Cullen and Katie: Losing the house, no jobs for either spouse | Part #27

[Boymomma123]

They just admitted to most likely having to buy new furniture for the house because of the size. How is that aligned with getting out of debt and being on a budget?

They are definitely just planning on getting some big sponsors and being able to pay big chunks of their debt all at once.

Katie will hate living in that 1800 sq ft "small" house. It bothered me how much they had to emphasize how small it is. When in reality that is a pretty average sized home for most Americans. I can hear all the complaints from her now about not having enough space and the kids fighting all the time because they have no privacy. Their previous home was over 2000 sq ft and that was too small for them. This is fun for her though because none of their beds and furniture will fit so shopping trip it is! They will rent for life.

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[Romeoxsavexme]

The way Katie looks at Cullen when he talks is soooo telling. Their relationship is on the way to divorce. All the jump cuts when Cullen is speaking. She probably tells him to cut it here and there or interrupts. He said he cried and this was really hard for him. This poor guy has a shitty wife who has run them into the ground. So fucking sad. She needs to go to actual therapy.


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[Ducklings4]

I believe Kelly outspends Cullen, but we don’t know what Cullen spent on drugs and his fish hobby is not cheap. My problem with Cullen is he pays no attention to their spending. They both got into this mess together. I think Cullen would like to be more open, but Katie likes to control the narrative. I always feel she is hiding something not just from viewers, but from Cullen as well.


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[Boymomma123]

I think that Cullen is in no way as high maintenance as Katie is. I think he made dumb impulsive purchases over the years that helped accumulate their debt. But I think he is a pretty simple person and would be fine with a mattress on the floor in their new house. Katie sees this as an excuse for a whole new bedroom set. The problem is Cullen doesn't seem to have much of a voice and just let's Katie do what she wants. He trusts her to handle their finances but she is terrible at it. They are the perfect storm and they are headed for disaster even after unloading the Mcmansion.

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[mblant099]

I’m a long time reader, but finally made an account to get in on the discussion. Through process of elimination and using the information they gave, I have found the neighborhood. Of course Katie is still getting her grand neighborhood entrance with fabulous parks and ginormous pools/splash pads. Seeing the floor plans for these houses...it’s going to be very interesting seeing them go from 8,000+ sq ft of junk to this place

[Amsouthernbell]

I’m a long time reader, but finally made an account to get in on the discussion. Through process of elimination and using the information they gave, I have found the neighborhood. Of course Katie is still getting her grand neighborhood entrance with fabulous parks and ginormous pools/splash pads. Seeing the floor plans for these houses...it’s going to be very interesting seeing them go from 8,000+ sq ft of junk to this place

They will live 45min from me I will let y’all know when I first run into them.

[Boymomma123]

Found the new neighborhood they really she more careful about how much information they give out. Leaving in the part about the "resort style pool slide" and "mobile bay area" were dead giveaways.

Houses are super close together and don't seem to have fenced yards. Lazy C&K may actually have to walk their dogs on a leash instead of just letting them roam. Their neighbors are going to hate them. I have a feeling they are not taking the swing set.

I am curious to see what they do with all of their crap. They will fill that tiny garage to the brim. Of course they will have to pay for a storage unit that's a great way to spend your money while trying to get out of debt. I doubt they will go to the beach very much at all. They are used to having the beach house a short walk to the water. They will hate driving to a public access and lugging all their gear for one day. They will complain about how much hotter it is further south.

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[lmmomSD]

So a viewer hooked them up? Is that what they are saying?
Unbelievable. How anyone would want to rent to these people after watching their vlogs and seeing how they let their cats piss all over, and just what they have _shared_ about their finances, is beyond me. It's actually really time-consuming and difficult to evict someone. I have a feeling this homeowner will be sorry.

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[HashtagBlessed]

I think that Cullen is in no way as high maintenance as Katie is. I think he made dumb impulsive purchases over the years that helped accumulate their debt. But I think he is a pretty simple person and would be fine with a mattress on the floor in their new house. Katie sees this as an excuse for a whole new bedroom set. The problem is Cullen doesn't seem to have much of a voice and just let's Katie do what she wants. He trusts her to handle their finances but she is terrible at it. They are the perfect storm and they are headed for disaster even after unloading the Mcmansion.

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While I think Cullen clearly has self-destructive tendencies, he at least seems to recognize it. He's forthcoming because he has some self-awareness. It was hard to hear him talk about passing on scholarships because he didn't believe in himself. He's clearly thinking about how limited his options are without a college degree and thinking about how he's squandered opportunities. Meanwhile, his wife, who has led a life of extreme privilege thanks to her parents, and has a PhD she is not using, seems awfully content with herself. It's so perplexing.

She doesn't seem to recognize or take responsibility for running their lives into the ground. Yes, Cullen should have been an active participant in their finances, but I don't doubt that Katie has a vested interest in putting him down and keeping him in the dark. At the very least, she has a seriously inflated sense of her own intelligence and decision-making ability. From the way they've explained everything, it's clear that Katie made the decisions that put them in this situation (like the interest-only loan that she explained), and Cullen was just going along with it. He'd rather be passive and give the reins to someone else, no matter how incompetent, because he has so little self-confidence.

I find it very hard to believe he doesn't resent her at this point. Cullen has shared numerous times how frustrated and embarrassed he is, and has teared up on camera talking about it. Katie still thinks that she's the "responsible one" who worries about things. Cullen seems to take this way more seriously and actually understands the gravity of the situation. Just from watching their videos, it's clear that he bears the emotional weight of their situation. I have never once seen Katie break down with remorse or guilt. Nothing along the lines of, "I'm so sorry that I got us into this mess, I can't believe I let it get this bad," etc. Cullen's explanation seem to be rooted in "there's something wrong with me that I need to fix" versus Katie's explanations always amounting to excuses and justifications.

Katie likes to think that she's handing it all over to God or whatever because she's just so in touch with her faith now, but I think it's another excuse to check out, which she has been doing for a long time. Someone who worries a lot doesn't manage to rack up that kind of debt before they realize it's out of control. She claims she was the one looking at rentals, yet it never occurred to her that renting with pets would be an issue? And it never occurred to her until recently to look at a less touristy area for a better deal?

I don't mean to give Cullen a pass, but there's something strangely sympathetic about Cullen being a loser because he has no self-esteem, versus Katie who has such an arrogance and inflated sense of herself. I think Cullen cosigned the out-of-control spending because he is insecure about being "good enough" for his wife and her family. I think Katie overspends because she believes she's entitled to everything she wants without having to work for it.

I think they will either get divorced at some point or continue down this path of financial self-destruction.

[Tayloch00]

Everyone is right they make it seem like it is their families fault for getting them in debt. They never take responsibility for anything and I hope her family saw it and decided to cut her off. No one told them to buy an expensive house they just did because everyone was doing it. They are the most pathetic adults I've eve ever seen. Katie is the one that ruined the finances because she had to have the latest things and spoil little princess Gaines. The most intelligent thing they can do now is invest in a carpet cleaner and super clean all the furniture they cant take and clean up all the stuff they cant take and have a yard sale. Make some money before you go cause your going to need it.

[Boymomma123]

Yes something about all of Cullen's reactions are so much more genuine than any reaction we have seen from Katie.

I just know their situation will most likely never change. Regardless of how much "self growth" Katie thinks she has achieved. She has yet to have an actual come to God moment and accept that they are in this situation because of their choices. She was still blaming other people for their poor choices. Your family didn't make you buy that house or that expensive chair or all of the ridiculous smocked monogrammed clothes. She needs real therapy not just self help podcasts and books.

Its super obvious how stressed out Cullen is and although he contributed to the problem I do feel for him. Katie just steam rolls him and seems emotion less at times.

I am sure those credit cards will be put to use again because "none of our furniture will work in this small house". Any excuse Katie can use to fulfill that shopping addiction.

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[Ducklings4]

Yes something about all of Cullen's reactions are so much more genuine than any reaction we have seen from Katie.

I just know their situation will most likely never change. Regardless of how much "self growth" Katie thinks she has achieved. She has yet to have an actual come to God moment and accept that they are in this situation because of their choices. She was still blaming other people for their poor choices. Your family didn't make you buy that house or that expensive chair or all of the ridiculous smocked monogrammed clothes. She needs real therapy not just self help podcasts and books.

Its super obvious how stressed out Cullen is and although he contributed to the problem I do feel for him. Katie just steam rolls him and seems emotion less at times.

I am sure those credit cards will be put to use again because "none of our furniture will work in this small house". Any excuse Katie can use to fulfill that shopping addiction.

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Yeah I was thinking about that. My husband and I are still using the sofa we had in our old house which was over twice the square footage of our present house. Not that we can’t afford to get a new sofa I just choose to spend my money on other things. Also my husband and I were supposed to go on our first trip together by ourselves in 24 years. Not that we couldn’t afford to go anywhere in those 24 years we just wanted to make sure we could help our kids pay for college. Cullen and Katie have nothing put away for this kids future. I can’t imagine living my life and being so stubborn at the expense of my children. It is both of them because Cullen has not said we need to stop YouTube and get jobs with a stable income. Katie just has her head up her a$$.
Can you imagine knowing your husband is breaking down and crying and you go to bed. Did I misunderstand that whole story. I just thought what a cold hearted wife. Cullen and Brooks are upset who cares I am going to bed. Gaines is upset, lets go by something with foxes on it.


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[HashtagBlessed]

From the details they've shared, homes of that size in that resort complex are currently for sale in the 500s and 600s- pretty close to what they just sold the McMansion they couldn't afford for. How exactly are they affording rent for a home in that price range?

I think Katie has convinced Cullen that she couldn't make very much with her degree in the workforce, and Cullen just takes her word for it.

[Em1899]

Are they literally stupid?

[HelloSweetie]

I’ve seen an attitude like Katie’s first hand. I have a family member that is an only child and had everything they could have asked for growing up. They were a kind and empathetic person and never seemed spoiled. Then, when they graduated and started working they wanted to buy a new vehicle. Mom and dad helped pay for it so they could get a brand new one. Even though he was working, his cell phone bill, vet bills, vehicle payments, insurance (etc) were all covered by his parents. Then, when it was time to move out they helped him purchase a brand new home and continued to pay a large portion of the mortgage since he couldn’t afford a place that nice on his own. They just wanted him to have nice things and in the beginning he seemed to appreciate it all. They watched as his lifestyle attracted materialistic women who only wanted more and more because they expected him to have his parents money.

Then, the more he got the higher the standards became and the more he felt entitled to his parents money. Then he started to resent them for getting him used to a life he couldn’t afford on his own. Instead of taking accountability for his own life he simultaneously blames his parents for giving him too much and for not giving enough now that he has kids and is married. It’s fairly messed up. The family member that used to be kind and loving is now an angry, bitter and resentful man that I can’t bear to even talk to. There is no reasoning with logic like that.

I’m almost certain that this is what has happened with Katie and her sister. She’s tired of hearing Katie’s resentment and disrespect towards their parents.


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[HashtagBlessed]

From the details they've shared, homes of that size in that resort complex are currently for sale in the 500s and 600s- pretty close to what they just sold the McMansion they couldn't afford for. How exactly are they affording rent for a home in that price range?

I think Katie has convinced Cullen that she couldn't make very much with her degree in the workforce, and Cullen just takes her word for it.

My mistake! Was looking in the wrong area. Those homes seems much more in their price range than what I was looking at.

[ellengulden21]

I too, just made an account after a month of lurking. I started watching C&K around the time they started talking about their debt, and watched for that purpose - they are not meant to follow Dave Ramsey, they are way too impulsive. Did anyone catch when she got on air with Dave and said their total combined income is $100k?? With 2 kids and after taxes and insurance, etc, that is NOT enough for a 4 person household who needs to buy their kids pottery barn backpacks. They really don’t get it.

When coronavirus started, I distinctly remember one of Katie’s Instagram stories where she showed a bottle of Clorox wipes, and showed where it says “eliminates coronavirus” then said “wait, have they known about coronavirus all a long?!” Uh, why did you put that on Instagram as a conspiracy theory without googling first, and you have a PHD? Has anyone seen this PHD? She does not present as a highly educated person.

Finally, I cannot believe they are ripping their kids out of their schools, from their friends, and from their families to live out some immature dream of “living near the beach” - this is something you do in your 20’s and are childless. I feel so sorry for those kids. It’s also proven that one of the most stressful things is Child can go through is switching schools, and if she really has degrees in psych SHE KNOWS THIS.

They are manic, irresponsible, and delusional. Good luck living “at the beach” (45 mins away ).

[ellengulden21]

Out to dinner at their Mexican restaurant that they spend over $100 for each time but don’t worry guys I’m so sure they have a gift card. Their life is crumbling so they are going to go out and spend money on dinner to make themselves feel some kind of normal and that they do have money. I know this all too well because I was once them. It’s so sad. I feel so bad for these children. Their parents want to so badly be influencers and don’t realize that they could be so better off if they would just get real jobs.


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I saw a tik tok where a woman showed how she buys gift cards to restaurants while at target, then when her husband doesn’t want to spend money on eating out, she’s all “oh I found an old giftcard!” That’s probably exactly what she does. While at first thought, it’s funny, but also kinda financial abuse to hide and lie about a purchase.

[lovingthisforum]

Yeah I was thinking about that. My husband and I are still using the sofa we had in our old house which was over twice the square footage of our present house. Not that we can’t afford to get a new sofa I just choose to spend my money on other things. Also my husband and I were supposed to go on our first trip together by ourselves in 24 years. Not that we couldn’t afford to go anywhere in those 24 years we just wanted to make sure we could help our kids pay for college. Cullen and Katie have nothing put away for this kids future. I can’t imagine living my life and being so stubborn at the expense of my children. It is both of them because Cullen has not said we need to stop YouTube and get jobs with a stable income. Katie just has her head up her a$$.

Can you imagine knowing your husband is breaking down and crying and you go to bed. Did I misunderstand that whole story. I just thought what a cold hearted wife. Cullen and Brooks are upset who cares I am going to bed. Gaines is upset, lets go by something with foxes on it.

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Yes for you last paragraph! And that for a psychologist. Likewise, earlier she had interrupted Cullen just when he was telling interesting substantial things about himself. Let him speak for a moment. Let him be himself. Let him share with the viewers what he wants. Let him express himself. I've said before that since he has more substance than Katie I find him much more interesting to listen to, and I felt the same way this time. After the detour in the conversation that Katie caused by interrupting him, Cullen finished what he wanted to say, but I think never fully like he would have originally done without Katie interrupting him.

[HashtagBlessed]

I too, just made an account after a month of lurking. I started watching C&K around the time they started talking about their debt, and watched for that purpose - they are not meant to follow Dave Ramsey, they are way too impulsive. Did anyone catch when she got on air with Dave and said their total combined income is $100k?? With 2 kids and after taxes and insurance, etc, that is NOT enough for a 4 person household who needs to buy their kids pottery barn backpacks. They really don’t get it.

Yep, when you factor in the cost of private school/daycare, and the fact that they are independent contractors and not receiving benefits, it's even more of a head scratcher that they spend the way that they do. $100K doesn't support the lifestyle they portray, which is probably how they managed to blow through $52K in savings, and amass another $80K-something in debt in just two years.