Penny Pinching /Stingy / Tight / Careful

[AJSP]

Bit of a rant and by no means a sweeping statement of all Thai wives.

My wife has a penchant for trying not to be wasteful which is great at times and has been useful in certain situations. Myself, on the other hand can be the opposite which is not always a positive thing. We therefore disagree on some spending. 

My wife and son are currently in Thailand for the month of August spending the fist 20 days in Udonthani and the remaining 10 travelling and sightseeing in Bangkok, Chaing Mai and Pattaya where she / we have family and friends. This morning she flew down from Chaing Mai and yesterday I asked if she was getting a taxi from suvarnabhumi airport down to Pattaya where she is seeing and staying with a Nephew (for the juvenile amongst us.......please insert joke here ) and she said no, we will get the bus. I assumed bell bus for say 100thb pp.

Well, today I spoke with my Son and as she hadn't booked seats so they had to wait 2 hours for a free spot and the journey time was 1hr 45mins, plus they had to then travel to Jomtein so a further 20 mins. Basically, what could have been a 1 hour 30 mins taxi ride consumed a further 2 hours 30mins of their time. The reason being it saved the princely sum of 1000thb, which I may view was not justified.

She has money for the holiday and no need to 'save' 1000thb in lieu of losing 2hrs 30mins of time. I know my son is pissed off with it. She's also been choosing budget hotels and although there is no need to go high end, the middle ground where I may have booked would only cost a further 800/1000thb a night more and been more relaxing, with a pool perhaps and a brekkie for not a lot more money.

I'm slightly annoyed.

Does anyone else wifes or girlfriends act similarly as this type of penny pinching where you dont value your time is damn annoying especially when the amount 'saved' in trivial.

 

 

[Butch]

Yep.

My Mrs stood arguing over 20php on a moody, not real, Louie Vitton Bag in Greenhills Manila. She was there 30 minutes trying to save around , at the time, 30 pence on a bag costing less than a fiver. It was hot, we were hungry and thirsty and slowly getting more pissed off by the minute.

I'm forever throwing out food from the fridge which is in plastic containers from a week ago, lost count of the times I've gone into the bathroom and found plastic bottles of shampoo / moisturiser / face cream cut in half and scooped out, but it's not high end stuff, it's the cheap Tesco shite.

Then old training shoes that are falling apart but put into plastic bags and placed in the garage "to send back home". Putting them in a balikbayan box to send from UK to the Philippines, when buying a new pair out there, or sending the money for them would have been cheaper anyway.

When it comes to flights, I now take the helm and do all the booking etc, otherwise it'll be a 6-8 hour layover somewhere because it's £30 pp cheaper than the 2 hour layover option.

That's why when I'm on my holiday I don't bollocks around with waiting for buses etc, the last thing I need is stress when I'm trying to relax.

Edited August 27 by Butch

[AJSP]

1 hour ago, Butch said:

Yep.

My Mrs stood arguing over 20php on a moody, not real, Louie Vitton Bag in Greenhills Manila. She was there 30 minutes trying to save around , at the time, 30 pence on a bag costing less than a fiver. It was hot, we were hungry and thirsty and slowly getting more pissed off by the minute.

I'm forever throwing out food from the fridge which is in plastic containers from a week ago, lost count of the times I've gone into the bathroom and found plastic bottles of shampoo / moisturiser / face cream cut in half and scooped out, but it's not high end stuff, it's the cheap Tesco shite.

Then old training shoes that are falling apart but put into plastic bags and placed in the garage "to send back home". Putting them in a balikbayan box to send from UK to the Philippines, when buying a new pair out there, or sending the money for them would have been cheaper anyway.

When it comes to flights, I now take the helm and do all the booking etc, otherwise it'll be a 6-8 hour layover somewhere because it's £30 pp cheaper than the 2 hour layover option.

That's why when I'm on my holiday I don't bollocks around with waiting for buses etc, the last thing I need is stress when I'm trying to relax.

You speak a lot of sense and some of those comments I have the same experience of. 
today I just felt sorry for my son who is not happy having to wait around to unnecessarily knowing that his mum had another option and as I’m pretty much paying I couldn’t give two hoots about £20 saving I’d much rather they travel in comfort, quicker and get there at a decent hour rather than sit in a queue. Even more frustrating seeing taxis come and go every few minutes 

[coxyhog]

My missus is very careful with money,but I liken her to my mother who was brought up in WWII with rationing etc.

The missus left school at 11yo & was selling candy to Americans at Korat USAF base to send two of her brothers to uni.

When young she slept with all her family in one room,3 sisters,5 brothers & her parents.

Now she has a bus pass in the UK she would rather use that than go by(her) car.

She buys lots of clothes from charity shops for peanuts.

I'm going business on our next trip but she insists on going cattle.

Is it any wonder that we've been married for over 33 years😂.

 

[Phantom51red]

Well to sum it up,my Mrs ting tong took her daughter shopping,she mentioned proudly and kinda crazily how her daughter would walk 1klm away to a cheaper shop to save 5bht,I replied that well she takes after you !

[Aqualung]

Well, me and the tw are flying Copenhagen to Bristol tomorrow for a stay near St. Ives. The weather is supposed to be nice so I'm looking forward to visiting Cornwall for the first time. 

I told the wife last night not to bother buying anymore cat food or cigarettes as I would do it. Low and behold she comes home from work with a bag full of cat food and some cigarettes!!!! 

Also, as this is my first visit to Cornwall, I'm eager to get stuck into the fresh seafood down there. The tw loves it also but her first questions to me was " is there a Thai restaurant there?" and " is there a Primark there!!?" 

Yes to both questions was my answer. Her carry on bag is virtually empty in anticipation of a good afternoons shopping in Truro 's Primark. 

That's all she's getting... One afternoon only. I'll be f***d if I'm travelling all the way there to go to fucking Primark. All to save a few quid on cheap clothes. 

[coxyhog]

I used to work for a shopfitters in Watford & one day we sent a guy in a van on a mission to St Ives in Cambridgeshire.

After an awfully long time he phoned in saying he couldn't find the place....he was in bloody Cornwall.

Long before satnav.

[Glasseye]

5 hours ago, AJSP said:

Bit of a rant and by no means a sweeping statement of all Thai wives.

My wife has a penchant for trying not to be wasteful which is great at times and has been useful in certain situations. Myself, on the other hand can be the opposite which is not always a positive thing. We therefore disagree on some spending. 

My wife and son are currently in Thailand for the month of August spending the fist 20 days in Udonthani and the remaining 10 travelling and sightseeing in Bangkok, Chaing Mai and Pattaya where she / we have family and friends. This morning she flew down from Chaing Mai and yesterday I asked if she was getting a taxi from suvarnabhumi airport down to Pattaya where she is seeing and staying with a Nephew (for the juvenile amongst us.......please insert joke here ) and she said no, we will get the bus. I assumed bell bus for say 100thb pp.

Well, today I spoke with my Son and as she hadn't booked seats so they had to wait 2 hours for a free spot and the journey time was 1hr 45mins, plus they had to then travel to Jomtein so a further 20 mins. Basically, what could have been a 1 hour 30 mins taxi ride consumed a further 2 hours 30mins of their time. The reason being it saved the princely sum of 1000thb, which I may view was not justified.

She has money for the holiday and no need to 'save' 1000thb in lieu of losing 2hrs 30mins of time. I know my son is pissed off with it. She's also been choosing budget hotels and although there is no need to go high end, the middle ground where I may have booked would only cost a further 800/1000thb a night more and been more relaxing, with a pool perhaps and a brekkie for not a lot more money.

I'm slightly annoyed.

Does anyone else wifes or girlfriends act similarly as this type of penny pinching where you dont value your time is damn annoying especially when the amount 'saved' in trivial.

 

 

 

I take no issue with this sort of frugality. Unless it is when I am doing something that I consider as a sort of "special treat" like taking someone to an expensive restaurant and then them barking at me that it is too expensive ("shut the fcuk up and eat, I'm paying and it is something I want to do"). That sort of thing spoils the whole thing. Fcuk me, then go get some Som Tom or some burnt squid - insulting and disrespectful.

My Dad used to drive across town to save 1 cent on a gal. of gas. I thought then (and still do) he was being dumb as a rock. As we get older time becomes more valuable than money.

I will spend extra to save time, hassle and extra comfort. There is a a ratio, an actual economic principle (rule of thumb on this. Can't remember what is called now). For example - I like to stay at nice hotels. But, once you get beyond a certain cost level it's not worth it. I see it similar to "business class" over "premium economy (once you get beyond a certain level what you get in return is just not worth it (wasteful).

If you grow up in or around poverty all of this becomes more relevant. I think understanding it brings people more in touch with the real World. It should be appreciated and respected. But... in those cases where you want to splurge a little bit calmly explain why and they actually may be able to enjoy your company more.

[Freee!!]

39 minutes ago, Glasseye said:

[...]

My Dad used to drive across town to save 1 cent on a gal. of gas. I thought then (and still do) he was being dumb as a rock. As we get older time becomes more valuable than money.

Besides the extra time spent, that return trip across town took a gallon of gas, so the savings were negative.

[fforest]

For anyone aspiring for cheapness please re-read the Lazada and Shopee thread....

[Glasseye]

5 hours ago, Freee!! said:

Besides the extra time spent, that return trip across town took a gallon of gas, so the savings were negative.

 

Ya think ?

[maipenrai]

My depression/war era immigrant parents were the same, cheap to the bone - Mom would drive across town to save 5 cents on a loaf of bread, and when I gave her a rough time about it she said, "my grandmother told me that a farthing saved becomes a penny, and a penny saved becomes a pound"...and my father would always buy the cheapest examples of anything he wanted and then bitch and complain when they broke or didn't live up to his expectations - I try to take the middle ground by not being too extravagant but still indulging myself somewhat on occasion. 

[Yessongs]

My wife and I generally agree on most spending things....but being American ( Ok I know that is my problem LOL!) but there are times when we DO NOT agree..and sometimes, the car rides home can be an adventure, where I have to assert my position... 💪💪

For example, she gets kind of annoyed at me when we go to a restaurant, we get the bill, there is a 10% tip already in the bill.....I leave the gal as a general rule another 100 baht because they are cool, speak good English, and I just want to.....that bothers her for some reason...f**k me, it's 100 baht...get over it. Cultural thing? What ever.

Ok she does not have to justify herself to me all the time about "expenditures"  I don't care really.....Another example, she went out on a girls night out a few weeks back, came back and the next morning at breakfast tells me " I hab a surprise for us next week that will be here on Tuesday" Oh Jesus, this always scares me LOL!

The doorbell rings, I answer and there are 2 Thai guys standing there smiling that speak no English...wifey to the rescue...she tells me 'I got us brand new Bed, Headboard, new King Size Mattress, new End Tables blah, blah, blah.

Ok and of course she tells me "Honey da Headboard is made of Teakwood and is from Chiang Mai"???  Who cares LOL! Now I knew there is now way in hell these 2 Thai guys weighing 150 pounds each on a good day, were going to get that headboard up the stairs....this thing weighed a ton seriously. I had to go get the neighbor next door and it took 4 of us to maneuver this thing up the stairs......it was not pleasant. 

These guys too took all of the other bed, headboard etc. down the stairs and took it away.

I gave these guys 500 baht as a tip right?  The minute they were gone, she started lecturing me about that was not necessary, she paid alot for this and she was not happy....I put her on blast and it was fun. 

Of course the worst part to all of this was I had to tell her this bed etc. is just outstanding...sometimes she's right, just not all the time 😃

[Pumpuynarak]

21 minutes ago, Yessongs said:

For example, she gets kind of annoyed at me when we go to a restaurant, we get the bill, there is a 10% tip already in the bill.....I leave the gal as a general rule another 100 baht because they are cool, speak good English, and I just want to.....that bothers her for some reason...f**k me, it's 100 baht...get over it. Cultural thing? What ever.

I find this ''sharp business practice'' and if i know about it prior to sitting in the restaurant i will go somewhere else, they can go and f*** themselves, i'll decide if the serving staff deserve a tip not the management, thieving bastards making customers top up the staffs income instead of them paying a proper liveable wage.

Normally Mike i've got a pretty free flow attitude to spending money, i've got it and i don't mind spending it but things like this really piss me off.

Rant over lol

Edited August 29 by Pumpuynarak

[forcebwithu]

9 minutes ago, Pumpuynarak said:

I find this ''sharp business practice'' and if i know about it prior to sitting in the restaurant i will go somewhere else, they can go and f*** themselves, i'll decide if the serving staff deserve a tip not the management, thieving bastards making customers top up the staffs income instead of them paying a proper liveable wage.

Normally Mike i've got a pretty free flow attitude to spending money, i've got it and i don't mind spending it but things like this really piss me off.

Rant over lol

Can't say it pisses me off, but I do vote with my feet if I see an establishment tacks on a mandatory service charge. Fortunately, while common in the US, I've not come across the practice yet in Thailand.

[Pumpuynarak]

14 minutes ago, forcebwithu said:

I've not come across the practice yet in Thailand.

I've come across it a few times and god does it make my blood boil, and of course its not just the compulsory tip there's also 7% government tax ADDED on instead of it being included ???????????????????????????????????????????

Needless to say i WON'T tip the gals in addition and wifey will tell them why if non English speaking.

Edited August 29 by Pumpuynarak

[Trip]

2 hours ago, Yessongs said:

My wife and I generally agree on most spending things....but being American ( Ok I know that is my problem LOL!) but there are times when we DO NOT agree..and sometimes, the car rides home can be an adventure, where I have to assert my position... 💪💪

For example, she gets kind of annoyed at me when we go to a restaurant, we get the bill, there is a 10% tip already in the bill.....I leave the gal as a general rule another 100 baht because they are cool, speak good English, and I just want to.....that bothers her for some reason...f**k me, it's 100 baht...get over it. Cultural thing? What ever.

Ok she does not have to justify herself to me all the time about "expenditures"  I don't care really.....Another example, she went out on a girls night out a few weeks back, came back and the next morning at breakfast tells me " I hab a surprise for us next week that will be here on Tuesday" Oh Jesus, this always scares me LOL!

The doorbell rings, I answer and there are 2 Thai guys standing there smiling that speak no English...wifey to the rescue...she tells me 'I got us brand new Bed, Headboard, new King Size Mattress, new End Tables blah, blah, blah.

Ok and of course she tells me "Honey da Headboard is made of Teakwood and is from Chiang Mai"???  Who cares LOL! Now I knew there is now way in hell these 2 Thai guys weighing 150 pounds each on a good day, were going to get that headboard up the stairs....this thing weighed a ton seriously. I had to go get the neighbor next door and it took 4 of us to maneuver this thing up the stairs......it was not pleasant. 

These guys too took all of the other bed, headboard etc. down the stairs and took it away.

I gave these guys 500 baht as a tip right?  The minute they were gone, she started lecturing me about that was not necessary, she paid alot for this and she was not happy....I put her on blast and it was fun. 

Of course the worst part to all of this was I had to tell her this bed etc. is just outstanding...sometimes she's right, just not all the time 😃

Looks nice. Don't tell her about rubber/latex mattresses though. Those things are heavy and will set you back a lot more coin than traditional coil-based mattresses. They are long lasting, 15 -20 years or more.

They are a thing up here in rubber country in Isaan though, several local manufacturers. As the expression goes, once you go rubber you won't go back.

 

[Glasseye]

11 hours ago, maipenrai said:

My depression/war era immigrant parents were the same, cheap to the bone - Mom would drive across town to save 5 cents on a loaf of bread, and when I gave her a rough time about it she said, "my grandmother told me that a farthing saved becomes a penny, and a penny saved becomes a pound"...and my father would always buy the cheapest examples of anything he wanted and then bitch and complain when they broke or didn't live up to his expectations - I try to take the middle ground by not being too extravagant but still indulging myself somewhat on occasion. 

 

I'll never forget... on a visit too my parents before the cancer hit. Dad made us some vodka and tonic drinks. The fcuking vodka was the cheapest nastiness stuff I have ever tasted. I commented to him and tossed the drink in the sink. He looked at me puzzled.

The good part of the story is the next time I visited he had a quality bottle. He looked at me and smiled, admitting for once in my life I was right.

Fcuk... this is making me tear up. The guy was a s.o. a b. but I loved him.

[Butch]

7 hours ago, forcebwithu said:

Can't say it pisses me off, but I do vote with my feet if I see an establishment tacks on a mandatory service charge. Fortunately, while common in the US, I've not come across the practice yet in Thailand.

Beer Hubb Pattaya does this. 10% which I've complained about, as the prices are high enough as it is anyway.

Another bit of sensible penny pinching the wife does is not opt for breakfast at the Hotel if it can reduce the bill, and instead either go out and get it and bring it to the room, or find a cheap local cafe where we can head to instead of paying the 300-500 php per person some Hotels charge.

Edited August 29 by Butch

[Stillearly]

6 hours ago, Glasseye said:

 

 The fcuking vodka was the cheapest nastiness stuff I have ever tasted. 

 

Avoid the 2for 1 vodka in Billabong , I guarantee it's worse ...

[fforest]

10 hours ago, forcebwithu said:

Can't say it pisses me off, but I do vote with my feet if I see an establishment tacks on a mandatory service charge. Fortunately, while common in the US, I've not come across the practice yet in Thailand.

The Hilton always include a service charge in their restaurants....

And Hooters in Pattaya was slammed endlessly by expats over their service charge.....And the girls always expected a fat tip on top of the service charge too...

Edited August 29 by fforest

[Butch]

1 hour ago, fforest said:

The Hilton always include a service charge in their restaurants....

And Hooters in Pattaya was slammed endlessly by expats over their service charge.....And the girls always expected a fat tip on top of the service charge too...

Yep they did, that annoyed me as well. They'd always sign the receipt with a smile, and very often because I am so handsome, a phone number as well 🤣

It takes some brass neck to actually expect a service charge when the service in the first place isn't that fantastic, as was the case with Hooters. The girl managed to confuse a Schweppes Manao with a San Miguel light once, God alone knows how.

[coxyhog]

My missus always takes my brekkie with us,All Bran & oats & last time she brought fresh strawberries,blueberries & raspberries with us in a small cold box inside a suitcase.

[Yessongs]

22 hours ago, Pumpuynarak said:

I find this ''sharp business practice'' and if i know about it prior to sitting in the restaurant i will go somewhere else, they can go and f*** themselves, i'll decide if the serving staff deserve a tip not the management, thieving bastards making customers top up the staffs income instead of them paying a proper liveable wage.

Normally Mike i've got a pretty free flow attitude to spending money, i've got it and i don't mind spending it but things like this really piss me off.

Rant over lol

Luckily Cliff, most of the restaurants I go to with wifey, do not charge the 10% mandatory tip and the 7% Vat as a general rule. It's cool for me, I try not to fret over the small things these days in retirement here you know. i mean, how could you not want to give a little darling like this a few extra baht? 

20 hours ago, Trip said:

Looks nice. Don't tell her about rubber/latex mattresses though. Those things are heavy and will set you back a lot more coin than traditional coil-based mattresses. They are long lasting, 15 -20 years or more.

They are a thing up here in rubber country in Isaan though, several local manufacturers. As the expression goes, once you go rubber you won't go back.

 

Thanks Trip...and yes, she DID NOT get the coil mattress this time around. What ever it is, once again, it was heavy and I had to help these guys get it upstairs, but it is very, very comfortable. 

14 hours ago, Butch said:

Beer Hubb Pattaya does this. 10% which I've complained about, as the prices are high enough as it is anyway.

Another bit of sensible penny pinching the wife does is not opt for breakfast at the Hotel if it can reduce the bill, and instead either go out and get it and bring it to the room, or find a cheap local cafe where we can head to instead of paying the 300-500 php per person some Hotels charge.

Oh Butch, I hate to ruin the party here, but I always get the breakfast option, man I just love not getting out early in the morning....if I don't have to you know?

[Pumpuynarak]

30 minutes ago, Yessongs said:

Luckily Cliff, most of the restaurants I go to with wifey, do not charge the 10% mandatory tip and the 7% Vat as a general rule. It's cool for me, I try not to fret over the small things these days in retirement here you know. i mean, how could you not want to give a little darling like this a few extra baht? 

I understand where you're coming from Mike but you're an American where tipping is second nature, not so for Brits and please don't forget we are ALREADY giving the gal a 10% tip which is not to be sniffed at imo. I'll never forget my visit to New York with a mate when we got a taxi ride and my mate paid the fare, he gave the driver the exact dosh and then was subjected to verbal abuse for not tipping.

He just smiled at the driver and said ''I'm a Brit, shove yer tip where the sun don't shine'' lol