Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Illysook]

It is definitely getting harder to save money here, but we all have at least one friend who is always broke at the end of the month. Why is this? Why would they come here and put up with all of the things that they often quite openly dislike, only to blow all of their money on stupid shit like eating at western restaurants every night of the week?

If I wanted to be broke and miserable, I'd stay home.

[NYC_Gal]

But maybe those people'd be broke and miserable the entire month, rather than just the end, if back home.

[Illysook]

But if they stayed home, we wouldn't have to watch them make the same bad decisions over and over again while whining about how miserable and broke they are.

[edwardcatflap]

[cragesmure]

[Steelrails]

Those people are an exception. Like the OP said, its "that one guy". There will always be that guy. It's just normal. I certainly don't see it as a trend.

[BaldTeacher]

[Died By Bear]

I just want to say one thing here.

I went out frequently with Korean businesspeople from SK Energy and Samsung. We always had a good time and ate very well.

In every single circumstance where I was able to get to the counter to pay before my colleagues, I was routed out the door while they took care of the bills. I saved so much money because I rarely paid for any meals. The special rooms with the girls, all paid for by someone else.

If the company wasn't paying, or the Korean hosts weren't paying, someone else definitely was. Now I ain't no miser or spendthrift, but I was able to have a really good time for basically next to nothing. And all that money went to paying off my student loans.

Korea was awesome.

[sojusucks]

There are some people who will be broke no matter how much money they make. They can't budget, refuse to listen to others, and need to re-learn the same hard lessons over and over.

[[email protected]]

[Catfisher]

[blm]

Well one positive for them is at least they can't get credit cards here.

People who are always* broke at the end of the month tend to be tight/moochers (like the story about the girl above) or really bad with money.

The later would be in trouble anywhere and would probably be worse of back home when they would have more freedom to wreck their future.



* obviously people go through tough times now and then when they need to save money or had a big expense, that's normal. And there is a nother category, people who just don't give a **** and are out to live it up. Power to them

[AsiaESLbound]

I've paid half at all the meals I've ate with Koreans except the first 2 times of which they paid the 1st time and then I returned the favor on the 2nd time. This is just me and 1 other Korean who enjoyed fishing and eating gamjatang. Even though he's doing 4X better than me working only half as much by doing privates (legal since he's Korean) in his own small storefront, he expects me to buy food and bait too which I have no problems with as I'm used to paying my way through life. I'm just happy to get out and about to do something outdoors when he does come through of a weekend. I don't get all this fighting to the door to pay and being routed out of the way stuff. You are welcome and expected to pay unless it's paid for by an employer or someone using a business card. I haven't ate with my school, boss, or anyone on business so it's just been personal. Ideally we all, regardless of nationality and where we are, want to have a business card in our wallet to use, but most don't. Korea seems to have excesses of cash sloshing in it's economy so the suits are out spending big though it's said many shikdongs are beginning to struggle this year since people are eating out less than before. Korean buddies do share the expenses of doing things together just as Westerners typically would though they may pay the 1st time you meet up and then you return the favor the 2nd time. Sit down gamjatang and galbi sikdongs are as pricey as premium restaurants back home serving steak and lobster, but once or twice a month won't break the bank if you got a job paying more than it costs to basically live and get by. Since I'm not paying on a car, home, nor kids, I've got more than it costs me to basically live here. Korea seems very much like how it would had been in the West years ago. Employers paid more perks like eating out, holiday bonuses happened, and people had a good time eating out during good times of economic success.

As for saving, I save 1 million a month, but it could be more if food wasn't so pricey. I'm paying 4X than back home for my juice, meat, cheese, salads, and fruits here from a much much smaller selection of choices. I like to complain about the stinking food situation in my tiny dinky kitchen, but Korea never was known for being a land of plenty hosting culinary extravagance with apartments featuring large kitchens with large fridges and ovens. I had the same tiny dorm kitchen in college, but also had a meal plan at the cafeteria so coffee and maybe a snack was all I did. I just feel we need real kitchens with real supermarkets offering competitive prices and sale specials since I can no longer get my time and money saving meal plan.

[Illysook]

Food is getting more and more expensive here and I've found that if I don't exercise some amount of self discipline where it is concerned, it will sink my budget in a hurry. It doesn't bother me to do this and it shouldn't be a problem for the average adult. Going out for every meal is not a normal lifestyle choice.

I'm trying to save a million won a month on a public school salary. It's not easy, I don't always meet this goal, but I'm saving something. It distresses me to see my friends go through so much pain and end up with nothing to show for it.

[eb]

[quote="Catfisher"][quote="[email protected]"][quote="sojusucks"]There are some people who will be broke no matter how much money they make. They can't budget, refuse to listen to others, and need to re-learn the same hard lessons over and over.[/quote]

+1


Another factor that has not been mentioned is that many of these so-called broke people are not really broke, but only want their friends to think that they are in order to get someone else to foot the bill.


b][u]mmm.. +1,man. My ex did the same exact thing, Only problem was he was really some Millionaire, who was just posing as a poor, broke begger in dirty old clothes ( he did professional acting for a liivng) becasue he didn't want people thinking he had ANY money whatsoever ( found this out when I saw someone with alot of the same resblance driving a brand new BMW330 one day AND wearing a suit and tie!!!

Go figure.



A few years ago I worked in a town where there was a girl who was always broke....boo hoo....well, she was broke because she sent 80% of her salary home at every paycheck to pay off her student loans, which was clearly 4-5 times her minimum payment or more. I think that this is the case with most of the broke people here....they send too much money home but still want to live the same lifestyle of those who aren't trying to save anything.[/quote]

+1 again

There was a teacher back in 2004 that we called John the mooch. We all had jobs at afterschool programs when they were starting out, so our hours were 12-5 every day. John would do privates all morning and then all evening after work as well as all morning on Saturdays. The guy was making 4-5 mil a month easily. But the thing was, the guy would never pay his share, or if he did, it was always a couple of bucks short.
One time we all went out to a bar, including his date. When it came time to ante up, his date automatically assumed he would cover her share, which he didn't.
Another time, he took that same date out to dinner and a movie. Where did they have dinner? At a Gimbap Nara/Jeonguk (a Korean fast food place, basically)
One thing he was proud of though, he owed 25,000 CDN back home but had managed to have all of his cash he made here sent to an offshore account.[/quote]

He was one smart moocher. [/b]