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Those Living Cheaply Under a Grand

Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 12:04 pm
by Kung-fu Hillbilly
Currently back in the west after fucking it all up in SEA stupendously (no orphan there it seems), I'm now forced to seek work in Australia for a few months during the course of each year so as to have enough to get by for the remainder in Cambodia, Indo, or where ever. I've found as I've aged, almost fifty and unskilled, it's more difficult to find work (I'm looking at driving an ice cream van this week - I kid you not) and as a consequence it's taking longer to get the money together for the return. One way in which to get back sooner is to trim up my usual monthly budget when I am in SEA, but as I already operate on $1000, I don't see how that can be reduced much without losing some semblance of a life.

Are any of you living a reasonable existence under a thousand dollars a month in Cambodia?

Re: Those Living Cheaply Under a Grand

Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 12:06 pm
by jonnohitler
Sure. Don't waste it on drugs, don't eat at Western places all the time and don't bang whores. Very easy to get by on less than $1k a month.

Re: Those Living Cheaply Under a Grand

Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 12:13 pm
by Soi Dog
Kung-fu Hillbilly wrote:Currently back in the west after fucking it all up in SEA stupendously (no orphan there it seems), I'm now forced to seek work in Australia for a few months during the course of each year so as to have enough to get by for the remainder in Cambodia, Indo, or where ever. I've found as I've aged, almost fifty and unskilled, it's more difficult to find work (I'm looking at driving an ice cream van this week - I kid you not) and as a consequence it's taking longer to get the money together for the return. One way in which to get back sooner is to trim up my usual monthly budget when I am in SEA, but as I already operate on $1000, I don't see how that can be reduced much without having some semblance of a life.

Are any of you living a reasonable existence under a thousand dollars a month in Cambodia?
If you can't find work in Australia then you can't find work anywhere these days. Unofficial unemployment in rest of the Western world is between 17 and 45%.

I could do Cambodia for under $1000 pm. Possibly as low as $800, although it would be tight. I used to spend just over $500 pm in Thailand for years but the strengthening Baht quashed that. Definitely not a life of luxury, that.

Re: Those Living Cheaply Under a Grand

Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 1:01 pm
by Bitte_Kein_Lexus
Kung-Fu, I hesitate to ask, but do you have any money saved for retirement? It seems that at 50, wanting to come over to Cambodia to spend the little you've saved over the year seems a bit foolish. At the same time, if it's the only thing that keeps you sane from an 8-5, then I suppose it's not that bad. I can easily live under 1000$ here. I suspect you get short-term apartments? Maybe that's what ads to your costs. Can you give us an approximate breakdown of your expenses? We could probably see where you spend a lot and where you could make cuts without sacrificing in areas where you don't want to make cuts.

Re: Those Living Cheaply Under a Grand

Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 2:01 pm
by Kung-fu Hillbilly
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.

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

It seems it's higher than I thought when giving it real consideration.

It would be great to get this to $800 so I can get out of Australia as early as possible, but I'm not sure what I'd be prepared to sacrifice. Certainly not the room at $400 as I like to have a nice space. Finding a cheap flat would still keep me at the four hundred mark once you iclude internet, water and electricity, I think.

I guess just have to suck it up.

I'd be interested to see the budgets or expenses of those who operate around the $1000 figure.

Re: Those Living Cheaply Under a Grand

Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 2:23 pm
by Sohi
You can knock a fair amount of rent, in shv there are plenty of rooms sub $100,

Re: Those Living Cheaply Under a Grand

Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 2:55 pm
by frank lee bent
you can find khmer style houses on a bit of land all over the provinces for $100.
once you are out in the sticks, there is nothing to spend money on.
ream might be good.
keep a little boat.

Re: Those Living Cheaply Under a Grand

Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 3:30 pm
by Hotdigr
I live WELL on around $500 - $600 p/m. In a share house ( you can see the details of the house in the for rent section on this forum as we have a room to rent now. Suffice to say it is salubrious, even compared to what I had back in Oz). Monthly breakdown is -
Rent - $75 currently, normally $60
Utilities ( water,elec) aprox. -$10
Cable T.V - $ 2
Wi- fi + phone - aprox $10 ( most of my wifi usage is at work, thus no charge to me)
Food - aprox $130 (that is eating beef, chicken or pork every night and homemade baguettes for lunch ( and the occasional pie!). We basically never eat out except on special occasions. We both enjoy cooking and cook well)
Beer - aprox $150.
cigs - aprox $30
Transport - maybe $10, we walk pretty much everywhere as it is the only exercise I get.
Visa - $24
Incidentals - aprox $80.

Now this isn't my finite budget I will add. I have more to spend if need be. This is however what my current life style costs me ,approximately, every month. I don't do drugs, I don't do hookers.I rarely go out - Monday breakfast club once a week and maybe once a month a couple of beers at a mates bar. Walk to the beach or the pool on our day off. I have a lovely girl and we have a very enjoyable home life, pretty much the same as what I had back in the west when I was in a stable, long term relationship. Working 8 - 10 hrs a day also makes a huge difference to your expenditure, as that is the majority of your day taken care of without spending a cent.
I have posted this "budget" before and told it wasn't possible. Well, sorry fella's, it is indeed possible and more then that, I am completely happy,content and satisfied with my life!

Re: Those Living Cheaply Under a Grand

Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 4:02 pm
by jonnohitler
Each to their own, but the thought of sharing a house in Sihanoukville with half a dozen dirty old men sounds hellish.

Re: Those Living Cheaply Under a Grand

Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 4:05 pm
by Kung-fu Hillbilly
Hotdigr wrote:I live WELL on around $500 - $600 p/m. In a share house ( you can see the details of the house in the for rent section on this forum as we have a room to rent now. Suffice to say it is salubrious, even compared to what I had back in Oz). Monthly breakdown is -
Rent - $75 currently, normally $60
Utilities ( water,elec) aprox. -$10
Cable T.V - $ 2
Wi- fi + phone - aprox $10 ( most of my wifi usage is at work, thus no charge to me)
Food - aprox $130 (that is eating beef, chicken or pork every night and homemade baguettes for lunch ( and the occasional pie!). We basically never eat out except on special occasions. We both enjoy cooking and cook well)
Beer - aprox $150.
cigs - aprox $30
Transport - maybe $10, we walk pretty much everywhere as it is the only exercise I get.
Visa - $24
Incidentals - aprox $80.

Now this isn't my finite budget I will add. I have more to spend if need be. This is however what my current life style costs me ,approximately, every month. I don't do drugs, I don't do hookers.I rarely go out - Monday breakfast club once a week and maybe once a month a couple of beers at a mates bar. Walk to the beach or the pool on our day off. I have a lovely girl and we have a very enjoyable home life, pretty much the same as what I had back in the west when I was in a stable, long term relationship. Working 8 - 10 hrs a day also makes a huge difference to your expenditure, as that is the majority of your day taken care of without spending a cent.
I have posted this "budget" before and told it wasn't possible. Well, sorry fella's, it is indeed possible and more then that, I am completely happy,content and satisfied with my life!
Thanks for posting your monthly expenses and giving me some kind of comparison and an idea of how cheap a person can live in Cambodia, $600 IS cheap. I hadn't considered shared living and at only $60 or $70 per month it would definately help lower the budget, but I'm not sure living in a house with others suits me as I like a quiet home environment, or as quiet as it can be in SEA. I agree filling in your day with employment also helps. Sounds like you are pretty happy with your lot.