January 8th 2012
A summary of week one's expenses and things to do before leaving, along with a snapshot of the days expenses..
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Day 7: Living in Thailand
Today I ended up going over budget, getting caught out at lunch by trying a new place to eat. It�s not often but you will come across places that charge you more just because you�re a westerner. It also does not help if your only Thai is, "give me what you want"
- Lunch 90 Baht - $3.05
- Washing 30 Baht - $1.00
- Groceries 160 Baht - $5.35
Total for the day: 280 Baht $9.40 - Total Remaining: 4,410 Baht
Living in Asia on a budget of $200 per month.
There are 3 ways that I know of to live in Asia with $200 or considerably less each month, an employee at 7/11
in Thailand makes $200 a month so technically it�s possible for a person to live here with $200 a westerner will find it very hard and I would not recommend even thinking about this option.
The other options involve one simple thing "trading your time" for food and accommodation.
The main picture today "with the pool" is one of many places you can volunteer at.
The best resource is
volunteering opportunities on organic farms
most accommodations are very basic unlike in the picture
and you will be required to work about 6 hrs a day, the rest of the time will be your own.
Another option is something that is just starting to take off, and is an awesome way
to transition from 9-5 to living anywhere. Westerners in Asia
have figured out many talented people exist in the west who could compliment their business
in exchange for accommodation and food, even a little cash in some cases.
This type of deal is going to require on your part, that you have some skills, competition
for these places is intense.Only one place exists at present to find these types of offerings
tropical internships. One of the most recent internships included the "room with a bed and a desk" pictured above.
In the same vain if you have taken my first days recommendation to heart
and started making friends before leaving it�s a simple transition to be able
to barter your time in return for a room anywhere.
With the above 2 options, your motives should not be to just save money, both require that you
work
and work hard, you should look for other reasons for doing them and consider the savings as a bonus.
Continue Reading Day 8: Summary of week one expenses.
