco, we are very seldom eating farang food (well, it happens) and we are not drinking much alkohol nor does we smoke. My wife and I are sometimes going to nuaeng gauli for eating, but not every month, my wife is preparing Esan food 3 timed/week for her parents and we are doing fine with this budget. My adwise is twofold: do your shopping yourself for at least 1 month, and 2. make a budget and ask for all the reciepts.
In our budget is not cloth, school money, gasoline or insurance, and we are doing fine and not miss anything.

[bumper]

Actually I'm pretty much at peace with the way things turned out.

Thanks for the input.

[SJP17]

Though im not a full time Udon resident i do spend at least a few months there every year and i am always amazed by the quality and range of local food we have at pretty good prices ,

generally my plan is to have a british style breakfast most days usually at home sometimes a hotel buffet , beans or scrambled eggs and toast, sometimes cereal and fruit, then for the rest of the day i eat is thai food cause thats whats on offer , i dont really miss the british food and find that the thai stuff seems to bring my weight down and i never feel the same hunger pangs and cravings i get back home.

Last time out for a month i never had anything out of a packet or what could be considered processed food and i lost 16 pounds , and most days drank a few beers

I would estimate our food bill for the month in thailand was about 12000 to 15000 baht , a recent shop in my local tesco was £204 on food only and within a week i was back buying bits and pieces , so i would say for us when in thailand our food budget is at least halved.

[hippo]

in many city in Thailand there is this franchise chain where you can eat good food and fair price....steak pork 50 baht

[parrot]

in many city in Thailand there is this franchise chain where you can eat good food and fair price....steak pork 50 baht

It's Uncle Mustache's Steaks! (สเต็ก ลุงหนวด) Looks good!

[mac1966]

Looks great value. Where are they

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[hippo]

60 baht


image hosting

[wiking]

hippo you need to go to farang restaurants -

[mac1966]

Why

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[the-monk]

Where is that 60 baht-steak place in Udon ?
Thanks

[hippo]

Little sweet because Thai-style but......50 baht

url immagine

[chenpodorje]

When I was in Phuket, I managed to find the Isaan restaurants there and had 50 baht pad thai dinner each day sometimes gai yang and sticky rice with som tum came to about 60 baht, but loads of food.
Then I cam back home here to Isaan and I still eat each meal for only 30 baht in a restaurant. Sometimes I get the ready meals from Tesco for 19 baht for a lunch. Sometimes I go to a restaurant and get a big noodle soup filled with meat and vegetables for 30 baht. If I go to farang places, I pay a lot more obviously.
Last week I was waiting for some cash to come over from Blighty and had 300 baht last me the whole week, including petrol. When I first came over here, I didn't care too much and would blow 2k on a dinner for me and the missus in an expensive farang place. Sometimes I still go out for BBQ restaurant and if I do might bring my weekly spend up to just under 1k for one person. I think it really depends on what you want to do and your tastes.