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The 5 Stupidest Habits You Develop Growing Up Poor


FarangFarang
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#5. You Develop a Taste for Shitty Food

#4. Extra Money Has to Be Spent Right Goddamn Now!

#3. You Want to Go Overboard on Gift-Giving

#2. You Become an Obsessive Bean-Counter

#1. You Only Spend with the Short Term in Mind

Interesting/Funny take on why poor people grow up with certain habits. Go read the entire post on:

http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-5-stupidest-habits-you-develop-growing-up-poor/

It's actually pretty funny and insightful.

Can you think of more?

#6 Spending more on cheap alternatives than what you would have spent getting what you wanted.

Folks who buy a crappy car for $10,000 and then, slowly, dump another $20,000 into it over the next several years adding ridiculous accessories like spinning rims, stereos that can be heard hundreds of miles away, and racing tires. Eventually what they end up with is a car that they can resell for about $12,000 despite having dumped $30,000 into it.

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I know an old guy who grew up poor (my Dad)... And he is the stingiest man ever... but only with himself.

Every now and again, he'll dump a thousand pounds into his three kids' bank accounts, for no other reason than he 'doesn't know what to do with it'. I know what he should do with it... he should spend it on himself.

But when I visit him, I make a mental note of what crappy, piece-of-**** junk he has lying around. It's always the same story. He buys cheap because he thinks he's saving money. For example, he wears sandals most of the time (not flip flops). But he would rarely spend more than 200 baht on a pair. Within a few weeks the straps would break and he'd fix them with superglue. Then the soles would start separating and he'd fix them too. He'd spend hours and hours gluing and fixing these ugly-ass sandals, holding them together with clothes pegs and tape while the glue dried.

One day I showed up at his house with a pair of Timberland sandals - soft leather, rugged build and quality fastenings. I think they cost about 2k... the price of ten pairs of his normal shoes... But 3 years later, he's still wearing them and they look great!

Last Christmas, I replaced the patio furniture which was sagging and uncomfortable (and a little dangerous). He's chuffed to bits with the new ones, but he could have bought them himself two years ago instead of the crappy ones he bought.

I was looking at his computer last time I was down there. He was deleting files because he was running out of memory space. How the **** does anyone have a computer with less memory space than my mobile phone?! And it's a desktop, not a laptop!

Still... at least I've got some good ideas for presents now.

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Somewhat related to what EB was saying about his dad:

Something I've noticed with women buying clothes. There seems to be no middle-ground between the kind of crap you can buy at JJ's and the most expensive brands money can buy. In other words, people seem to be comfortable buying 300 baht shoes once a month (because 300 baht shoes rarely last more than 2 or 3 months) unless they have enough to afford an $800 pair of Jimmy Choo's (which they'll buy even if it's the last $800 in their bank account - see #4).

They'll never spend 3000 baht on a lessor brand shoes like Clark's that look good and will last them 3 or more years, which brings the amortized cost of ownership to less than the 300 baht a month they're paying for cheap shoes that fall apart after a few wearings (closely related to #1).

For me, it's the opposite. It looks like I own a lot of shoes but it's because I buy quality and my shoes last a long time. I'm looking at the shoes sitting in my closet right now and several pair are over 7 years old. I usually only get rid of shoes when I'm moving and it is more expensive to ship them than it is to replace them.

I don't know, it was sort of a lesson I picked up when I used to work with a guy who came from "old" money. The kind of money where several Kennedy's attended his wedding sort of thing.

But, he only owned like five suits (we were both stockbrokers so suit and tie was mandatory dress at work). They were all Brook's Brothers suits though. He took care of them like you wouldn't believe and in the years that we knew each other he never purchased a new suit. And you couldn't tell the suits were years old. They looked almost as good as a brand new suit.

But one of the things that sort of was a "aha" moment for me was his watch. He had a vintage Rolex watch. I assumed he purchased a vintage watch but he told me that it was a gift from his father. He said his father had bought it before he was born and wore it until his son was old enough to appreciate it.

I started thinking about what the total cost of ownership of that watch must be. The watch was a good 25+ years old. Assuming his dad spent $5,000 on the watch, that's like $200 a year. How many people spend $200 a year buying crappy watches that wear out in just a few years or go out of fashion?

Not only that, the watch was probably worth more than $5,000 today because it was a vintage watch. So basically his dad and him have owned the watch for $0. In fact, they've made money.

I'm not suggesting that everyone go out and buy $5,000 watches or anything but it's just a different attitude about money. I can't see paying $2,000 for a Louis Vuitton bag but I can see paying a few hundred bucks for a quality leather bag that will last 10+ years. It makes much more sense than buying a new bag every year for 10 years and spending more on those cheap bags than the one really nice one.

For me, the lesson was, buy the best quality that you can afford (even if you have to save up for it) and then take really, really good care of it. You'll spend less over the long-run and it'll still look much nicer than the multiple cheap versions you buy.

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Folks who buy a crappy car for $10,000 and then, slowly, dump another $20,000 into it over the next several years adding ridiculous accessories like spinning rims, stereos that can be heard hundreds of miles away, and racing tires. Eventually what they end up with is a car that they can resell for about $12,000 despite having dumped $30,000 into it.


A very common picture in Central Europe at least during the 70's to 90's. Today mainly observed with youngsters and - mainly Turkish - immigrants.
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For me, the lesson was, buy the best quality that you can afford (even if you have to save up for it) and then take really, really good care of it. You'll spend less over the long-run and it'll still look much nicer than the multiple cheap versions you buy.


Fully agreed, but there are exceptions: About 20 years ago, I bought some fake "PUMA" polo shirts smuggled into Syria via Lebanon and having been produced I don't know where for, as we say, an apple and an egg. These things, up to today, are not worn out or torn, the sewing is perfect and I dare saying that their quality is far better than the original. But I know, this rather is the exception than the rule!

Four years ago or so, I bought leather sandals for about 2,000 Baht and they lasted until last December, when the soles broke. The top still looked very nice but this does not help once there is no sole anymore. I only used them in Thailand and only when we went out but I have to admit that they went wet several times. So my sweet wifey bought me Crocs instead and I have an idea that they might last a bit longer ;)
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  • 2 weeks later...
Guest Fotoman57

The only decent people in Thailand are the poor. The people with money in Thailand are the most shallow people I have ever met.

Edited by Fotoman57
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The only decent people in Thailand are the poor. The people with money in Thailand are the most shallow people I have ever met.

Yeah - this sort of stuff is garbage. It's the old anti-rich jealousy thing.

I hang out with Thais that range from the fairly poor to the very wealthy. Every kind of person is represented in all wealth and social groups. One thing I would say about the rich/middle classes is that they don't expect a free ride, whereas Thai poor people expect handouts and loans that will never be repaid. There's also a good deal of thievery and scamming amongst poor Thais that doesn't happen in wealthier circles.

And if you want to talk about shallow, try speaking to a poor Thai about anything other than the spoon-fed company line they've swallowed since birth. Ask them about history, politics, religion, culture or anything that happens more than 5 kilometres from their homes.

I find that people who write this kind of stuff have never actually met any rich Thai people. They've just got an anti-rich chip on their shoulders... Join a UDD Rally, you'd fit right in.

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Yeah - this sort of stuff is garbage. It's the old anti-rich jealousy thing.

I hang out with Thais that range from the fairly poor to the very wealthy. Every kind of person is represented in all wealth and social groups. One thing I would say about the rich/middle classes is that they don't expect a free ride, whereas Thai poor people expect handouts and loans that will never be repaid. There's also a good deal of thievery and scamming amongst poor Thais that doesn't happen in wealthier circles.

And if you want to talk about shallow, try speaking to a poor Thai about anything other than the spoon-fed company line they've swallowed since birth. Ask them about history, politics, religion, culture or anything that happens more than 5 kilometres from their homes.

I find that people who write this kind of stuff have never actually met any rich Thai people. They've just got an anti-rich chip on their shoulders... Join a UDD Rally, you'd fit right in.

I'm not sure I totally agree on this. At least in terms of how you've expressed your thought.

Thaksin is pretty much the golden standard when it comes to thievery and scamming and he is/was quite rich. And if we want to talk shallow, I can think of more than a few wealthy, attractive women who fit the bill.

However, I think what you said makes sense if we're talking generalities. If I had to trust a rich person or a poor person with money or anything of value, my personal experience is that the rich person is more trustworthy.

But part of that seems to stem from the fact that most rich people didn't grow up in the classic Thai system. They've experienced educations not available to most people. They've often traveled and experienced different cultures which is something that your typical Thai may never have the opportunity to do.

And in terms of expecting handouts and loans that will never be repaid, I'm not sure what one would expect differently in a patronage-style culture and economic system. Of course the rich are not going to expect handouts. They know they are at the top of the pyramid and should be handing down in exchange for loyalty (in business, politics, etc). And, of course, the poor know they are at the bottom of the pyramid and should be on the receiving end.

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I'm not sure I totally agree on this. At least in terms of how you've expressed your thought.

Thaksin is pretty much the golden standard when it comes to thievery and scamming and he is/was quite rich. And if we want to talk shallow, I can think of more than a few wealthy, attractive women who fit the bill.

However, I think what you said makes sense if we're talking generalities. If I had to trust a rich person or a poor person with money or anything of value, my personal experience is that the rich person is more trustworthy.

But part of that seems to stem from the fact that most rich people didn't grow up in the classic Thai system. They've experienced educations not available to most people. They've often traveled and experienced different cultures which is something that your typical Thai may never have the opportunity to do.

And in terms of expecting handouts and loans that will never be repaid, I'm not sure what one would expect differently in a patronage-style culture and economic system. Of course the rich are not going to expect handouts. They know they are at the top of the pyramid and should be handing down in exchange for loyalty (in business, politics, etc). And, of course, the poor know they are at the bottom of the pyramid and should be on the receiving end.


Yes... But I'm not concerned with why people behave as they do. I'm concerned with their behaviour. I'm sure most serial killers have an unhappy childhood, but the fact remains they are still serial killers.

And I still maintain that most people who write this socialist-esque crap are doing so from a position of ignorance. After 10 years in Thailand, I know only two farangs who can claim to be friends with the real elite. Everyone else lives on the periphery making assumptions and guesses. As you know, I've had a girlfriend with royal connections and another with (ahem) Red political connections and I met many friends and colleagues of theirs - enough to understand that I feel more comfortable, safe and interested while in the company of wealthy, educated Thais than hanging with the Mukdahan Simpsons.

I'm prepared to bet (and we know how successful that's been in the past) that Fotoman57 has never met a real ammart and is projecting his own envy/prejudices onto 'rich Thai people'.
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I'm prepared to bet (and we know how successful that's been in the past) that Fotoman57 has never met a real ammart and is projecting his own envy/prejudices onto 'rich Thai people'.

I guess we'll never know because Douchey McDoucherson ran around asking a bunch of questions and asking for people's help and then once he got it emailed me to threaten a lawsuit if I didn't immediately delete his account.

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lol - Good luck with that lawsuit.

Tell him you'll set your Thai lawyers on him...

Yeah, I don't think he would have gotten very far with that though he did look up where the server was hosted and threw that out there as making a case for legal jurisdiction being in the US. So I'll give him that. He actually invested some time and effort into his threat.

Not that it makes a difference.

Just another day in the life of a TF Admin :-)

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One thing I would say about the rich/middle classes is that they don't expect a free ride, whereas Thai poor people expect handouts and loans that will never be repaid. There's also a good deal of thievery and scamming amongst poor Thais that doesn't happen in wealthier circles.

ehhhhhhh .... seriously !!!! i get the impression that Thais "born" into wealth DO expect a free ride and DO expect handouts from mammy and daddy !!! they also expect their (or their parents) wealth to protect them when they **** up ... whether for speeding, drunk driving or ******* shooting someone !!!

and as for thieving and scamming not happening among the wealthy !!!! come on ... they won't rob u for a couple of thousand baht .... their scams will be for hundred of thousands ... or millions of baht !!!

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ehhhhhhh .... seriously !!!! i get the impression that Thais "born" into wealth DO expect a free ride and DO expect handouts from mammy and daddy !!! they also expect their (or their parents) wealth to protect them when they fuck up ... whether for speeding, drunk driving or fucking shooting someone !!!

and as for thieving and scamming not happening among the wealthy !!!! come on ... they won't rob u for a couple of thousand baht .... their scams will be for hundred of thousands ... or millions of baht !!!

Holy shit, Ciaran...I'm glad you pointed this out as I don't read much of what EB writes anymore...even though I respect him and his food at times.

The elite of Thailand definitely expect shit to be handed to them. I've worked alongside sons/daughters of the elite, and have had weekly meetings with the elite for years. Yes, they work. Yes, they expect shit to be handed to them.

They work less (9-4), however, than the Isarn farmers do, and they expect to at least have a sweet house and a mini cooper to save a bit of face for their troubles. Not saying they aren't good people, but they don't do shit compared to what your stereotypical Isarn farmer does.

What happens in Bangkok is only a fraction of what happens in Thailand.

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Holy ****, Ciaran...I'm glad you pointed this out as I don't read much of what EB writes anymore...even though I respect him and his food at times.

The elite of Thailand definitely expect **** to be handed to them. I've worked alongside sons/daughters of the elite, and have had weekly meetings with the elite for years. Yes, they work. Yes, they expect **** to be handed to them.

They work less (9-4), however, than the Isarn farmers do, and they expect to at least have a sweet house and a mini cooper to save a bit of face for their troubles. Not saying they aren't good people, but they don't do **** compared to what your stereotypical Isarn farmer does.

What happens in Bangkok is only a fraction of what happens in Thailand.

REAAAHEEALLYYY???

Suggest you look at the work involved in rice farming... There are two periods of intense activity - planting and picking. And then there's the waiting around for several months getting smashed on Lao Khao.

The discussion wasn't about the elite, it was about the rich. Elite is the ammart... Those born into a family with prestige. The majority of the rich Thais any of us know are not ammart. I seriously doubt Rob has dealings with real ammart.... Wealthy Thais, no doubt.

What happens in Bangkok is that 2/3 of the country's GDP is generated here. What happens in the agricultural sector is that 11% of the GDP is generated by 41% of the workforce. It's a **** system, that has been subsidised for decades by every Thai government in return for votes. It's about time Thailand started focussing on industry instead.

The 'poor Thais' that we have dealings with are motorbike taxi guys, taxi drivers, restaurant/bar staff and hookers... oh and Red Shirts... And it's difficult to feel sympathy for any of these groups. We've all be scammed, robbed or murdered to death by one of the above.

(Rob doesn't read what I write anymore because I use long words and it hurts his brain)

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