Erin & Chad 5: I’m Thoroughly Defrauded by Chad’s Attire

[LillyP]

17 hours ago, nvmbr02 said:

I am glad the kids are able to have their own space, especially now that 2 are teens and the oldest is thinking about going to a local college and living at home.

I agree with this. I know that plenty of people have their kids share a room and it's not the end of the world. People who live in cities are very much used to small spaces and it's a non-issue. 

I personally love space and very much value having plenty of it. Maybe this makes me spoiled, but I'm ok with that. We're a family of 3 + 1 dog and our house is much larger than I'm sure plenty of people would feel we need. Finding a house with all the space I wanted was important to me even if people think our 4 bed/4bath home for 3 people is overkill. I think it's important for everyone to have their own space, even kids. On top of that I work from home which makes it easy to feel like the walls are closing in when you spend 24/7 in your house. 

[OyToTheVey]

I'm def not defending Erin on this. One trunk for 3.5 kids is almost nothing imo, especially in different developmental ages. However, when I used to do Early Intervention one of the first things I told parents was to put a lot of the toys away. If they're all on display, it messes with kids concentrations. Most toys should be behind doors or in a cubbie of sorts. The activity of going into a cabinet for a new toy and putting back an old one should be an exercise itself. I would practice that with the kids. 

[lizzybee]

First, that room isn't baby safe at all. My toddler would lay waste to that ladder and everything on it the minute he laid eyes on that set up. He'd pull off all those little letters and and trains off the wall too, 100%. 

Now anyway: toys. @OyToTheVey This is what I've been doing lately and I love it so much more than free play. IDK if Erin does a form of this with play or if she lets them drag everything out and cleans it all up after. What I've been doing is keeping their toys in bins organized by what they are, like a box of toys to be used with their play kitchen. I'll pull out just those toys and I'll sit in the floor with them and we'll all play with their kitchen. When they lose interest, we sing the clean up song, put everything back in the bin and I go get something else like blocks or their books or cars, etc. We do one thing at a time and it has put a stop to having a war-zone living room where they have five thousand tiny mixed up pieces of toys. We also don't play in their bedroom (they do room share). I just use that room for sleeping and their clothes. It's been such an improvement to what we were doing before with play which was just throwing things around and not really playing with anything. 

Edited August 28, 2019 by lizzybee

[OyToTheVey]

@lizzybee that’s how I used to teach parents to play.  I’m not a fan of total free play. It’s distracting and kids just jump from one activity to the next. This way they play with what they want but will probably be more interested in one thing because they don’t have everything out at once.

 

I used to sing the cleanup song so much in a day that I’ve actually sung it drunk in a bar when putting bones of wings on a plate. Don’t. Ask. Wasn’t even the stupidest thing I did that night ?

Edited August 28, 2019 by OyToTheVey

[catlady]

40 minutes ago, OyToTheVey said:

I used to sing the cleanup song so much in a day that I’ve actually sung it drunk in a bar when putting bones of wings on a plate. Don’t. Ask. Wasn’t even the stupidest thing I did that night ?

This part made my day!!

[neurogirl]

Erin had an instagram story a couple days ago saying people keep asking her about the house and they are "praying for one in a good location in our price range." So I think they are passively, if not actively looking. She did also say that she really loves the plot of land they are on and their little house, so she was happy to be there as long as possible. I personally think 4 kids (and one dog and 2 goats) is the max that can be in that house, but what do I know. 

[Italiangirl]

Erin poster today that she is 23w and 3d in this pregnancy so that out her due date around Chrstimas i think

Edited September 2, 2019 by Italiangirl
Autocorrector change today in monday..

[JanasTattooParlor]

2 hours ago, Italiangirl said:

Erin poster today that she is 23w and 3d in this pregnancy so that out her due date around Chrstimas i think

That would put her two days after Christmas for her due date, probably earlier since she always goes early with her kids. For some reason I was thinking she was also due in November with all the Duggars and Whitney, but it would appear not. 

[Italiangirl]

Well according to duggar data she usually goes in labour 3 weeks early due to her clotting problem so there is still the possibility that she deliver at the very end of Nov with all the other Nov baby girls

[Dandruff]

On 8/29/2019 at 1:20 PM, neurogirl said:

Erin had an instagram story a couple days ago saying people keep asking her about the house and they are "praying for one in a good location in our price range."

Her SIL is a realtor so I'm guessing they're having her keep an eye open for them.

[nelliebelle1197]

How the hell does she afford all this decorating?

[SassyPants]

3 hours ago, nelliebelle1197 said:

How the hell does she afford all this decorating?

Their rent is likely next to nothing.

[Melissa1977]

3 hours ago, nelliebelle1197 said:

How the hell does she afford all this decorating?

You can find very cheap decoration items nowadays. And they don't buy everything, Chad repaints things and builts others himself. They change the sitting room a lot, but the expensive items (couch, furtinure and piano) are always the same. 

There are a lot of things I don't like about Cherin, but they are hard workers and don't waste money. They have not used their health problems to grift. It's a big improvement considering how Erin was raised.

[nelliebelle1197]

3 hours ago, Melissa1977 said:

You can find very cheap decoration items nowadays. And they don't buy everything, Chad repaints things and builts others himself. They change the sitting room a lot, but the expensive items (couch, furtinure and piano) are always the same. 

There are a lot of things I don't like about Cherin, but they are hard workers and don't waste money. They have not used their health problems to grift. It's a big improvement considering how Erin was raised.

I actually disagree. Paint is actually not cheap. And even shopping at Target she runs up several hundred dollars on knickknacks every few months. That is wasteful as hell especially for a house they do not own. 

[Timetraveler]

There is something I will never understand about the Duggars/Bates girls and women. They are all about modesty, covering knees/shoulders/etc, etc. However, once they are pregnant, shirts/skirts/dresses suddenly get super tight and very form fitting.  Erin is wearing a lovely green dress in a picture on her IG page, but how this can be seen as more 'modest' than a jeans + t-shirt is beyond me.

 

 

[OyToTheVey]

59 minutes ago, Timetraveler said:

There is something I will never understand about the Duggars/Bates girls and women. They are all about modesty, covering knees/shoulders/etc, etc. However, once they are pregnant, shirts/skirts/dresses suddenly get super tight and very form fitting.  Erin is wearing a lovely green dress in a picture on her IG page, but how this can be seen as more 'modest' than a jeans + t-shirt is beyond me.

 

 

I think when gestating for Jesus while married, they're required to wear skin tight stuff to prove they're above everyone else. 

[JordynDarby5]

I can't figure out how they afford everything. They have three soon to be four kids, a dog, two goats, basics, clothes, trips, Erin's redecorating, hospital or birthing center bills, and Erin's shots. Chad left his metal job a couple years ago for construction and then went into his own business. When he went into construction it didn't sound like he knew that much. Where are they getting the money to cover everything? They can't be getting that much from UP because its not a big network plus there's Erin's parents and the rest of the family, and Erin can't be getting that much from her CDs.  Would Chad really be making much money after only two years and in his own business? 

[JermajestyDuggar]

My cousin rented a house for years and got breaks on the rent all the time because she made home improvements that her landlord would ok. Like painting all the rooms in colors the landlord approved. And doing a lot of landscaping and lawn care. I would not be surprised if their landlord gave them lowered rent some months because they are improving the house.

[tabitha2]

2 hours ago, JordynDarby5 said:

I can't figure out how they afford everything. They have three soon to be four kids, a dog, two goats, basics, clothes, trips, Erin's redecorating, hospital or birthing center bills, and Erin's shots. Chad left his metal job a couple years ago for construction and then went into his own business. When he went into construction it didn't sound like he knew that much. Where are they getting the money to cover everything? They can't be getting that much from UP because its not a big network plus there's Erin's parents and the rest of the family, and Erin can't be getting that much from her CDs.  Would Chad really be making much money after only two years and in his own business? 

I would guess  Everything for the kids is probably hand me downs, they shop and eat frugally, are paying out medical bills a little at a time and use the money they save plus his earnings and her TV money for the trips.Probably A new house is not possible for them right now. 

In short they live like the Duggar children would have if the show had ended years ago and they had to think about money, sacrifice and adulting without Dad to back them up:)

[Melissa1977]

7 hours ago, JordynDarby5 said:

I can't figure out how they afford everything. They have three soon to be four kids, a dog, two goats, basics, clothes, trips, Erin's redecorating, hospital or birthing center bills, and Erin's shots. 

Healthcare can be expensive for Erin, but she is very involved in the show, so she must be earning a bit.

Until she had Brooks, she was working a lot as a piano teacher, had tens of pupils. 

Clothes are dirty cheap nowadays, kids had barely no toys and they don't travel that much. Decoration can be cheap, too (as they change wall color, rooms seem to be brand new, but most of the items are reused). And they probably eat frugal.

About the pets, they are Bates! They probably buy dog food, but I'm sure those goats and the cat are eating whatever they find in the garden. Absolutely no veterinarian bills at that home, I bet.

 

[tabitha2]

I am positive they buy the cheapest dog and cat food they can. Blech. It’s Like a human eating  cheap TV dinners all the time. At least the cat can probably supplement his dinner with birds, mice, etc if he gets Hungry  enough. 

[rebeccawriter01]

21 hours ago, JordynDarby5 said:

I can't figure out how they afford everything. They have three soon to be four kids, a dog, two goats, basics, clothes, trips, Erin's redecorating, hospital or birthing center bills, and Erin's shots. Chad left his metal job a couple years ago for construction and then went into his own business. When he went into construction it didn't sound like he knew that much. Where are they getting the money to cover everything? They can't be getting that much from UP because its not a big network plus there's Erin's parents and the rest of the family, and Erin can't be getting that much from her CDs.  Would Chad really be making much money after only two years and in his own business? 

The paycheck from UP would have to minimal. I live in Atlanta where the UP headquarters are located. They don't pay well at all (I know some of the crew and staff people for the network, as they are in some of my professional networking groups), including the "talent." Unlike some production companies, they can get their talent discounts, but no real freebies. 

Erin sees Dr. Vick who does use a sliding scale for payments. But that would not extend to the hospital. Given her clotting disorder, she'd not be a great candidate for a birthing center that some fundy women like to use. Additionally, she wants her epidural since the pain of Carson's birth and placental abruption. Needless to say, that puts her in a hospital with Dr. Vick rather than a midwife. 

She could be getting money from her CD sales, but since those are apparently vanity projects, it takes a while before she pays off the studio time, production, etc. So I'm thinking it would take a while before she gets any profit and even then just a few cents to a dollar per CD sold. 

Chad's got his own business, but he's also a little bloated on the paid help side with her younger brothers. Most people in that line of work know it is feast or famine with payment. Plus he's good at some woodworking projects. Many home remodeling jobs would require him to contract out to licensed plumbers, electricians, etc. Then there is the liability insurance he would have to carry, as well as permitting fees to do the work in cities and counties. Maybe he's been lucky, but most of my family members doing similar work have said it takes 5-10 years before you really start seeing any money from it because of expenses from liability insurance, advertising, payroll, equipment, etc. I would be incredibly surprised if he covered himself and his family for health insurance of any substance. One of the reasons I still don't go fully freelance with my PR business is health insurance, as well as other coverage like disability. I am the only breadwinner in my household. If something happened to prevent me from working, I would be screwed without some sort of coverage. 

That leaves Erin's Bates Sisters Boutique. I highly doubt she's bringing home the big bucks on $30 dresses split between a sister and a sister in law, as well as the expenses of that whole thing now that they have a separate location and their makeshift photoshoot studio space. They also have to pay for the web design company and Taryn or whoever is taking the photos. 

Overall, they do seem to take some short cuts with expenses. Erin frequents thrift stores and they repurpose things. But I can't say they are the most frugal. The redecorating hobby can be costly. So long as they don't owe me money, I'm good with it. But I do wonder how they make it work. I also wonder how my assistant (who makes 1/3 of what I make) manages to take two trips to Europe each year, go to loads of conventions for her favorite shows, and drives a new car (no husband or family to speak of). Clearly I have not been living right. 

[AussieKrissy]

Brooklyn in real shorts. Not under a dress bloomers. Shorts and a tee! She could pass for one of Alyssa’s kids. 

[Bobology]

I had to zoom in... those are pandas on Brooklyn's dress, not the skulls they appear to be from a distance.

[Angelface]

I think that it’s Everly in the shorts and T-shirt. She does look a lot like Alyssa’s girls.