What are you paying for things?

[Bruce Mangosteen]

On 11/7/2025 at 7:23 PM, Bullfrog said:

I was thinking about you this morning when I first woke up.

Well, considering the unfortunate state of our recent interactions, I'm relieved this is the extent of what you were thinking!   

Thanks for this and also to @forcebwithu for these posts.  

Just as a quick update, planning for my upcoming retirement has accelerated.  I've changed to a different financial advisor who was recommended by a friend as good with retirement money management.  I've begun the process of claiming my Social Security retirement benefit, which will require me to turn up at the local office to let them copy my birth certificate (I have the original!).  I've also informed my supervisor of my tentative date, and offered to stay an additional month or two if it would help with what will be going on at that time.

We should be living in Thailand one year from today.

 

Should...

[Bullfrog]

8 hours ago, Bruce Mangosteen said:

  I've changed to a different financial advisor who was recommended by a friend as good with retirement money management. 

Perhaps you might not be interested in my next price update then but others with worse money management skills might be....

We bought several kg of chicken carcass from Lotus on Friday at 21 Baht/kg but this isn't to be boiled down to make a broth, instead it us used for soup.

I have always enjoyed chicken/turkey/duck neck and this comes with the carcass. Also the meat around where the neck meets the body is effing delicious too. It kinda reminds me of the fleshy bit of a tiger prawn that is left after you remove the head...

The thing is, this isn't chicken that has been water-blasted to remove meat for chicken burgers/sausages, it still has enough meat on it such that bunged in a pan with spuds and carrots you have a damned good meal!

I reckon for less than 2 quid you have enough chicken to feed both of you two days! First day with veggie, second day with mama noodles ..

Enjoy !!

[Bullfrog]

I will be making my own chestnut stuffing for Christmas and new year so ordered these .... but instead of 6 packets as in the picture, 12 arrived ...

 

[Bruce Mangosteen]

11 hours ago, Bullfrog said:

I reckon for less than 2 quid you have enough chicken to feed both of you two days! First day with veggie, second day with mama noodles ..

Enjoy !!

Thanks for the tip.  

[jacko]

Despite having mostly embraced the Thai concept that 'if it works, don't fix it' I found my main bedroom AC was blowing a bit poorly, so called the guy in, well overdue a service. Three units, cleaned up, no parts needed (bar one), 500 baht each. The catch was one of the little motors that drives the vanes back and forth had packed in, that alone cost 1400 to replace, so he told me. One unit is 10 years old, the other couple about 20.  The little motor on one of the others is also defective, but I jam a piece of card into that to put the vanes where I want them!

Edited November 10, 2025 by jacko

[Bullfrog]

13 hours ago, Bruce Mangosteen said:

Thanks for the tip.  

For the same sausage meat and chestnut stuffing my intention was to post an excellent offer from Manston's for sage and onion sausage meat balls but they removed the offer before I could get my order in as I was away from the house for a week.

So, know the prices of your main food items so that you can lump in on a good deal before it is snatched away !!

 

[Bullfrog]

I was in the process of checking out Manston's and Siamburis for the price of a boneless leg of lamb when I noticed that Manston's do free Nationwide delivery for orders over 4,000 Baht.

I save 415Baht on delivery and all the Manston's stuff is cheaper on their site anyway..

 

 

 

 

 

[Bullfrog]

 

 

Compared to Lotus's ....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jacko]

My electricity bill was a few coppers under 2500 baht this month. Cool season is good for that!

[Bullfrog]

On 11/19/2025 at 5:04 AM, jacko said:

My electricity bill was a few coppers under 2500 baht this month. Cool season is good for that!

Yep, mine is down to 1,900 now ( 3 bedroom each with aircon but not always occupied)

Another price for you ...

The wife and her uncle have just slaughtered 13 fully grown ducks and are now out in the fields plucking and butchering them.

1,500 Baht for all 13 ..

 

 

Edited December 6, 2025 by Bullfrog

[sailingbill]

On 11/9/2025 at 11:14 PM, Bruce Mangosteen said:

.  I've begun the process of claiming my Social Security retirement benefit, which will require me to turn up at the local office to let them copy my birth certificate (I have the original!). 

Bruce you may be aware but sign up for My Social Security on the site. No need to go to an office, your benefits will be initiated online, Yearly Cola ,monthly statements and Letter certifying your benefits are available.

[Bruce Mangosteen]

10 hours ago, sailingbill said:

Bruce you may be aware but sign up for My Social Security on the site. No need to go to an office, your benefits will be initiated online, Yearly Cola ,monthly statements and Letter certifying your benefits are available.

I had to (past tense, did it yesterday) do this because somehow my birth hospital didn't notify the SSA of my birth.  That's usually done automatically, accounting for why most people aren't aware that it happens.

Interestingly, I found out about this when I tried to make a login for the "my SS" online service a few years ago.  I could get to a certain point in the process but no farther.  Called the office and the guy said, "Oh, that's because you don't exist!", and fixed it.  He told me at the time that all my benefits were secure and there was no problem, but that I'd have to present a BC before I could apply for anything, in office or otherwise.  I confirmed that by calling again some months later and talking to someone else.

They also take the application by phone, and I made an appointment.  What I figure is that I'll attempt to make the application online and, if the software blows chow for any reason, I'll already have the appointment to talk to them about it.

[Bruce Mangosteen]

On 12/6/2025 at 3:16 AM, sailingbill said:

Bruce you may be aware but sign up for My Social Security on the site.

Submitted the application for retirement benefits online today.  Interestingly, they allowed me to select December 2025 as the start date of benefits, which would mean I'll get a check next month.  Fingers crossed!