lol@ johnno! I'm far and away the oldest at 50 mate. Of the other 3 are, 2 are in their early 30's and 1 is 27, so its a bit of a draw to call them dirty old men. The 2 brothers who fly in/fly out ( did you miss that mate? At the moment there is only me, my girl and 1 other bloke living there fulltime) are possibly the highest earning expats in Cambodia and if you can't boast a gross income of at least $250,000 AUD a year then you ain't even close mate! As for me getting by on $600 a month - a resounding YES I do. My income is a fair bit more then that, but that's all I need for a happy life at the moment, so the rest of it stays in the bank. Anyway mate, you live your life and I hope you are happy and content in it. I will live mine and enjoy what I have! And you are more then welcome to drop in one day, just not randomly, coz that would be rude and bring beer, coz that would be polite! Oh and no, I'm not the landlords mate so no mates rates here, this just what is available in Shv if you put a bit of effort into looking.
@Ryoon, I don't actually need to work mate, but it fills in my day and keeps me from falling into the self-destructive lifestyle that a lot of people do in this country.
Cheers for your feedback fella's,
Dave

Cheers, Dave. I'll let you know when I'm next in town and we can get all fucked up.

That's a happy ending. Last I heard was that he was in a bus on his way to Phnom Penh specifically to have a fight with you.

Kung-fu Hillbilly wrote:Well, I accept there are some things in life I'm not going to have, a comfortable retirement being one of them, but I'm alright with that. I'm quite happy at the prospect of old age in a rented flat living simply in a country that offers free health services. (I hold both British and Australian passports) Those years are still some way off however, and until that time I'd prefer to linger in SEA or Cambodia for as long and often as possible.

Fair enough. A good reply.

Kung-fu Hillbilly wrote: Budget excluding air fares.

$400 Rent. Usually in a guesthouse, or flat with all amenities included. I use a/c a bit.
$300 Food. Combination of western and local.
$300. Entertainment. No whores or drugs, just bars and late night drunk grub, maybe a date.
$100 Transport. Fifty dollars scooter hire, fuel and tuk-tuks when drinking
$100 Bits and pieces, book, phone, toiletries, pharmacy....
$30-$50 Visas, depending on which country.

Total $1250

Hmmm, your budget seems pretty dead on. The only thing I could see reducing a bit is rent. I'm sure there are a few guesthouses that would do 300-350$/month, but anything lower would be stretching it. Especially with aircon. Maybe some people know good places? Another option would be to get a fan room. Non-aircon rooms could probably be had for 250$ or so I'd imagine, but you'd be sacrificing some comfort (especially if you come during the hot season). Finding an apartment for sub 300$ for only a month would probably be near impossible, or you would need lucky timing. As hotdigr suggested, staying in a shared apartment would easily slash your rent by quite a but, but you don't seem to want to give up your privacy and peace and quiet. Getting a place with a small kitchen might help reduce the food bill, but I would imagine eating out to be one of the pleasures of coming here for a few weeks at a time.

Are you planning on coming once or twice per year? How long do you stay for at a time? Does it affect your employment? Meaning, do you have to find a new job each time upon returning to Oz?

The plan is to work three months here with nine months in Cambodia each year for the forseeable future. I've been offered good paying seasonal work with a friend each year, however, that wouldn't start until October, and well, I'd prefer not having to be here any longer than absolutely necessary to be honest. I've lived most of the last ten or eleven years in SEA and find returning to Australia sterile, predictable and tedious.

The more I think about it the more I realize I may just have to suck it up here until I've enough to cover $1250 a month in Cambodia even if it means hanging around until the end of the year. *shudder*

Even though $1250 doesn't give you a Hollywood lifestyle, it's enough. And as much as I'd like to reduce that cost of living so as to get out of here faster, I don't think I want to sacrafice the standard of living over there I'm used to.

Hotdigr wrote:Beer - aprox $150.
cigs - aprox $30

Overall, very impressive low budget living - from any angle I reckon. At .50 a beer that's 10 a day it seems since you rarely go out?

And cigs (I don't smoke) but I thought that they were pennies a pack over here?

Still, all in all if you can be happy at $600. a month with a bird in pocket (& apparently you pay her nothing according to your budget) what can one say? You must be an amazing bloke to get a girl to hang around for absolutely no $$ - well done I say!

dagenham wrote: You must be an amazing bloke to get a girl to hang around for absolutely no $$ - well done I say!

Yes, totally amazing! Fancy two people being in a relationship purely because they love each other and not seeing it as a mutually beneficial financial arrangement. What a completely alien concept.

Seriously, if you have to pay your girlfriend X amount each month for her to pretend to love you, you should be pitied. It certainly speaks volumes for your looks, charm and charisma.

Kung-fu Hillbilly wrote:The plan is to work three months here with nine months in Cambodia each year for the forseeable future. I've been offered good paying seasonal work with a friend each year, however, that wouldn't start until October, and well, I'd prefer not having to be here any longer than absolutely necessary to be honest. I've lived most of the last ten or eleven years in SEA and find returning to Australia sterile, predictable and tedious.

The more I think about it the more I realize I may just have to suck it up here until I've enough to cover $1250 a month in Cambodia even if it means hanging around until the end of the year. *shudder*

Even though $1250 doesn't give you a Hollywood lifestyle, it's enough. And as much as I'd like to reduce that cost of living so as to get out of here faster, I don't think I want to sacrafice the standard of living over there I'm used to.

Wow... So you're unskilled, couldn't find a job and will end up working a "menial job" as a ice cream truck driver, yet you'll manage to save enough for 9 months of living in Cambodia?! I'd say you're doing alright... If you're going to stay 9 months at a time, you could easily find an apartment for 300-350$, easily cutting 50-100$ off your budget. Not a big difference, especially if you want a certain standard for your living quarters.

The ice cream van gig comes with accommodation provided in the form of a caravan with wifi and electricity available from the business owners house alongside, which means a small amount of money toward food iwill be my only expense, then it's batton down the hatches and live like a hermit.

Eleven years ago when I first falanged onto the shores of SEA if you had told me I'd be selling ice cream back home I'd have laughed in your face. Best laid plans.....