it seems a hit or miss then. I lived there for 2 years and travelled around SE Asia for 6 months and was always asked for exit flights in every country by the airlines. You must have an honest face 😊
To apply for any other visa now with only 30 days remaining is unlikely as they need more time to process. You could leave to visit a neighbouring country (Vietnam/ Malaysia / Laos/ Cambodia) and while there apply for a tourist visa for 60 days (applications would need to be to the neighbouring country’s Thai embassy) you can extend the tourist visa for 30 days also = 90 days which is adequate time to apply for a retirement visa. Or you can go back to Thailand on visa exempt (30 days) and extend for further 30 (providing you have not done this many times already) and try for a retirement visa. You may also wish to apply at a local teaching facility for an education visa to learn the language if you are considering living there