Joy & Austin 32: Living the Fundie Dream with Rifles, RVs & Babies

[Maggie Mae]

4 hours ago, pupper said:

How do these young, minimally employed couples afford this kind of trip?

It doesn't look like took a cruise or hired a guide. They are wearing expensive hunting gear on their fishing charter. 

Flights from Little Rock- $600-$1000 (they likely had to fly to Seattle and transfer to the juneau flight) 

Hotel for one night, end of tourist season: 150 -200. 

Backpacking: free, if they already had the gear. If they bought bear spray, $35-$65. Food: depends on what they ate, packed, and where they bought it. 

Donuts: $2 each

End of season fishing charter: depends on the charter, probably $400 each, they might have bought out the boat for a flat fee of $2000 or more, depending, but also, end of tourist season deal. They just did a day trip, so likely not that much.

If they are are going hunting next, with a guide, that will cost them more in transportation + the guide. And it's hunting season. 

But so far they have just hung around the juneau area. They don't even need transportation to trailheads and the dock.  

 

[WatchingTheTireFireBurn]

They could be playing credit card points game. I don't work at it too much and get 500-1000$ worth of points/rewards per year

[Maggie Mae]

1 minute ago, WatchingTheTireFireBurn said:

They could be playing credit card points game. I don't work at it too much and get 500-1000$ worth of points/rewards per year

If they have an Alaska airline credit card, you can buy a companion fare ticket for like $99 (used to be $25). So it would cut airfare in half. I also buy everything on ours and pay it off (utilities, groceries, gas, etc) which gives us enough miles to go where we want, several times a year. 

They did fly alaska, at least the last leg. 

[WatchingTheTireFireBurn]

3 minutes ago, Maggie Mae said:

If they have an Alaska airline credit card, you can buy a companion fare ticket for like $99 (used to be $25). So it would cut airfare in half. I also buy everything on ours and pay it off (utilities, groceries, gas, etc) which gives us enough miles to go where we want, several times a year. 

They did fly alaska, at least the last leg. 

Yeah exactly. Travel hacking is fun. It's easier when you have 2 people too. More initial sign up bonuses. And typically you get better returns for points on travel than exchange for cash back.

Since covid I started just doing cash back for everything and was a little sad about the % lost because it wasn't redeemed for travel.

(Travel credit card points hacking also helped me learn I dont actually like traveling that much. Before doing points I traveled so rarely it was a treat. After points it was mostly free and suddenly lost the luster!) 

[viii]

Alaska is gorgeous. I was there in 2011 but I'd love to go back and see more of the state. I went via cruise so we only got day trips at various stops. I'd like to actually go to Anchorage and see more wild life and geography. 

[BadMurphy]

Doesn’t Austin work for someone else building new construction now? They’re probably not as hard up as they were a few years ago.

[Mama Mia]

On 9/15/2022 at 4:19 PM, pupper said:

My husband and I took a trip to Alaska last year. However we both have good jobs and are in our sixties. How do these young, minimally employed couples afford this kind of trip?

I’ve noticed a lot of young couples and singles travel a lot more than people in my age group did .  It seems to be where a lot of them prioritize their extra money going. For experiences. I kind of like it. 

[SassyPants]

Alaska Airlines credit card? How UnJimBobesque. 

[GuineaPigCourtship]

We are very lucky in that my husband and I are both in high demand professions that pay decently (mine pays well, his less so but they average out) and in good health. We bought used cars and a much cheaper house than we could have afforded, although we are totally satisfied with what we have. This has allowed us to focus a lot on experiences like travel, museums, festivals, etc. I love me a good behind the scenes encounter at a zoo or aquarium!

[fluffernutter]

I have three girls, 28, 25 and 21. They all really prioritize traveling. They've collectively been to New Zealand, Bulgaria and Romania, England, Ireland, Canada, Iceland, Alaska, Mexico, and all over the US. Some of this was done through college trips and a lot was done backpacking/camping. Our youngest took a gap year out west. My oldest and her fiancé (now husband) drove all the way from the east coast to Seward, Alaska and were sea kayak instructors for 6 months. Other than buying them suitcases as gifts or maybe getting them a sleeping bag or some hiking gift for bdays or Xmas we didn't contribute to any of those travels, except for 1/2 the gap year. When I grew up I went on two weekend trips my entire life- both to Wildwood NJ. I think it's awesome that they can do this, and know that when they look back on all of these experiences they'll have many great memories. Many people don't have the means to travel, and I am so glad they've had the opportunity. My husband and I have been to a lot of places, mostly through his work and me tagging along. 👍

Edited September 20, 2022 by fluffernutter

[Travelfan]

4 minutes ago, fluffernutter said:

I have three girls, 28, 25 and 21. They all really prioritize traveling. They've collectively been to New Zealand, Bulgaria and Romania, England, Ireland, Canada, Iceland, Alaska, Mexico, and all over the US. Some of this was done through college trips and a lot was done backpacking/camping. Our youngest took a gap year out west. My oldest and her fiancé (now husband) drove all the way from the east coast to Seward, Alaska and were sea kayak instructors for 6 months. Other than buying them suitcases as gifts or maybe getting them a sleeping bag or some hiking gift for bdays or Xmas we didn't contribute to any of those travels, except for 1/2 the gap year. When I grew up I went on two weekend trips my entire life- both to Wildwood NJ. I think it's awesome that they can do this, and know that when they look back on all of these experiences they'll have many great memories. Many people don't have the means to travel, and I am so glad they've had the opportunity. My husband and I have been to a lot of places, mostly through his work and me tagging along. 👍

Travel is my priority in life so I totally get this!  My kids are 20 & 19 and I look at it as my gift to them that over their growing up I have been able to take them on so many adventures. For their high school graduations I made them each a photo book of all of their travels (so far…)  We are not rich by any means. We live in a small 1100 square foot 3 bedroom 2 bathroom home. We’ve lived there for 18 years and have done absolutely nothing to it. We still have the builders grade linoleum and formica counters. The cabinets are prehistoric, the doors and trim are the cheapest builders grade with ugly brass knobs…but I don’t care about those kinds of things at all, I care about experiences and adventures!

[Smash!]

Sometimes I wish I was still 20 years old,  had nothing but my essentials in my backpack and was fine sleeping in a 10 bed dorm in a hostel. Nowadays I‘m still spontaneous, but I pack a lot more and want a decent hotel room with air con please. 

[Maggie Mae]

1 hour ago, Smash! said:

Sometimes I wish I was still 20 years old,  had nothing but my essentials in my backpack and was fine sleeping in a 10 bed dorm in a hostel. Nowadays I‘m still spontaneous, but I pack a lot more and want a decent hotel room with air con please. 

I don't even like hotels anymore. I want a nice short term rental with a kitchen, laundry machines, and decent bedding, with access to a grocery store. We stayed at hotel on our last out-of-state trip and hated it so much. We had to pack way more clothes and the housekeeping woke us up every day. The pool wasn't even open, and the food options were gross. Until I can afford whatever the modern day equivalent of a Four Seasons or Waldorf Astoria is, and am perfect and unsweaty enough to not be embarrassed about tossing my gym clothes in a bag for someone else to launder, I much prefer the VRBO experience. 

There was a time when I was perfectly fine to sleep on the floor of a public building and wash my underwear in the sink. Those days are long gone. 

[SassyPants]

2 minutes ago, Maggie Mae said:

I don't even like hotels anymore. I want a nice short term rental with a kitchen, laundry machines, and decent bedding, with access to a grocery store. We stayed at hotel on our last out-of-state trip and hated it so much. We had to pack way more clothes and the housekeeping woke us up every day. The pool wasn't even open, and the food options were gross. Until I can afford whatever the modern day equivalent of a Four Seasons or Waldorf Astoria is, and am perfect and unsweaty enough to not be embarrassed about tossing my gym clothes in a bag for someone else to launder, I much prefer the VRBO experience. 

There was a time when I was perfectly fine to sleep on the floor of a public building and wash my underwear in the sink. Those days are long gone. 

Our kids are grown, but when they were little and we traveled, we always stayed in a place with a kitchenette, always. I hate eating in restaurants. A vacation that involves dining out more than once a day for 10 days? Oh hell, no, and with kids, double no. Thank god for the advent of VRBO- 

[Maggie Mae]

5 minutes ago, SassyPants said:

Our kids are grown, but when they were little and we traveled, we always stayed in a place with a kitchenette, always. I hate eating in restaurants. A vacation that involves dining out more than once a day for 10 days? Oh hell, no, and with kids, double no. Thank god for the advent of VRBO- 

Eating out a few times is fine, nice even. But it's SO expensive and the portion sizes are usually way too big. We usually end up going out for dinner at least once, and I do like to try certain breakfast items, but I can't eat like that every day, even on vacation. I need my normal diet, which does not generally cost $10 - $45 meal. 

We stayed at the Cosmopolitan in Vegas one year and they made us pay for a refrigerator! Even though there was one in the room, we couldn't use it because it was full of beverages that charged us immediately if we moved them. Plus they also had a "resort fee" that we had to pay, and it supposedly included internet, pool access, etc. I just can't stand that type of nickel and diming. Reminded me of the time we accidently flew on Spirit Air and were charged for both checked and carry on bags, a seat fee, a reservation fee, and whatever else they didn't put in the initial amount. 

[JDuggs]

Joy talked about her plans for homeschooling preschool for Gideon. It looks like what Alyssa Bates does or something similar. Gideon is going to watch videos of kids being taught in a Christian preschool. That sounds so miserable. He just has to sit and watch instead of interacting with classmates. I have a feeling that Joy doesn’t have the self-confidence to teach him on her own so she’s officially homeschooling, but really leaving it to the professionals. 

She also said they’re doing DVDs instead of watching online because they travel so much, they won’t have to rely on internet access. 

This is the group of Americans that are the scariest: purposely undereducated, but with a high interest in politics.

[Idlewild]

@JDuggs I just mentioned it on the Dillard thread as there is speculation Jill and Derick have pulled Israel out of school.

One positive is that Joy and Austin see a need for professional input, but it’s depressing that their main priority for education is that it fits in around their desire to travel and they don’t think that should fit in around the educational welfare of their kids. 

[SassyPants]

12 hours ago, Idlewild said:

@JDuggs I just mentioned it on the Dillard thread as there is speculation Jill and Derick have pulled Israel out of school.

One positive is that Joy and Austin see a need for professional input, but it’s depressing that their main priority for education is that it fits in around their desire to travel and they don’t think that should fit in around the educational welfare of their kids. 

But it totally fits the Duggars’ traditional belief system regarding education…always an afterthought and relegated to the bottom.

[Cam]

It seems like fundie moms are expected to homeschool. I’m sure there’s a percentage of them who actually like it, but I feel badly that it’s almost a given that the females marry,  birth many children and then are responsible for taking care of every facet of their children’s upbringing including their scholastic education. All kids, all the time. Not all women have it in them. I certainly didn’t. And my son was and is great! But I so desperately appreciated that he went to public school for many reasons. One: I wanted him to learn how to learn from different styles of teaching. He had a scattering of terrible teachers over the years, but the majority of his teachers were good, some were very good and some were incredible. I couldn’t ever have given him that round of an education if I homeschooled. And those terrible teachers—you learn different kinds of lessons with them that can still be valuable. 
 

Joy mentioned the start of homeschooling didn’t go as smoothly as she hoped. She seems to me one who never was much of a student and is now homeschooling because she’s expected to do so. I don’t think she has any burning desire to teach. I will never forget the video clip of her trying to teach her younger sisters the words to a hymn, and barking, “J—, Instantly obey! Instantly obey!” like it was some kind of magical incantation that would make them listen. I will be interested in seeing how the school thing unfolds for her.

Edited September 21, 2022 by Cam

[SorenaJ]

Gideon is 4 - it's fair enough that home-schooling doesn't go smoothly, particularly the kind that needs him to sit and listen for extended periods of time. A four year old has an attention span of about 10 minutes. 

[JermajestyDuggar]

When my kids were 4, they went to play based preschool. I imagine homeschooling a 4 year old isn’t play based. Maybe I’m wrong. 

[neuroticcat]

This makes me so sad. I think whatever failings of homeschooling are just made worse by a kid watching other kids get to be in a preschool environment. I mean, without that, at least a very young child is unaware of what they're missing out on which is a small mercy.

I'm also really sad to see formal classroom learning start so young. I think everything at that age should be play/curiosity based. 

I mean, even people outside homeschooling saw firsthand that remote school that tries to replicate the classroom experience at home *for most kids/set ups* is the worst option. (My oldest does online high school by his choice and loves it, but I think that's a rarity TBH and it's a world of difference from streaming a classroom home - he hated remote learning in lockdown).

[Mama Mia]

On 9/21/2022 at 11:49 AM, Cam said:

It seems like fundie moms are expected to homeschool. I’m sure there’s a percentage of them who actually like it, but I feel badly that it’s almost a given that the females marry,  birth many children and then are responsible for taking care of every facet of their children’s upbringing including their scholastic education. All kids, all the time. Not all women have it in them. I certainly didn’t. And my son was and is great! But I so desperately appreciated that he went to public school for many reasons. One: I wanted him to learn how to learn from different styles of teaching. He had a scattering of terrible teachers over the years, but the majority of his teachers were good, some were very good and some were incredible. I couldn’t ever have given him that round of an education if I homeschooled. And those terrible teachers—you learn different kinds of lessons with them that can still be valuable. 
 

Joy mentioned the start of homeschooling didn’t go as smoothly as she hoped. She seems to me one who never was much of a student and is now homeschooling because she’s expected to do so. I don’t think she has any burning desire to teach. I will never forget the video clip of her trying to teach her younger sisters the words to a hymn, and barking, “J—, Instantly obey! Instantly obey!” like it was some kind of magical incantation that would make them listen. I will be interested in seeing how the school thing unfolds for her.

That was SUCH a cringe worthy episode. IIRC the family was putting together some elaborate meal and entertainment for JB and Michelle’s anniversary. It was when they were desperately trying to push Joy as being one of the “big girls” and portraying her as being in charge and capable with wrangling groups of little kids. Clearly this was NOT her usual gig.  Poor kid. It’s like a tv show that tries to introduce new characters, or replace an actor. “ Oops-those grown daughters are getting married- hey Joy, we’re switching you from the role of scrappy tomboy to Sister Mom 2. Put on some make-up, brush your hair and come yell at a bunch of toddlers” 

[SassyPants]

7 hours ago, SorenaJ said:

Gideon is 4 - it's fair enough that home-schooling doesn't go smoothly, particularly the kind that needs him to sit and listen for extended periods of time. A four year old has an attention span of about 10 minutes. 

And both Joy and Austin are physically active by nature. I’m betting Gideon is likely more kinetic when it comes to genetics, personality and is most probably a kinesthetic learner.

[Audrey2]

On 9/21/2022 at 11:49 AM, Cam said:

Joy mentioned the start of homeschooling didn’t go as smoothly as she hoped. She seems to me one who never was much of a student and is now homeschooling because she’s expected to do so.

I'm glad you mentioned it because this is one major concern I have about Joy homeschooling. The other concern is what if the child has learning differences? Having been in education most of my adult life, I know we have been trained on what to look for and there's a whole process for students who are struggling in the classroom. Usually their struggles are taken to a special team the child is brainstormed about with different interventions that hopefully will help and then if they don't many districts start the testing for special ed process. In no way am I diagnosing any child of any fundies we talk about. However based on the number of children they have I would bet that there are some who would really benefit from special ed services.

If you're only schooling was a very poor School of the dining room table experience, you may not know that it is not normal to introduce multiplication when a child is 13 because they have just mastered addition and subtraction.