Monthly food budget ?

[bumper]

This probably seems strange coming from a old timer. But, I wonder if I have really lost touch with the cost of food, these days.

Our food budget is 25 K baht a month. I eat about 80% farrang food. The 25 K doesn't include things like lobster. No beer or booze involved,

I really felt this was more then adequate, until I saw that a small can of SPAM at big C was 187 baht, That is around $6.00 Pretty hefty for junk meat.

When you include the housekeepers meals and the drop by the brother might as well say we are feeding three people, on that budget

We seem to come up short every month. That is causing friction in our home.

I asked my wife to explain it all to me. She has no clue on what she spends money on.

She says it's enough. But then there is that nagging problem of coming up short each month.

The other side of that coin is if I gave her 200K a month she would spend it and still have nothing to show for it.

So I'm kind of at a loss here of what those costs really are.

Can you guys give me a little feed back here. Please keep in mind everything other then food is already covered in the budget.

So three people one eating 80% farrang food. I guess I'm looking for comfortable cushion to avoid the monthly argument. Without being stupid about out. I will start joining the shopping trips, in an effort to learn again.

Feed back would be appreciated

[trineax]

feedback about what?

[semperfiguy]

Sounds like an awful lot of money to me Bumper. I don't spend one baht that doesn't come directly out of my wallet to pay for groceries and eating out. In other words I am personally present for the spending of all my money. If we go to the street market for veggies/fruits, then I pay each vendor for the goods. If we go to Makro, Tesco, Big-C, etc, then I am there to personally pay the cashier. It's not that I don't trust my wife, but that's the way I have done it since the beginning and I don't intend to change it. Nobody is a better manager of my money than myself. I doubt if I spend more than 10,000 baht per month on groceries and eating out, and we eat out at least 1 meal per day if not more...no booze, no cigs...only healthy food and plenty of it.

[bumper]

I'm thinking it should be adequate and comfortable budget. I hate shopping. But, I guess I have to go learn the drill again.

We will see what the money goes to, might even stay on budget If I'm there.

Thanks for your input, almost like asking what a rai of land is worth, always worth what someone will pay for it.

trineax, what is your monthly food budget? That is what I'm looking for feed back on.

[trineax]

my is 6-7k, I live alone and eat thai food.sometimes spend money for buffet or fastfood,but seldom - 1 time per 2 weeks.drink alcohol very very seldom also.
my menu:
rice and chicken/beef/pork
egg noodle
rice noodle
boiled eggs
milk
peenuts
fruits
some of seafood

[papaguido]

Bumper,

I'm the opposite, eating Thai food most of the time and usually go out for it or take away. Western food I make at home and occasionally go out for it. I do the shopping myself, mainly because I'm the one that prepares meals at home. I don't have a set budget for food and it varies depending on what I prepare. However, I know that most of, if not all my savings comes from shopping at Ngee Soon and Makro. I only shop at Tesco, Big C, Tops and Villa for items I cant find at the first two.

There's a significant difference in pricing, especially western food products (and even Thai food products). Generally, Makro & Ngee Soon tend to be up to 20bt cheaper than the other markets. You quoted Spam at 187 at Big C, Makro its 167. Another example, Mrs Butterworth pancake syrup its about 10bt cheaper at Makro vs Tops market.

[parrot]

First things first, Bumper.....Spam isn't junk meat in Thailand. It's imported meat....and that's why it's expensive.
The simplest way to solve your money concerns is to do a daily tally in an excel spreadsheet or just a piece of paper......simple way to see where the money flows:
Market veggies/fruit - xxx
Market meat - xxx
Tesco/Big C/Makro ---
Eating out - xxx
Keep your big store receipts....itemize further if you want. But track everything for a month.....or two.

At the end of the month, you can see where the money went.

If you're buying lots of stuff in Villa or the other falang-oriented stores, you're going to end up with bigger bills. My wife and I buy virtually no expat-type goods....buy most our meats, veggies and fruits in the Sunday market (cheap).....eat out a few times a week at reasonable restaurants. Most all our dry-goods are bought at Ngeesoon....most everything else from a supermarket is at Makro. We buy rice for our maid and feed her and the gardener from time to time. Average eating expenses about $500 and rising all the time.
If you were to turn the tables......you buying your Spam at US prices and your wife buying her fish sauce and fermented fish at imported prices, you'd be spending a lot more...at least, that's how it turns out every time we go back to the US for vacation.

[Drunk Monkey]

Bumper .. done some quick numbers and works out way less for our monthly food expenditure , thats for me Dao and 13 yr old son - even added his school money on to the equation as he has buy food at school ,,, not included Bisto the dog as he has a sugar grandaddy !!.

25k SEEMS WAY TOO MUCH MATE .... i know your busy on the farm etc but the answer is for you to take Parrots n others advice and do the shopping yourself for a couple of months at least and log it down ... do some numbers .....BTW no lobster tails OK or bang goes the budget they are some what of a luxury item !!

DM

[ting_tong]

I have to throw the: you are watching whats in front of you, baht whats up with that, gold, financing and investing..........I would of thought you have your back covered?

if you stir the pot now, you may end up at square one (day 1), stir slowly and carefully, be careful of what you say!
I told one of my now divorced friends "let sleeping dogs lie" "ignorance is bliss"

[trineax]

"I asked my wife to explain it all to me. She has no clue on what she spends money on."

btw nice wife

[jackspratt]

My wife gets a monthly allowance with which to pay for food (not all), school expenses, village funerals etc etc.

I must confess I have better things to do than follow her around and watch how she spends every baht. I prefer to treat her as an equal, and an adult. =D>

[glalt]

My wife always hated to ask me for money. Several years ago I asked her to sit down and figure out how mush money she needed for everything. She came back with a figure of 25,000 baht per month. I told her that I would give her 30,000 baht per month and whatever she had left over she could do with whatever she wanted. She pays everything, pays all the utilities, my Internet, all our clothes and all our food, including my cigarettes. I have to pay for my own beer. In the past year she has been complaining that she frequently is running out of money. She has her own income so she has not asked me for more. As far as food, I rarely eat farang food but I do want fresh fruit, ice cream and some sweets. The household expenses are entirely her responsibility and everything still works fine even though inflation has made her budget tighter.

[Harpo]

[quote="parrot"]First things first, Bumper.....Spam isn't junk meat in Thailand. It's imported meat....and that's why it's expensive.

Second things second, Parrot Sir, Bumpers correct, maybe he should of said.....Spam is Junk Meat imported into Thailand, maybe that is why it's expensive (being imported)....this is of course being in my humble opinion only Sir P.....

On topic....good idea is to go shopping with the good lady wife and get a grasp on were the money goes....I go with my wife shopping....meat chicken and veg, at Sunday markets and the like, also supermarkets etc. so as to get a idea of our cost of living....no maids or gardener's to feed though.....cheers harpo

[Shado]

This probably seems strange coming from a old timer. But, I wonder if I have really lost touch with the cost of food, these days.

Prices for food have increased. I know that rice, eggs, vegetables, pork, chicken, limes, prik etc. have significantly increased in cost over the past 7 years or so. Little bundles of pak chee used to be ฿5, now it is ฿10 for example. Much of the produce in the fresh markets has increased by 50% or more. Our relatives in the village have certainly felt the higher prices. Lots of vendors have had to raise their prices from ฿30 per bowl to ฿40 or ฿50 per bowl for soups and rice dishes. Food here is not a cheap as it used to be.

[rick]

Cannot give an exact budget because maybe about one thirdto one half of our food is home grown. But we feed a family of 10 (6 adults, 4 children) on about 20,000 baht a month - this includes household and personal goods like soap, toothpaste, shampoo, nappies, toilet paper. Nearly impossible to keep track of where it all goes, but i know how much comes out of the ATM each month!

Most of the food is thai but i eat about 50% farang 'style'. I say style because i do not buy imported products if possible, finding a local substitute - so eat pork and chicken for meat, fish mainly from our ponds, most eggs from the chickens. Fruit and vegetable is mainly Thai grown, bought locally, or at Macro and the big fruit/veg market nearby (bulk buying not an issue for 10 people!); this cold season most cabbage from garden. Fruit juices, coffee, biscuits, snacks all Thai products and i do look for more economical brands, maybe loose a bit in taste and quality, however try to keep a balance; also limit the more expensive items.. Only imported products we buy regularly are potatoes, onions, carrots and baked beans. As for prices, yes 2009-2012 saw some rises but in 2013 i think actually went down a bit (baked beans went down, anyway...). Luxuries - buy a bar of chocolate now and then...
Overall 90% happy with what i eat. To get that to 95% would probably cost another 5,000 a month; higher than 95% not really possible as the rest just not readily available here.

[bumper]

No Lobster is not included on that guys, that one come out of my pocket. But I did miss one big one Meds for the month. So it's more like 20 K. That includes soaps ect. When she and the housekeeper eat lunch, normally five Thai items another 200 baht, six days a week.

So as I read what everyone else seems to spend in one form or another not to far off.

She has a budget that cover all household expenses the 20K now that is left is after those expenses have been paid, I will tag along, keep receipts a suggested. I prefer she works on her budget, I don't getting asked for money for everything all the time drives me nuts.

The key for me is making sure I have aloted enough in her budget. That going to take some tagging along to understand.

Thanks guys great input SPAM is not the only junk food I buy that is imported, love my Snickers May make a Frito run this month. Almost all my food is prepared at home. Thai dishes being the exception. Those cheaper to buy then to make.

[JimboPSM]

Shopping efficiently, like many things in life, requires quite some degree of work, organisation, discipline, planning and the amount of time people are prepared to devote to it - the time element should not be too much of a problem for those who are already retired.

It does not matter whether you are in Thailand, the UK, the US etc, there are usually plenty of ways that shopping (whether for groceries, household goods, travel etc) can be done more efficiently.

However, the most difficult part may be broaching the subject as it may need the exercise of considerable tact, diplomacy and a Kevlar vest

There are a lot of articles available on the internet which can help, this is one example:

• http://voices.yahoo.com/how-shop-grocer ... 20717.html

The budget you ultimately settle on will depend very much on the lifestyle that you want to have and whether you have the means to afford it

[rickfarang]

The way I dealt with the issue was to have my wife keep a spending diary for a month, then we went over it and settled on a budget for her based on what we agreed she needed.THB20,000 is a lot of money, especially if you aren't buying the prime steak so often.Get some kine of accountability.

Another approach: Collect the receipts for a month and see if it adds up. It would save your wife from having to keep a spending diary and you will have more confidence in the number.

[howard]

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Another approach: Collect the receipts for a month and see if it adds up. It would save your wife from having to keep a spending diary and you will have more confidence in the number.

I see a little problem here Rick excepting for the big stores (Big 'C', Tesco's and Macro's and the new Mall) most small businesses especially the markets probably don't even know what a receipt is. I never had a receipt for fuel purchases. Does your good lady get a receipt when she has her hair done. Have you ever known a food street vendor give a receipt.
In principle your idea is noteworthy but IMO would seem difficult to put into practice.
Regards

[Barney]

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Another approach: Collect the receipts for a month and see if it adds up. It would save your wife from having to keep a spending diary and you will have more confidence in the number.

I see a little problem here Rick excepting for the big stores (Big 'C', Tesco's and Macro's and the new Mall) most small businesses especially the markets probably don't even know what a receipt is. I never had a receipt for fuel purchases. Does your good lady get a receipt when she has her hair done. Have you ever known a food street vendor give a receipt.
In principle your idea is noteworthy but IMO would seem difficult to put into practice.
Regards

Have to disagree, Not difficult at all to get a receipt or just put it on a piece of paper and stick it on one of those spikes for checking any time, in our little business it took a while for my teerak to get used to keeping the receipts from all the large grog purchase to small visits to the market, but now she is all for it and the fact is she has now been empowered to run the budget and it is not made a chore. She budgets and takes her own monthly salary of 6000 from the business. . And I have my small salary.
I know this does not give a budget amount but just saying it can be accounted for easily with help from the both of you. Don't force her to get it correct to the satang.