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Sergio Stefanuto
Joined: 14 May 2009
Location: UK
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 Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 11:15 pm Post subject: |
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Oh god, there are few topics more hilarious than this. Even though I left Korea 16 months ago and generally have no interest in discussing it, a thread on living expenses is guaranteed to entice my interest, just for the entertainment value.
Such as....
| carleverson wrote: |
| Living in Korea is dirt cheap. You can live on 500,000 a month. |
Come on, Carl. Tell us what kind of lifestyle is required to live on w500,000 a month.
Include in your answer:
* how often you eat Kimbap and lamyeon
* how often you go to Itaewon and Hongdae
* what you do in your free time
* during one of your once-in-a-blue-moon nights out with friends, what you have to eat and drink |
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willteachforfood
Joined: 24 Jan 2011
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| Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 1:13 am Post subject: |
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| Sergio Stefanuto wrote: |
Come on, Carl. Tell us what kind of lifestyle is required to live on w500,000 a month.
Include in your answer:
* how often you eat Kimbap and lamyeon
* how often you go to Itaewon and Hongdae
* what you do in your free time
* during one of your once-in-a-blue-moon nights out with friends, what you have to eat and drink |
While I am not Carl, 500,000/month is my approximate budget, so I can vouch that this is entirely possible and not really all that difficult to achieve. I would say that I generally spend closer to 600,000, but have months as low as 400-450,000.
I almost never eat kimbap or ramen, maybe once a month each.
I go to Itaewon or Hongdae about once every 2 months (one or the other, not both)
In my free time I read, work out, and play video games.
I go out far more than "once in a blue moon" and usually eat galbi or samgyeopsal.
500,000 per month takes discipline, but it isn't as hard as you think...the key is eating at home and not pissing away money here and there at the Mini-Stop. If you budget 50 bucks per week for groceries and 50 bucks per week for entertainment you'll be fine. You can easily go out and have a good time on a Friday night for 40,000 won if you drink Korean beer.
Living off 7-800,000 would be incredibly easy.
All that being said...I am talking about after you get set up. Generally one needs to spend their first paycheck or two getting their apartment set up.
But you can still get drunk once a week, eat well, and have a decent life on 500,000/month....spending more than 1 million is really wasting your resources if you're living in Korea. |
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yoja
Joined: 30 May 2008
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| Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 1:25 am Post subject: |
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Question: Generally speaking, how much do entry-level public school Korean teachers make these days? It would be interesting to know how much they save every month.
Not comparable to our situation, just curious. |
NOOOO!! The floodgates to Dave's thread hell have just been opened.
| Quote: |
Oh god, there are few topics more hilarious than this. Even though I left Korea 16 months ago and generally have no interest in discussing it, a thread on living expenses is guaranteed to entice my interest, just for the entertainment value.
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^ EXACTLY. |
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Sergio Stefanuto
Joined: 14 May 2009
Location: UK
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| Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 1:58 am Post subject: |
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| willteachforfood wrote: |
| Sergio Stefanuto wrote: |
Come on, Carl. Tell us what kind of lifestyle is required to live on w500,000 a month.
Include in your answer:
* how often you eat Kimbap and lamyeon
* how often you go to Itaewon and Hongdae
* what you do in your free time
* during one of your once-in-a-blue-moon nights out with friends, what you have to eat and drink |
While I am not Carl, 500,000/month is my approximate budget, so I can vouch that this is entirely possible and not really all that difficult to achieve. I would say that I generally spend closer to 600,000, but have months as low as 400-450,000.
I almost never eat kimbap or ramen, maybe once a month each.
I go to Itaewon or Hongdae about once every 2 months (one or the other, not both)
In my free time I read, work out, and play video games.
I go out far more than "once in a blue moon" and usually eat galbi or samgyeopsal.
500,000 per month takes discipline, but it isn't as hard as you think...the key is eating at home and not pissing away money here and there at the Mini-Stop. If you budget 50 bucks per week for groceries and 50 bucks per week for entertainment you'll be fine. You can easily go out and have a good time on a Friday night for 40,000 won if you drink Korean beer.
Living off 7-800,000 would be incredibly easy.
All that being said...I am talking about after you get set up. Generally one needs to spend their first paycheck or two getting their apartment set up.
But you can still get drunk once a week, eat well, and have a decent life on 500,000/month....spending more than 1 million is really wasting your resources if you're living in Korea. |
I remain utterly unconvinced. |
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willteachforfood
Joined: 24 Jan 2011
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| Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 2:06 am Post subject: |
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| Sergio Stefanuto wrote: |
| I remain utterly unconvinced. |
If your curiosity is truly that piqued, and you wish to be utterly convinced, email me at [email protected] and I can send you a step by step break down. |
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Stalin84
Joined: 30 Dec 2009
Location: Haebangchon, Seoul
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| Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 2:54 am Post subject: |
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My first paycheque is only going to be 400k. Mainly because the pay cycle ended a week after I started working which means I'm pretty much only getting paid for a week and a half.
Any advice is appreciated. |
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willteachforfood
Joined: 24 Jan 2011
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| Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 6:17 am Post subject: |
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| Stalin84 wrote: |
My first paycheque is only going to be 400k. Mainly because the pay cycle ended a week after I started working which means I'm pretty much only getting paid for a week and a half.
Any advice is appreciated. |
It's pretty tough when you're just starting out, especially in winter when bills are high....but clearly the key to living off less is spending less. You'd be amazed at how much money you can save by simply not spending it. Laugh if you will, but this really is the core and the crux of how to be frugal. |
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methdxman
Joined: 14 Sep 2010
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| Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 8:01 am Post subject: |
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| willteachforfood wrote: |
| Sergio Stefanuto wrote: |
Come on, Carl. Tell us what kind of lifestyle is required to live on w500,000 a month.
Include in your answer:
* how often you eat Kimbap and lamyeon
* how often you go to Itaewon and Hongdae
* what you do in your free time
* during one of your once-in-a-blue-moon nights out with friends, what you have to eat and drink |
While I am not Carl, 500,000/month is my approximate budget, so I can vouch that this is entirely possible and not really all that difficult to achieve. I would say that I generally spend closer to 600,000, but have months as low as 400-450,000.
I almost never eat kimbap or ramen, maybe once a month each.
I go to Itaewon or Hongdae about once every 2 months (one or the other, not both)
In my free time I read, work out, and play video games.
I go out far more than "once in a blue moon" and usually eat galbi or samgyeopsal.
500,000 per month takes discipline, but it isn't as hard as you think...the key is eating at home and not pissing away money here and there at the Mini-Stop. If you budget 50 bucks per week for groceries and 50 bucks per week for entertainment you'll be fine. You can easily go out and have a good time on a Friday night for 40,000 won if you drink Korean beer.
Living off 7-800,000 would be incredibly easy.
All that being said...I am talking about after you get set up. Generally one needs to spend their first paycheck or two getting their apartment set up.
But you can still get drunk once a week, eat well, and have a decent life on 500,000/month....spending more than 1 million is really wasting your resources if you're living in Korea. |
Are you single? 500 bucks a month being in a relationship or trying to get into one is going to be tough. |
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rumdiary
Joined: 05 Jun 2006
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| Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 10:25 am Post subject: |
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| Even Hotter wrote: |
| a few snacks and treats too |
Snacks and treat? I call bullshit. Just kidding. But I would like to know the difference. Please include examples. |
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winterfall
Joined: 21 May 2009
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| Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 5:44 pm Post subject: |
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it's possible. I'm supporting a family of 3 on 700 a month. 1.2 including rent. Of course we can't eat anything fancy. Meat a few times a month. Usually fish every other day of the week. And ordering out like pizza, restaurants or visit a buffet once a week or once every 2 weeks. And I only go out for drinks maybe once a week
Other than that my spending habits aren't too strained. I'm not a crazy alcoholic / party freak. And get by on a a couple hundred a month for my living expenses |
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UKsimon
Joined: 01 Nov 2009
Location: Incheon
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| Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 9:46 pm Post subject: |
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I have high speed internet, eat out with friends at the weekends.
Play screen golf atleast once a month, eat well, pay 30k for badminton club and am really happy with my life in Korea.
There's nothing that I miss out on because of my budget and I never spend more than 600k a month.
I also spend 80,000k a month on my T-card, it surprises me how much I spend on that.
I think even western princesses should never need more than 800k a month. |
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madoka
Joined: 27 Mar 2008
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| Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 11:38 pm Post subject: |
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| UKsimon wrote: |
| I think even western princesses should never need more than 800k a month. |
I don't know what sort of hobo lifestyle you guys are used to, but I spend more than 10 times that amount per month and never at any point did I feel like any sort of royalty. |
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red_devil
Joined: 30 Jun 2008
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 11:54 pm Post subject: |
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| madoka wrote: |
| UKsimon wrote: |
| I think even western princesses should never need more than 800k a month. |
I don't know what sort of hobo lifestyle you guys are used to, but I spend more than 10 times that amount per month and never at any point did I feel like any sort of royalty. |
500,000 will pay for most of my utilities (+building fee), mobile, internet/TV, convenience store food. If i go and buy fresh produce, meat, or fruits add another 200,000 monthly. This is also since i stopped going out to bars, clubs, or eating at restaurants other than the Kimbap-chunguk places. If your rent is super cheap like 500,000 than yeah you can probably survive on 1.5Mil...
If i spent $800K USD per month than perhaps i'd feel like royalty. |
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edwardcatflap
Joined: 22 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 11:59 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
I don't know what sort of hobo lifestyle you guys are used to, but I spend more than 10 times that amount per month and never at any point did I feel like any sort of royalty.
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How about posting pictures of all the things you bought plus receipts, the way you did with your cars? |
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morrisonhotel
Joined: 18 Jul 2009
Location: Gyeonggi-do
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| Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2011 12:02 am Post subject: |
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| edwardcatflap wrote: |
| Quote: |
I don't know what sort of hobo lifestyle you guys are used to, but I spend more than 10 times that amount per month and never at any point did I feel like any sort of royalty.
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How about posting pictures of all the things you bought plus receipts, the way you did with your cars? |
It really wouldn't be a thread on Dave's about spending money if Madoka didn't post about how much he spends/earns. |
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