Cullen and Katie: Shifty eyes and constant lies | Part #25

[missy777]

Anyone else watch their “robbery” story on the don’t tell mom channel? These 2 idiots called the police and had Cullen running around the house with a loaded gun and a knife because a curtain string was banging against the home surveillance....

God help them. They are too stupid to function and from the sounds of it the police were annoyed.

[Ducklings4]

Besides the car payments, they also have to insure both cars. Neither car is cheap to insure. They should sell both and buy used mini van.


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[Boymomma123]

Katie making excuses for using the leftover valentine's money ( which was ridiculous for them to budget so much for to begin with) to buy frozen 2 is ridiculous. Say no to your kids, it isn't going to kill them! I guess I am a mean mom but I have no problem telling my kids that something they want it not in our budget! The whole point of coming in under budget is to save that money for next month or for debt! Cullen mentioned that $115 apple gift card then they seemed to cut out quickly because they could have used that to buy the movie! She wants to leave $100 in the eating out envelope for "just in case"? Skittles and reese's are a necessity? I can't even deal with these idiots they deserve to crash and burn.

Sorry for all the posts I just watched the video and just can't even with these two!

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[mamabear]

They actually do say to bake cookies or something to make the house smell good. I think though when you quit trying to make everything perfect that is when your house sells. We forgot to pick up dog dishes for a showing and that ended up being the person to buy the house. That is pretty rude to schedule a showing and waste the sellers time when pictures are online. At least go in and look at it.

If she is telling the truth it seems like they might actually be starting to get caught up and figuring out how to really work a budget. Dave always says it could take awhile to figure it out.

The one car thing doesn’t make sense because you can just go out and take a walk while your house is being showed. Although with all the pets that might be a little more complicated. I get her reasoning on why they are keeping it for now. What she said about Dave and what he says about car payments is true. He does say that.


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It didn’t seem to me that they were getting caught up and figuring out their budget yet AT ALL. It was a lot of the same justifying that got them into this entire mess. Not to mention, they are seriously twisting what Dave Ramsey says. For instance the part about the car. No one in the financial position they are in, should have a car payment. They were twisting what he says and they know it. What happens when they are still making those minimum credit card payments months from now?!

Also, it isn’t rude to not go into a home you’ve decided not to buy. The pictures may have misrepresented what it actually looks like and there was a mess out front? K&C aren’t tidy people. I’m not wasting time walking through a house I have already decided isn’t right. That’s how cautious people save themselves from making bad decisions. Why walk through a house your gut is saying isn’t right and risk being influenced?


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Leaving your home for a showing especially with pets and kids takes a lot of energy. At least you can do is go inside and not waste someone’s time.

I listen to Dave Ramsey a lot. He absolutely tells people if they can still work the snowball and the car debt isn’t more then 50% of your income you can keep your car. But he also says after you work your snowball you need to get it paid off. That car will be paid off by the time they get all these other things paid for. Yes they could sell it and have that extra 900 and pay off things faster but she was telling the truth about what Dave says.

The fact she was talking about creating a cushion in case they don’t get paid is a good thing. I just don’t know how much to believe.

Now saying that most of that extra 600 hundred should go towards the snowball. Take 50 and start the birthday and Christmas funds but put most of it on the snowball. Sometimes seeing the inside might change your mind about something on the exterior.

I thought using the xtra 20 they had left from valentines was a good thing. When you don’t use all of a envelope you can decide to use it for other things. The restraint thing was good too. She could of probably not put any money in there since they didn’t use the money from the previous period but I used to do the same thing.


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Dave Ramsey’s view on vehicles is that the value of all of your vehicles combined should not equal more then 50% of your annual income. Not that the debt shouldn’t be more then 50% of your annual income. And that’s not just in baby step 2, that’s his stance on cars and other toys with motors or wheels all the time. I don’t know how much the suburban is worth now and how much their other vehicle is worth so maybe they fit in that but if she said it’s 50% your income in debt on vehicle she’s wrong.

[WatchinTheWreck]

They said in the video that they still needed to pay the car tags on the Suburban, and just paid them on the Mercedes. They said that is why they haven’t been driving the Suburban but then turn around in the same video and say how they cannot live without two cars because they have been using them both so much due to showings or having multiple places to go. So they have been driving around with two unregistered vehicles and are still driving around in one. Are you kidding me? If you cannot afford to register it then you cannot afford to keep it.

And how do they think they are going to magically get out of debt in under two years? Ya, IF your house sells you get rid of the mortgage payment, but you will then replace it with a rent payment, which I would be surprised if they rented something for under $2000 a month. I bet they will be somewhere around $2500 and say but we are saving $900. These two are seriously stupid. Are they saving for retirement? Kids college funds? Wedding fund for Gaines? I highly doubt it. Those are more important then giving $411 to the church, the $900 a month car payment. Christ, they said they could sell the suburban and make a profit. So buy cheap old car for Cullen to drive with the profit and be car payment free. They already have the Mercedes suv that is paid for. That $900 a month will get rid of that debt a lot faster. And what do they plan to do when the house doesn’t sell? They have had what, close to 2 dozen showings and no offers? That tells you something.

Oh and what the hell are they thinking still buying alcohol? Cullen said they both had problems with drinking. Add that it is $$$. Seriously, the only way they are going to learn is if something major happens and they lose everything.

[WatchinTheWreck]

It didn’t seem to me that they were getting caught up and figuring out their budget yet AT ALL. It was a lot of the same justifying that got them into this entire mess. Not to mention, they are seriously twisting what Dave Ramsey says. For instance the part about the car. No one in the financial position they are in, should have a car payment. They were twisting what he says and they know it. What happens when they are still making those minimum credit card payments months from now?!

Also, it isn’t rude to not go into a home you’ve decided not to buy. The pictures may have misrepresented what it actually looks like and there was a mess out front? K&C aren’t tidy people. I’m not wasting time walking through a house I have already decided isn’t right. That’s how cautious people save themselves from making bad decisions. Why walk through a house your gut is saying isn’t right and risk being influenced?


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Leaving your home for a showing especially with pets and kids takes a lot of energy. At least you can do is go inside and not waste someone’s time.

I listen to Dave Ramsey a lot. He absolutely tells people if they can still work the snowball and the car debt isn’t more then 50% of your income you can keep your car. But he also says after you work your snowball you need to get it paid off. That car will be paid off by the time they get all these other things paid for. Yes they could sell it and have that extra 900 and pay off things faster but she was telling the truth about what Dave says.

The fact she was talking about creating a cushion in case they don’t get paid is a good thing. I just don’t know how much to believe.

Now saying that most of that extra 600 hundred should go towards the snowball. Take 50 and start the birthday and Christmas funds but put most of it on the snowball. Sometimes seeing the inside might change your mind about something on the exterior.

I thought using the xtra 20 they had left from valentines was a good thing. When you don’t use all of a envelope you can decide to use it for other things. The restraint thing was good too. She could of probably not put any money in there since they didn’t use the money from the previous period but I used to do the same thing.


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Dave Ramsey’s view on vehicles is that the value of all of your vehicles combined should not equal more then 50% of your annual income. Not that the debt shouldn’t be more then 50% of your annual income. And that’s not just in baby step 2, that’s his stance on cars and other toys with motors or wheels all the time. I don’t know how much the suburban is worth now and how much their other vehicle is worth so maybe they fit in that but if she said it’s 50% your income in debt on vehicle she’s wrong.

They said they could make a couple thousand profit on the suburban, so it is probably worth around $32,000. Not sure on the Mercedes, but she said it was a 2012, which looks like depending on mileage is worth anywhere from $12 to $20 thousand. So they are pushing that 50% value, or possibly over it.

I also doubt DR would tell them they should keep that $900 a month car payment. No way. He would tell them they are fools.

[WatchinTheWreck]

Katie making excuses for using the leftover valentine's money ( which was ridiculous for them to budget so much for to begin with) to buy frozen 2 is ridiculous. Say no to your kids, it isn't going to kill them! I guess I am a mean mom but I have no problem telling my kids that something they want it not in our budget! The whole point of coming in under budget is to save that money for next month or for debt! Cullen mentioned that $115 apple gift card then they seemed to cut out quickly because they could have used that to buy the movie! She wants to leave $100 in the eating out envelope for "just in case"? Skittles and reese's are a necessity? I can't even deal with these idiots they deserve to crash and burn.

Sorry for all the posts I just watched the video and just can't even with these two!

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Yes! They shouldn’t be eating out at all, and always needing candy. They need a sugar and alcohol detox. I didn’t understand the using cash versus the Apple gift card for the movie either. Transfer that $20 to something else and use the damn gift card. I still cannot get over how clueless they are for two adults pushing $40.

And Katie’s birthday. Um, skip it. I have gone many birthdays without getting a single thing because we didn’t have the funds in the budget. I was happy to just spend time with my family. Hell I skipped countless Valentines days, mother’s days and even Christmas for the same reason. It really is no big deal.

[Boymomma123]

Keeping the suburban is clearly a status symbol for Katie. I am glad Cullen spoke up about buying frozen 2 being an unnecessary splurge. Katie just had to defend it by talking about how much it benefited GAINES because as we all know Katie and her princess have so many needs.

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[mamabear]

Oh yes, I definitely think they need to sell the suburban and buy an old mini van or something for $5000 that they can carry liability only on it. I just wanted to point out what Dave Ramsey actually says about vehicles and not what Katie twisted it into so that she could keep her big fancy suburban.

[lmmomSD]

Did they mention paying the mortgage or is that still something they are avoiding in their videos. I would trade in that car and get a small sedan or small suv. They have two children and don't need a car that seats 8. They claim they pay themselves $8000 a month which seems like a lot but not really when to start paying down their debt they need to dedicate at least $2000 to the credit card. $3400 for the mortgage, $800 for daycare, $900 for the car, $400 to tithing. Something has got to give so they can have money leftover to pay down the debt. Budgeting is about making cuts and so far they haven't made any. Their big plan is for the house to sell but they haven't been paying the mortgage anyway and still don't have money so what good does that do them?

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It's funny how they cherry pick Dave Ramsey to justify what they want to do. He says it's ok to have a car payment. He says it's ok to have "fun money".
He also says that extracurriculars for the kids should be cut. And that one of the first things you do is get a side hustle. At the very least, if they insist on not selling the car, they should do Uber or Lyft. But they really should trade it in for something smaller, less gas-consuming, and above all cheaper. But they are both being incredibly stubborn about the whole job idea.
Yes, all the points they're saying Dave Ramsey says, are things he really says. But they aren't really doing Dave Ramsey. They're picking points to justify the things they don't want to change.

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[HashtagBlessed]

I think they have convinced themselves that they can’t tackle the debt until the house sells, so they aren’t even seriously thinking about the debt snowball right now and just continuing to make minimum payments. But how much money is that really going to free up once you factor in the expense of moving, paying the difference on what they undoubtedly owe on the mortgage, and the cost of rent?

Dave Ramsey also doesn’t generally advocate for selling your home (due to all the expenses associated with selling a home and moving) unless it is abundantly clear that you cannot afford your home, and clearly these two fall into that category, since their mortgage payment alone is almost 43% of their income. Katie and Cullen can’t even afford their car tags, so they clearly can’t afford two cars either.

They’re also using the house being on the market to justify two cars, which makes zero sense to anyone capable of basic problem solving. What errands are they running that makes it so hard to keep the car at home during the evening hours that showings are likely to happen? Why can’t they hang out with the grandparents on the weekends when showings are likely?

Do they genuinely not understand why they are getting critical comments surrounding their current spending? Are they really that stupid, or are they being obtuse on purpose to stir up “controversy”?

Yes, people think you are continuing your bad money habits because you are wasting money on junk food, Dollar Tree trinkets, daycare for two stay-at-home parents with an agent, and still driving around a car that is costing them $900 a month. And Katie is talking about end-of-year teacher gifts. They have a colossal amount of debt, nothing in savings, two young children who depend on them, and they refuse to a) get second jobs, b) cut out all unnecessary purchases, and c) sell that completely unnecessary second car. All while promoting Dave Ramsey?

[chloe6124]

If they went out and got a minivan that was a couple years old and made payments that would give them probably $600 more to put on their debt snowball. Plus the gas they would save. If they went down to one car that’s even more money they would save on gas.


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[lmmomSD]

If they went out and got a minivan that was a couple years old and made payments that would give them probably $600 more to put on their debt snowball. Plus the gas they would save. If they went down to one car that’s even more money they would save on gas.


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And money they would save on registration, and insurance. Is the upkeep on the Suburban free? A lot of newer cars have free maintenance. But if they don't have that, then maintenance on two cars adds up quickly as well.

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[MilkingTheClicks]

A few observations.

1) They are paying $411 in tithes twice a month. Once when Cullen gets paid and once when Katie gets paid. So $822 to the church each month.

2) A lot of alcoholics tend to crave sweets if they are in recovery (my husband is an addictions counselor) so if they are eating sweets at night that is normal if they are in recovery.

3) Katie is fast and loose with the numbers. It is easy to talk fast and do a lot of double talk to make it sound like you are doing something special. My guess is that she doesn't want Cullen to know the real numbers. I wonder if Cullen has sat down with each bill and the bank statement to understand what is really going on.

4) They are handling two budgets - business and personal yet when they talk it is all intertwined. I hope with the new checking / savings account they work on that.

5) I believe they have exaggerated their income because they don't want other YTer's / influencers to know how little they actually make.

6) Katie isn't willing to sacrifice anything. I'm sure they are spending less now while in this "debt disaster" but that is only because the credit card is maxed out and there isn't any cash. I give Cullen credit for at least hitting FB marketplace when Katie finally filled him in on the dire financial situation. He doesn't get a pass because he should have been involved in the budgeting the entire time.

7) Getting rid of the Suburban ($900 payment + $200 insurance + $50 tags (probably around $600 a year), taking Gaines out of Gynmastics $100 per month, taking the kids out of daycare $800 added together is more than half of their mortgage payment per month and in the tithes and they almost have the mortgage. I'm sure there are a ton of other things that could be cut immediately like audible, etc and at least the kids would have a secure roof over their heads until the house sales. Of course there are probably 50 other things they haven't mentioned they are probably spending money on.

8) I really hope they can learn from this and end up prosperous.

9) I have a question. Have they been tithing all alone? Or is this a way to get God to rain down money?

[HashtagBlessed]

I’m guessing that this potential buyer did not schedule a tour and didn’t seek this house out at all. A lot of times the real estate agent will encourage you to see other houses in the area while they have you there. I’m guessing the agent coaxed them into it, likely out of desperation to sell the house, and the potential buyer wasn’t interested at all and didn’t want to waste time touring the inside. Pointing to the brick was likely just an easy way to get out there quicker.

Katie said that Dave approves of keeping your car IF you have a plan to pay off all your debt in 2 years. How do they plan to pay off $86,000 of debt making $96,000 in two years with the way they are spending now?

They need to address the debt so that they will be able to have a real emergency fund, invest savings in retirement, save for the kid’s college, etc. I’m sorry, but those three things are way more important in the long run then they’re lame excuses. No, they don’t need a second car. No, the kid’s don’t need preschool and aftercare. No, they don’t need to spend money on Valentine’s Day. They need a serious wake-up call.

[rosie_dalia]

I wonder what the heck happened with her sister???!!! Kelley lives two houses away, but they can't go hang out at her house for 30 minutes while they show their house??? They keep saying they "drive around the block," but why not just go to Kelley and Jay's????

Something really bad must have gone down between them. They used to see each other EVERY DAMN DAY! Now not at all (except family events).

[Boymomma123]

I wonder what their plans are for the summer with the kids. Last year they had them in daycare for most of the summer and let Gaines do dance camp. I am sure the kids will be in summer "school" just like last year so C&K can "work".

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[ICantEven]

Katie may know what Dave Ramsay's general advice is on cars, but from listening to him interacting with people, I'm thinking his specific advice to Cullen and Katie would be more along the lines of "Grow up. Get jobs." Etc. If for some reason they could establish that their social media was taking up 60 hrs a week each and was more lucrative than anything else they could do for those hours and was sustainable for the future... Then he'd tell them to be adults and plan their time because they don't need 2 cars.

I just can't imagine a world in which I would sit there thinking it's worth $900/mo to not have to think as much about who is leaving the house when. They both claim to spend so many hours working at home every day. The kids school schedule is fixed. Both need to be gone for house showings. Neither of them should be shopping for anything. How complicated could their schedule even be? Or should I say how lazy could they be that whatever tiny amount of planning would be involved isn't worth $900/mo when you are that far in debt. I just don't get it. But then again, I'm not in their finamcial situation either.

[lmmomSD]

"A lot of alcoholics tend to crave sweets if they are in recovery (my husband is an addictions counselor) so if they are eating sweets at night that is normal if they are in recovery."
But they aren't in recovery. They're still drinking. If they gave up the alcohol and craved sweets, I could understand it. Maybe not condone it, but understand it. But they're appearing drunk in videos and talking about spending money on alcohol.

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[rosie_dalia]

"A lot of alcoholics tend to crave sweets if they are in recovery (my husband is an addictions counselor) so if they are eating sweets at night that is normal if they are in recovery."
But they aren't in recovery. They're still drinking. If they gave up the alcohol and craved sweets, I could understand it. Maybe not condone it, but understand it. But they're appearing drunk in videos and talking about spending money on alcohol.

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Hahahaha! I was thinking about that too. I stock up on my favorite Christmas candies and eat one a day (or two), but I wouldn't relate it to an addiction issue. People eat sweets and snacks all the time.