Cullen and Katie: Selling up then splitting up | Part #23

[lmmomSD]

They could teach Gaines at home until they are back on their feet. Yes it’s important to take education seriously, but it’s also important to not leave your child homeless and in a house of stress and chaos. Kids will find a way to make it THEIR FAULT. $500 a month is something they just cannot afford right now. They need to face that reality. So many struggling families would love to be able to send their children to private preschools for the best education possible, but not everyone can do that. Entitlement is why Katie and Cullen make a lot of the decisions that have gotten them where they are. Their kids DESERVE the best. Life doesn’t work like that.

I did find it ironic that Katie talked about their need to save money while wearing her new monogrammed sweatshirt.


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I agree. Katie has plenty of education to teach the kids the basics. With both parents at home, it's just ridiculous to spend that money on preschool for Gaines and glorified daycare for Brooks. If they want their kids socialized, they can do playdates with friends from church or something like that. When my kids were little, I belonged to a babysitting co-op. You had to be recommended by another mom to join, and we used poker chips to "pay" for babysitting. Kids got to play with other kids, and moms could have time to themselves for appointments or whatever without having to spend money or feel like they were imposing on anyone. Something like that would be much more appropriate than spending several hundred dollars a month to get rid of the kids for a few hours. I honestly don't think it's about "valuing education" with them. I think it's about not having to deal with the kids.
They just don't want to have to parent any more than absolutely necessary. Just like they do the bare minimum with their pets.

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[Boymomma123]

I agree their reasons for putting the kids in "school" were more to do with getting them out of the house. Brooks was barely 1 when they started sending him. Kids can easily get social skills from attending free library events. Katie couldn't stand Brooks then and wanted him out of the house. I don't understand the logic of being a stay at home parent if you don't want your kids home with you. Katie acts like having them home is the most stressful thing ever. Common sense would say go back to work if your kids are out of the house.

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[crew96]

Katie is so checked out of this marriage. I think she’d divorce Cullen in a second if she wasn’t estranged from her family, embarrassed, and lazy. She doesn’t want to care for the kids by herself. But you could tell from the house and debt video she takes ZERO responsibility for this mess and has no empathy or love for Cullen. He was crying and she just patted him on the back. I don’t think she really understands the severity of the situation and thinks it’ll all go away with very little effort.


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[HashtagBlessed]

I also find it strange that she keeps insisting that she is the "responsible one" and Cullen is the one who wants instant gratification. And yet, Cullen went into debt to get Katie the ring she felt she deserved. Katie is the one with the advanced degree that she refuses to use. (Would they be in this mess if Katie had been an adult and kept her job after Gaines was born, instead of relying on YouTube income?) I have a feeling moving to the larger home was also an attempt to please Katie. Katie is the one with the shopping addiction who spent like crazy on baby clothes. I see Katie as the one who wants all of these expensive status symbols but doesn't want to actually work for them so that they can do it responsible. Cullen just comes across as feeble minded, willing to go along with anything. Her estrangement from her family makes a lot of sense when she laid out everything her parents have done for them to put them on the right path financially. Her parents must be exasperated by their spending. I have a feeling her parents are practicing some tough love- you got yourselves into this mess despite our best efforts, you are going to get yourself out of it.

[Boymomma123]

Other than the money spent on drugs and alcohol the majority of the debt can be tied to Katie. In the first video a year or to ago before the addiction confession came Cullen posted that video of him talking about all of the financial stress he was having and specifically mentioned the house and car. I don't believe that he would have pushed like Katie to move or buy a huge fancy car. Katie didn't just have a shopping addiction to clothes from target for the kids she was buying 40 to 50 dollar monogrammed smocked outfits. I remember the one year Gaines had at least 5 Christmas outfits that were monogrammed. I don't want to blame Katie for Cullen's addiction because he is an adult who made his own choices but I can imagine the amount of stress that was put on him and drugs and alcohol were clearly his way of dealing with that stress. I have said it before that if the money started rolling in again Katie would go right back to spending like crazy.

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[ba1006]

Katie is so checked out of this marriage. I think she’d divorce Cullen in a second if she wasn’t estranged from her family, embarrassed, and lazy. She doesn’t want to care for the kids by herself. But you could tell from the house and debt video she takes ZERO responsibility for this mess and has no empathy or love for Cullen. He was crying and she just patted him on the back. I don’t think she really understands the severity of the situation and thinks it’ll all go away with very little effort.


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Maybe she has no empathy for Cullen because she blames him for the situation they are in. I can't wait to hear what they did to get themselves in this mess.

[lmmomSD]

I agree that Cullen didn't take it upon himself to buy a $5000 ring, and that the humongous house 4 doors down from Kelley, and the Suburban were to please Katie, as were the LV bag "push present", expensive Balsam Hill Christmas tree, the festivals of gluttony at Christmas, the expensive parties for Princess Gaines' birthdays, etc.
He's to blame for his part for sure, but he didn't get them into this hole by himself. And she's doing the same thing she did with the drugs and alcohol: "I'm just along for the ride. Cullen's the one with the problem". And that is totally unfair.

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[Hannah]

I also find it strange that she keeps insisting that she is the "responsible one" and Cullen is the one who wants instant gratification. And yet, Cullen went into debt to get Katie the ring she felt she deserved. Katie is the one with the advanced degree that she refuses to use. (Would they be in this mess if Katie had been an adult and kept her job after Gaines was born, instead of relying on YouTube income?) I have a feeling moving to the larger home was also an attempt to please Katie. Katie is the one with the shopping addiction who spent like crazy on baby clothes. I see Katie as the one who wants all of these expensive status symbols but doesn't want to actually work for them so that they can do it responsible. Cullen just comes across as feeble minded, willing to go along with anything. Her estrangement from her family makes a lot of sense when she laid out everything her parents have done for them to put them on the right path financially. Her parents must be exasperated by their spending. I have a feeling her parents are practicing some tough love- you got yourselves into this mess despite our best efforts, you are going to get yourself out of it.

I agree. If you go back to the older vlogs when they were trying to buy this current house/sell their old house, Cullen was nearly having a nervous break-down over it. I know there was one video where he was openly crying and expressing his fear over the situation. I grew up around many girls like Katie, and from what I can see her desire to "keep up with the Joneses" or to maintain the style of living she grew up with is what has gotten them into trouble. So many parents want to maintain the lifestyle that their parents afforded to give them, but do not make the connection to how long it took or understand the work ethic required for their parents to achieve that status or security. These parents (like C&K) are so entitled, and I see so many of them have to withdraw their 401Ks to keep up appearances or get out of an upside-down mortgage. This generation of young parents was the beginning of the "everyone gets a trophy for participating!" generation. It's created a generation of parents, now, who think they deserve what everyone else has without having to work for it.

It's not all their fault, though. Katie was most likely taught by her own mother to value a certain standard of living, and she was socialized in the cliques of the country club circuit. That's all she knows, and she probably feels like a failure (and a lot of embarrassment/shame) if she does not keep to that level of accomplishment. She needs to eat some humble pie, move away from her family, and create a new life with Cullen that isn't defined by what clothes you wear, what car you drive, and which circle of friends you are entertaining. They need to start over and Katie needs a new perspective on what her priorities should be. This could be a wake-up call if she allows it to be. Gaines is quickly approaching the age where a lot of what she has been groomed to be is permanent, but Brooks (little sweetie that he is) still has a chance to hold on to his compassion and empathy, which he has already shown in so many videos. Gaines, on the other hand...I am hard-pressed to find any expressions of genuine, un-coerced empathy, remorse, or compassion. She going to be hell to deal with as she gets older. Good luck, Katie.

[WheresMyCoffee]

I am sorry if this is obvious, I have been checked out of them since they bought this house and have only recently started watching them again... is the estrangement from her family a fact or something we assume here? Id love details.,

[marshmallowfluf]

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[lmmomSD]

OMG. She really is delusional, isn't she? She is helping NO ONE. Least of all, herself! I know it's hard to see your own issues when you're a therapist or mental health worker, but if she really believes that she has a large audience and is reaching more people and helping them with all her amazing advice on life, she is deep, deep in denial. Ok, I will grant that she reaches more people than she would in a practice, but she is not helping others. And how long does she "work" each day? 2? 3? I don't believe for a minute that sponsors are beating down their door and that she has more than a few hours a day worth of emails to answer. And if she is making so much money, why are they in such a hole?.
And she has no real interest in doing jack shit to help her own family dig out of the hole they've gotten themselves into. She really is a piece of work. Entitled, snobby (which is hypocritical considering how trashy she acts), spoiled, and lazy. She must make Cullen's life a living hell.

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[Boymomma123]

Wow, I can't even believe that response. First of all who does she possibly think she is making an impact on with her incoherent ramblings about "trusting yourself". Nothing she spouts is ground breaking and a lot of it is stuff she took from actual self help gurus. The minions who constantly praise them and still think they are #goals don't count.

She sits down for an hour to record a podcast that she does absolutely no editing to and puts minimal effort into and considers that work? Their house is a wreck all the time they don't make home cooked meals for their kids. She has lost her damn mind if she thinks what she does now is having that great of an impact on people. I agree, if she is making all of this money with yt why are they struggling so much right now.

I could condone her calling what she does a "job" if she was getting a podcast up every week that was professional and had relatable content. She doesn't even put yt videos on her channel anymore! They also barely vlog anymore and put minimal effort into their content and lack creativity.

She is the problem in that family 100%! They know nothing of real hard work. They act like they are small business owners which really upsets me. My husband and his dad run a small business together and work their asses off to ensure its success. These people need a giant dose of reality and I won't feel bad in the slightest if their house goes into foreclosure.

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[formerctfxcer]

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Came here to post this screenshot, too! Is Cullen incapable of running their “business” alone? Does she not realize going to an office job would be additional income? Reliable, steady income Making their shovel bigger to get out of debt?


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[lovingthisforum]

Wow, I can't even believe that response. First of all who does she possibly think she is making an impact on with her incoherent ramblings about "trusting yourself". Nothing she spouts is ground breaking and a lot of it is stuff she took from actual self help gurus. The minions who constantly praise them and still think they are #goals don't count.

She sits down for an hour to record a podcast that she does absolutely no editing to and puts minimal effort into and considers that work? Their house is a wreck all the time they don't make home cooked meals for their kids. She has lost her damn mind if she thinks what she does now is having that great of an impact on people. I agree, if she is making all of this money with yt why are they struggling so much right now.

I could condone her calling what she does a "job" if she was getting a podcast up every week that was professional and had relatable content. She doesn't even put yt videos on her channel anymore! They also barely vlog anymore and put minimal effort into their content and lack creativity.

She is the problem in that family 100%! They know nothing of real hard work. They act like they are small business owners which really upsets me. My husband and his dad run a small business together and work their asses off to ensure its success. These people need a giant dose of reality and I won't feel bad in the slightest if their house goes into foreclosure.

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So true. I can't believe she believes in the nonsense she is saying in that post.

[Scar2016]

I also find it strange that she keeps insisting that she is the "responsible one" and Cullen is the one who wants instant gratification. And yet, Cullen went into debt to get Katie the ring she felt she deserved. Katie is the one with the advanced degree that she refuses to use. (Would they be in this mess if Katie had been an adult and kept her job after Gaines was born, instead of relying on YouTube income?) I have a feeling moving to the larger home was also an attempt to please Katie. Katie is the one with the shopping addiction who spent like crazy on baby clothes. I see Katie as the one who wants all of these expensive status symbols but doesn't want to actually work for them so that they can do it responsible. Cullen just comes across as feeble minded, willing to go along with anything. Her estrangement from her family makes a lot of sense when she laid out everything her parents have done for them to put them on the right path financially. Her parents must be exasperated by their spending. I have a feeling her parents are practicing some tough love- you got yourselves into this mess despite our best efforts, you are going to get yourself out of it.

This.
Add to the above the drinking - Katie is/has been a willing participant in that also, which has contributed massively to the laziness and dysfunction in that household.

The first thing by a long way they should be quitting is the kids school fees. If the $1000 p/m is correct then they really are in severe denial, stubborn or just plain stupid (which we know Katie can't be with that degree). Add to that getting rid of the huge, expensive car Cullen was stressing about in that video where he admitted they both had a drinking problem. It's actually quite unbelievable they have sat for so long falling further and further down the hole. From what Katie said they have a maximum of 12 months to get out of that house and downsize their debts or foreclosure is looming. What part of serious do they not get??

Her parents must be pissed, given how they did literally everything a parent could have done to set them up on the right path financially. I kind of get the impression that if Katie's parents have been giving words of tough love recently, Katie's reaction wouldn't be a mature one and instead would react petulantly and immaturely, away from her parents. We've seen her behave/react that way to both her husband and son. That delicate little Southern Belle has never suffered a day's hardship - real hardship - in her life and I think this is her blind spot in not understanding how serious their situation is right now. Cullen didn't come from he same privilege as her which is why he broke down at the end, he seems to have more of a realisation of the shit fest going down. Not excusing him either, they're in it together but Katie's also done an excellent job at gas lighting Cullen into carrying the majority of the guilt.

Rant over

[wishes]

When I saw that IG response, it told me two things:

1. They aren’t taking Dave Ramsey serious enough to get out of debt because he constantly refers to side hustles for more income! What the hell does she do for her job now that pays soooo much more that can’t be done after her 9-5 normal job?

2. She wasted her parents money for a degree she refuses to use. All that money down the drain because she doesn’t give a flying f@ck. I guarantee if she paid her own way through, she would have a harder time to let that hard work and money go to waste.


Dude... I can’t believe her. This will be telling when they put out videos of their progress and can’t wait to see how far in debt they are. I’m furious at her how she is handling things even when it shouldn’t.

[Groovynik]

I’m super confused if they are in a financial hole then clearly her YT job isn’t working it’s time to find another source of means, whatever happened to her channel? Gave that up quick. So if Grand Doc and Dolly won’t help, and I’m sure they’ve hit up Grandberry. You’ve basically run out of options declare bankruptcy and for god sakes wash your kid’s face!

[HashtagBlessed]

I don't doubt that Katie wasn't making a huge amount right out of grad school in her field five years ago. She was working for a non-profit if I remember correctly, and cut back to part-time or something. So I think it's somewhat disingenuous to claim she's making more now on Instagram than she could with her degree. If she factored in benefits, health care, and career growth, I'm sure she could be making more in her 9-5 office job than she does as an "influencer." She could still do Instagram ads on the side while working for an employer if it didn't violate her agreement with her employer. More importantly, they've clearly seen their income go down over the years and that is why they are in this mess. Do they not see the writing on the walls and realize it's going to continue to decline? Most people see their income rise when they stay in the workforce, get promoted, get more experience, add to their resume, etc. Sticking around in a field where your income is dropping every year is financial suicide.

I agree about Katie making Cullen's life a living hell and gas lighting him into believing he is to blame.

And by "helping people" does Katie mean re-posting memes on Instagram that other people created? Her "advice" is recycled from other sources and not original. She is a mess herself, and continues to live in denial about that. No one wants to take parenting, marriage, OR financial advice from her.

On second thought, Katie should absolutely keep her current "job" of Instagram influencer and stay away from private practice. At least on Instagram she can't subject patients to her condescending, smug ignorance.

[auntasaurus19]

Based on her defensive response, obviously that comment hit a nerve. I’m sure her parents have given her the same advice. I remember around the time Cullen’s dad passed away, they mentioned in the vlog that his dad didn’t see what they were doing on YouTube as a real job. Chalked it up to his Dad not understanding and they probably say the same about Katie’s parents.

If she’s making MORE as an influencer than she did at her office job, as so many have said in this thread, DO BOTH. I can’t imagine the opportunities that would come her way as a working mother and an influencer. She truly doesn’t get it.


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[Lovethesnark]

Maybe she realizes she’s a terrible child psychologist and she’d never be able to hold a job in the field again? Or maybe what she’s saying is true? She can make more money from the crap she’s peddling now. I don’t think lack of opportunity to make money is the reason they’re going broke. They just refuse to put in any real effort. Britt Null’s channel started failing before YT took a down turn. She has half the followers on Instagram and she’s posting multiple ads a week. Most of them are from big brands. She puts in the work. They don’t. They spent years trying to appeal to kiddy audiences so they wouldn’t have to do any work. I’m sure if you asked Katie why they don’t more ads, she’ll blame it on Brooks refusing to take pictures.


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