Cullen and Katie: Drowning in debt, parenting is inept | Part #24

[rosie_dalia]

Double post but if they purchased that home two and a half years ago that means they’ve paid off 6 figures on that house in less than 36 months? Doesn’t add up to me.

No, they've only paid interest on the second mortgage ($55K), so they've only paid off about $45,000 TOTAL in payments. They put down $45,000 as a downpayment. They said they currently owe a total of $550,000 on the house between the two mortgages.

Obvs, they've paid more factoring in interest, but they've barely made a dent paying off this house in 2+ years.

[brittknee]

Double post but if they purchased that home two and a half years ago that means they’ve paid off 6 figures on that house in less than 36 months? Doesn’t add up to me.

We built our house in 1999, and had a $20K home equity line of credit in late 2002. But we also paid extra on our mortgage every month.

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I like you already because that makes my heart happy LOL but considering they couldn’t even make a credit card payment I highly doubt they were paying more toward their mortgage ya know?

[brittknee]

Double post but if they purchased that home two and a half years ago that means they’ve paid off 6 figures on that house in less than 36 months? Doesn’t add up to me.

No, they've only paid interest on the second mortgage ($55K), so they've only paid off about $45,000 TOTAL in payments. They put down $45,000 as a downpayment. They said they currently owe a total of $550,000 on the house between the two mortgages.

Obvs, they've paid more factoring in interest, but they've barely made a dent paying off this house in 2+ years.

Right that’s what I’m saying it doesn’t add up to me. They purchased that home 2 years ago for $640,000 so how in 2 years did they pay off $90,000 if they couldn’t even put food on the table without selling stuff or gas in their tanks?

[rosie_dalia]

Double post but if they purchased that home two and a half years ago that means they’ve paid off 6 figures on that house in less than 36 months? Doesn’t add up to me.

No, they've only paid interest on the second mortgage ($55K), so they've only paid off about $45,000 TOTAL in payments. They put down $45,000 as a downpayment. They said they currently owe a total of $550,000 on the house between the two mortgages.

Obvs, they've paid more factoring in interest, but they've barely made a dent paying off this house in 2+ years.

Right that’s what I’m saying it doesn’t add up to me. They purchased that home 2 years ago for $640,000 so how in 2 years did they pay off $90,000 if they couldn’t even put food on the table without selling stuff or gas in their tanks?

Sounds like they paid off $45K with the down payment, then they probably paid about $2000-ish a month. That's not really a crazy amount for a house payment. I think they were making A LOT in 2016/2017, so they thought they could handle that sort of payment.

I just don't understand how their CC debt is insanely high! They have like $50K on credit? Wow, that going to take FOREVER to fix. What exactly were they even buying?? Maybe Katie's shopping addiction is worse than they admit...or they were charging EVERYTHING (including things like groceries).

I'm curious how many other YTers are in the same situation. There are a few that are obviously in trouble and lying about it—like Charles Trippy and maybe Samika. Those two also invested in BitCoin.

[brittknee]

No, they've only paid interest on the second mortgage ($55K), so they've only paid off about $45,000 TOTAL in payments. They put down $45,000 as a downpayment. They said they currently owe a total of $550,000 on the house between the two mortgages.

Obvs, they've paid more factoring in interest, but they've barely made a dent paying off this house in 2+ years.

Right that’s what I’m saying it doesn’t add up to me. They purchased that home 2 years ago for $640,000 so how in 2 years did they pay off $90,000 if they couldn’t even put food on the table without selling stuff or gas in their tanks?

Sounds like they paid off $45K with the down payment, then they probably paid about $2000-ish a month. That's not really a crazy amount for a house payment. I think they were making A LOT in 2016/2017, so they thought they could handle that sort of payment.

I just don't understand how their CC debt is insanely high! They have like $50K on credit? Wow, that going to take FOREVER to fix. What exactly were they even buying?? Maybe Katie's shopping addiction is worse than they admit...or they were charging EVERYTHING (including things like groceries).

I'm curious how many other YTers are in the same situation. There are a few that are obviously in trouble and lying about it—like Charles Trippy and maybe Samika. Those two also invested in BitCoin.

I’ve wondered that myself with YouTube channels who else is in this same position as Cullen and Katie.

[Boymomma123]

I think they were just charging everything on the business card. Katie said the first month they had it in december 2016 they paid of the balance that month. Then it seems like from 2017 to now they have just been spending. Money can add up quick when you think the more you spend the less you have to pay on taxes. They had a babysitter picking the kids up from school which I am sure was not cheap. They had expensive birthday parties for the kids. They were eating out by their own admission everyday probably lunch and dinner. Gas for the suburban is not cheap either and they always seemed to do a lot of driving. I think we also underestimate how much clothing Katie bought for those kids. Gaines had a closet full of smocked holiday dresses, often 2 to 3 for each holiday. Some of those I am sure were $30-$50. Between gas, the nanny, cleaning service, getting their groceries delivered and their shopping habits I think 50,000 adds up pretty quickly. They might even have a pretty high interest rate.

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[LilSeb1010]

It seems to me like they were using credit to supplement their income after things tanked in 2017. They kept spending like nothing had changed even though their income was cut in half AND they had taken on a much larger mortgage. Also bigger house means higher property taxes, expensive insurance, and I don’t even want to think about their utility bills from cooling that behemoth in the Alabama summers. I remember thinking “they’ll really regret buying that house one day” the moment they announced it. It was so obviously a stretch for them.

Still, going from 52k in the bank to 86k in the hole in 3 years is crazy. I did suspect they’d been living on credit for quite some time. There was no way they were affording their lifestyle with dismal views and relatively few sponsorships.

I definitely think A LOT of YouTubers/influencers live with massive amounts of debt. It’s all about keeping up with the Joneses in that culture.


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[Boymomma123]

They still keep missing the point everyone is trying to make with suggesting one or both of them seeking a second job. I wish more people would question them rather than just kiss their asses in the comments. She also claims she is still "working" while lying in bed. Which leads me to the conclusion that they consider replying to comments on their Instagram pictures as work. I understand that it is part of the engagement with your audience but I just can't label that as work.

They mentioned hitting rock bottom in the latest video but really they are no where near rock bottom.

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[Littlemama]

All this makes me wonder how much Katie has asked her parents to help. Like with her blonde growing out of her hair and she said that she was at a gas station and didnt even have money to put in for gas. I was thinking that her parents were just handing out to them but I'm not so sure now. I thought Katie would ask them for money for her hair or call them if she was at a gas station and didnt have money to put in her tank. I guess its either one or two things. Her parents have given to them so much they finally got cut her off or Katie is too embarassed to ask for help. Maybe they told her when she married Cullen he wouldnt have any money and she doesnt want to ask cuz she is trying to prove them wrong. Idk just something I have been wondering about.

[lmmomSD]

Don't forget, they were drinking a lot, and going out to eat a lot too. Wonder if Cullen was taking cash advances to buy drugs? Katie wasn't doing the kids shopping at Target or Walmart either. Gaines' closet was filled to bursting with clothing, a lot of it monogrammed. Admittedly some of it was handmedowns from Kelley's girls, but most of it was not. And they ate out a lot in Florida, and on game weekends. Grocery delivery costs more than just shopping. Weren't they going through video baby monitors at a rapid pace at one point too? I seem to remember them saying more than once that they had to get new ones because they kept breaking. And the ginormous aquarium wasn't cheap...
As has been said, the Suburban was a big gas hog too. Big fancy birthday parties for Gaines, the inflatable hot tub, who knows what else?
And I don't think Samika is actually struggling. Sam has known for a while that YT isn't an endless income. He's been on Twitch for a while, and he does a lot of Instagram ads for big companies. He puts effort into his ads, and it shows. Plus he has his Yeezy sneakers side hustle. He's talked about getting a job, and doesn't seem to be stubborn about it. I think they are going about things very differently than C&K.

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[Lovethesnark]

There’s no way Samika is in the same boat. They just don’t have the same expenses. They never purchased a big fancy house. They have one car that I believe is paid for. Rent and utilities is probably their biggest expense. Zillow estimates that their rent is $1800. They post ads consistently on both of their Instagram accounts. They tend to work with big companies over a long period of time. Sam seems to be more of the spender in their household, but he doesn’t hold on to things. When he buys new things, he’s usually sold something else to pay for it. They don’t ship their kids off to daycare. Friends and family have always babysat for them when they go out. They don’t travel often. Then they do, it’s usually to visit family. They’ve probably made just as much money as C&K despite not having a big channel. They just didn’t pretend that they could live a life of luxury.

Honestly, I wouldn’t assume other Youtubers are in the same trouble based on Cullen and Katie’s mess. They’ve never had the work ethic. It doesn’t seem like Youtubers need much, but they’ve always done the bare minimum. They were spending like their friends, but they never came close to ever making as much money.


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[hereforthekids]

Anyone that has actually done DR knows that you get a side hustle if you don't have enough income.

You sell everything you don't need/ get a side hustle - delivering food/ cleaning houses/ editing for other people and put all of that income towards your debt.

I think this whole DR thing is a cop out. They are only doing the pieces of DR that they want to do. If they called in, I guarantee that Dave would tell them to BOTH get a side hustle.

[HashtagBlessed]

They are in serious denial about their earning potential and their ability to run a business. They just spent four videos explaining how they failed to understand or execute basic planning around managing the finances of a business. They think that another job would distract from their ability to "invest" in their own business, because they think they can turn things around and start making more money somehow. If my paycheck from my employer was on a steady decline, I would be looking for another job. But because they are self-employed, they fall into this trap of thinking they can somehow turn things around.

They clearly stated that they knew the house was dated, they know the financing was not favorable, they knew their income was declining, and it was readily available information that there were newer and nicer properties in their town for less. Using Kelley as a scapegoat is super unfair. Just because I send someone a Redfin listing, doesn't mean that I'm their financial adviser. Katie also stated that they were not telling anyone about their financial situation at the time of the home purchase.

[Boymomma123]

DR would 100 % tell them to get a side job. At this point social media is their side job and a 9 to 5 full time job is what at least one of them needs. They said their monthly income is variable and they have admitted to being terrible planners. I cannot understand how their fans don't see reason. They claim they can't afford Christmas or groceries without selling their possessions yet refuse to hustle and find other work because answer comments is such hard work. They deserve to lose everything for acting like children.

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[ba1006]

By their own math, they only put down $45K on this behemoth house. Didn't they say the profit from the old house was $70k+? Why didn't they use all of that for the new house??

Also, they haven't really paid down this house much. Everything from the sale will go to pay off the mortgage. They still owe $550K, so they'll be LUCKY to walk away without owing more.

Maybe they intended to put some of that money into renovations for the house, but spent it on stupid shit before the renovations happened?

I wonder how they paid for the bathroom remodel.


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If I remember correctly, all the fixtures in the new bath were a sponsored deal. I'm pretty sure the actual labor and costs associated with that remodel was paid by their insurance company.

[wishes]

Ok, I'm getting very annoyed at them for constantly referencing Dave Ramsey when they clearly said they won't get a side job when that's precisely what DR would say to do!! They're fake fans for sure.

Sorry, I know all my posts recently are about them getting a second job, but it's true. When you're that desperate, you find ways to make it work for more hustling. I've seen people in far worse situations than they are, single parents working two jobs who barely see their kid(s) just to put food on their table. Their BS excuses is eye-rolling.

[nutbagmcgee]

I think it’s interesting about how Gaines has always had the best monogrammed, smocked and ruffled clothes but Brooks literally has been wearing Walmart clothes for the past year. Walmart shoes, Walmart clothes and a terrible haircut.

[Boymomma123]

I think it’s interesting about how Gaines has always had the best monogrammed, smocked and ruffled clothes but Brooks literally has been wearing Walmart clothes for the past year. Walmart shoes, Walmart clothes and a terrible haircut.

I have noticed this as well, I guess maybe they can't afford to get his hair cut so that is probably why it looks so bad. I get they want him to have longer hair but they could atleast get it layered and shaped so it doesn't look like a mop on his head.

I also hate how they mention not having money for manicures, hair color, haircuts like they are living with so little. Many parents go without those things in order to make ends meet.

They aren't even good at the whole social media "job". They aren't consistent or coming out with helpful content. I just wish all of this idiots that comment would quit patting them on the back for doing the bare minimum.

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[ba1006]

Katie said on her instagram that they have to pay for health insurance on their own and it costs $1500/month. Wow. Another reason to get a real job with benefits.

[Boymomma123]

If they are going to defend their choice to stick with social media as their only form of income I would like to see what all they do in a day. I know they don't owe us anything but if you are so busy with social media that you don't have time for a part time job then you should be bringing in more money. If they are so busy with their "business" from sun up to sun down then they should be making more money. Why keep putting in all of this effort if your still unable to pay your bills.

I think they are so used to this lazy lifestyle that they have just convinced themselves that it will magically get better. They are too old and not appealing to the type of viewers who watch channels like Cole and Sav, they don't have teenage/preteen aged kids to exploit to bring in views. They have not adapted with their viewers. They are terrible at their job and have to make extreme videos like these debt ones just to bring 50k views in.

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