M is for Mama 16

[0 kids n not countin]

1 hour ago, SassyPants said:

I guess she answered a bunch of questions recently. One of the questions asked about how they saved enough money to finance the trip. Abbie, in typical Abbie fashion, had a snarky reply about not going into too many details and that it was a rather “nosy” (AH’s word) question. God she has zero people skills or social graces. She’s the female equivalent of Trump.

She wants her cake (attention; fame) and eat it too (privacy). ITRW, it doesn’t work that way.

 

She's a witch beginning with the letter B.  Um, if you say ask me anything surely you anticipate people will ask this, I'm clueless about how Instagram works, but aren't you able to skip over and not post the questions you don't want to answer?

[JermajestyDuggar]

Like mentioned, she said ask her anything. She could have ignored the question but she had to take the chance to chastise someone. She loves feeling like she’s better than others. 
 

I also hate how secretive our culture is about money and how much money each person makes. I am private about money so I’m even calling myself out here. Even though I suck at being transparent about money, I still believe our culture would benefit from being more open about wages, salaries, and raises. I think we should know how much all the big wig CEOs are making compared to all the peons in the same companies. 

[Nancy-Druesel]

She gets so defensive whenever anyone asks anything about money. Her answer is always along the lines of "we're super smart about money, if only everyone else for this smart, they could do the things we do too." And whenever she talks about how much the clothing she's wearing costs she also has to throw in how she was so thrifty and got it on sale... Sorry Abbie, getting your ugly overpriced shoes on sale for 0.1% off doesn't make you one of the people 

[Ozlsn]

3 hours ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

Braggie will never admit her extreme privilege. She will only claim martyrdom while traipsing through Europe with her 10 kids and nanny. 

I don't think she's capable of recognising the privilege, let alone admitting it. As you said she compares upward, not down - so doesn't see that while she's poorer than the 1% she's wealthier than the 95% (guesstimates here). And on a global scale she is in the 1%, just not the 0.01%.

3 hours ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

I also hate how secretive our culture is about money and how much money each person makes

My work's org chart has everyone's salary levels (although not steps within those levels) on it. This was very helpful when I looked at it and went "why am I being paid a level below people doing essentially the same job?" so applied for higher level roles and got them.

[JermajestyDuggar]

People who have money as adults are usually born into it. Braggie can act like she grew up poor but I highly doubt it. Maybe it seemed poor to her compared to now. But I’m sure she didn’t live in poverty.  Most people are not poor because they are bad with money. But I’m sure Braggie believes that.

[danvillebelle]

Someone can correct me if I seem way off, but my guesstimate is that a *conservative* estimate for the cost of this trip is 75K.  I wouldn't be surprised if it's over 100.  I think she probably put a huge chunk of the money she made from her book into this trip.

[JermajestyDuggar]

10 hours ago, danvillebelle said:

Someone can correct me if I seem way off, but my guesstimate is that a *conservative* estimate for the cost of this trip is 75K.  I wouldn't be surprised if it's over 100.  I think she probably put a huge chunk of the money she made from her book into this trip.

Most people in the US would have no clue how much it would cost because they know they can’t afford it whether its $1,000 or $100,000. Most can’t get that amount of time off work. Most can’t afford just the plane tickets. They may as well be taking a trip to the moon. She’s that privileged and it’s that out of reach for the vast majority of people. 

[Red Hair, Black Dress]

I'm amazed Shaun can take 45 days off from work. I know he's self-emplpyed, but that's a long time with no income. I've wondered if he has work assignments in Europe during this trip.

[JermajestyDuggar]

Just now, Red Hair, Black Dress said:

I'm amazed Shaun can take 45 days off from work. I know he's self-emplpyed, but that's a long time with no income. I've wondered if he has work assignments in Europe during this trip.

Technically my husband could probably work from Europe but the time difference would be the issue. My husband has worked from home since 2008. He can work anywhere that has a good internet connection because he’s in IT like Shaun. I bet he’s working while there. 

[Giraffe]

I’m sure Shaun’s working if only to get away from Braggie and the chaos he created with her. Has he been in any of the pictures she’s posted?*
 

*I went back to look and yes, he has been. Still I’m betting this hasn’t been a “Shaun and Braggie together every moment” kind of trip. He seems too disengaged in everyday life for that kind of togetherness. 

[SassyPants]

9 minutes ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

Most people in the US would have no clue how much it would cost because they know they can’t afford it whether its $1,000 or $100,000. Most can’t get that amount of time off work. Most can’t afford just the plane tickets. They may as well be taking a trip to the moon. She’s that privileged and it’s that out of reach for the vast majority of people. 

45 days is a long time to be away from work when one is barely 40 YO and has 12 mouths to feed. I know he is working remotely part of the time. If he’s meeting virtually with clients or in online meetings, the time difference must make that inconvenient as it would be well into the evening hours in France, and I can’t imagine the kids are all quiet. I suppose Shaun could mute himself, isolate away in a closet and wear head sets. But, yes, this whole trip is rather inconceivable for most families, let alone one that has 10 children.

[shesinsane]

17 hours ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

People with money always downplay how much money they have. This isn’t just my opinion. Studies show that people in the top bracket of wealth think they don’t have as much money as they actually do. Sometimes it’s because they compare themselves to people who have more money in comparison. It’s pretty easy to find someone richer than you to compare yourself to. Everyone can except maybe Jeff Bezos. Braggie seems to spend a lot of time on social media. I bet she looks at all the people jet setting across Europe and thinks it’s normal to take 45 day European holidays. When it’s actually extremely uncommon amongst most American families.
 

Braggie will never admit her extreme privilege. She will only claim martyrdom while traipsing through Europe with her 10 kids and nanny. 

"Martyrdom is not the same thing as hard" would look great on merchandise; though it probably hits too close to home for Braggie.

[Red Hair, Black Dress]

Self-imposed martyrdom is not the same thing as hard

[JermajestyDuggar]

1 hour ago, Red Hair, Black Dress said:

Self-imposed martyrdom is not the same thing as hard

It really is self imposed but she will never admit it. I remember a few years ago she said she was teaching the twin girls to play piano. My mom didn’t have a ton of money but she scrounged up money to pay a woman to give us piano lessons. Because teaching your own child is much harder than teaching a kid who isn’t yours. We know Braggie has the money for piano lessons. So she was only doing it so she could play the martyr. She acted like teaching them was killing her. But hard is not the same thing as bad. Although it is the same thing as attention seeking 🙄

[Bluebirdbluebell]

Are Shaun and Abbie the same age? 

[JermajestyDuggar]

17 minutes ago, Bluebirdbluebell said:

Are Shaun and Abbie the same age? 

I know Braggie’s age because she my age. She’s 40 and will turn 41 this fall. I am not positive but I was thinking he was a little older than Braggie. Like maybe around 2 years older. 

[danvillebelle]

I wonder if the oldest three are aware enough to know that their vacation costs more than what a huge chunk of America makes and lives on in an entire year.  Or do Braggie and Shaun pull the wool over their eyes and say nah, we're just your average family, nothing out of the ordinary going on here.

[Marly]

1 hour ago, danvillebelle said:

I wonder if the oldest three are aware enough to know that their vacation costs more than what a huge chunk of America makes and lives on in an entire year.  Or do Braggie and Shaun pull the wool over their eyes and say nah, we're just your average family, nothing out of the ordinary going on here.

I honestly don't think they are aware. They are being raised very secluded + homeschooled. I think they're not aware and think their way of living is 'normal' for "good Christians". 

Edited May 15 by Marly

[JermajestyDuggar]

1 hour ago, Marly said:

I honestly don't think they are aware. They are being raised very secluded + homeschooled. I think they're not aware and think their way of living is 'normal' for "good Christians". 

I agree. I think a lot of people with more money than average in the US don’t realize how privileged they are. It’s not just Braggie. I think if more people realized how privileged they were they would take more action to help those who are less privileged. They wouldn’t vote for the people who are promising to keep their taxes low. They would donate more to places that actually help people struggling. Poorer people tend to donate a larger percentage of their income than wealthier people. Often you’ll see wealthier people donating a big chunk of money and are praised to the stars for it. But it’s usually a tiny percentage of their yearly income. While a poorer person donating something like $100 is actually a much larger percentage of their income and no one gives them props for that. The US is totally fucked up when it comes to money. We can blame our collective culture regarding money on why Braggie is so completely ignorant on the way so many Americans live. 

[theotherelise]

I don't think I knew they had income properties? 

I don't know exactly when they bought their first home (the one they didn't build) but I believe they had it before Nola & Evy were born. So they only had 3 kids at that point and I think that would make Abbie around 25. Buying a single family home at 25 is already evidence of immense privilege. Abbie stopped teaching spanish after the 2nd kid was born, I think. So that means they bought a home on a single income. 

Now she says they invested profit from home sales (they sold that first home and then the next one which they built) into income properties. Again, that demonstrates both luck and privilege. They could afford to live in places that had increasing property values. I've got some in-laws that think they're really good at real estate. But really they're just rich and white. They also will talk about their kids needing scholarships and how they shop at Aldi... okay yeah but you are in the 1%, you know that, right?

I don't think the H kids know how rich they and I don't think they understand that there is little to no correlation between financial status and work ethic. They have likely been raised to believe that their family deserves all these things because A&S have done things right and followed God's plan and "work hard" and sponsor kids in other countries through fundie parachurch orgs. 

[JermajestyDuggar]

Braggie used to mention how they sold their last house for $500,000 fully furnished because the buyers loved her taste so much 🙄

[SassyPants]

2 hours ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

I agree. I think a lot of people with more money than average in the US don’t realize how privileged they are. It’s not just Braggie. I think if more people realized how privileged they were they would take more action to help those who are less privileged. They wouldn’t vote for the people who are promising to keep their taxes low. They would donate more to places that actually help people struggling. Poorer people tend to donate a larger percentage of their income than wealthier people. Often you’ll see wealthier people donating a big chunk of money and are praised to the stars for it. But it’s usually a tiny percentage of their yearly income. While a poorer person donating something like $100 is actually a much larger percentage of their income and no one gives them props for that. The US is totally fucked up when it comes to money. We can blame our collective culture regarding money on why Braggie is so completely ignorant on the way so many Americans live. 

Yes…I was talking about this with my husband. Sure there is a significant portion of unhoused folks who have mental illness and SA problems. But there is also a % of those folks who are just poor. How about we look into the wealth and income distribution inequality that exists. We CAN do something about that. When adjusted for inflation, since the 1970s, the middle and lower class wages have stagnated while those at the tip of the chart have seen their incomes rise. This also happened after the US drastically lowered income taxes on top earnings. Even with Math not being my favorite subject, I can see how that affects the economy. 

So the people with all the money and the ability to influence politicians get to keep growing their portfolio and the people barely hanging on get to pay all the bills? And then people want to point fingers and accuse people of not being ambitious enough or lazy.

5 minutes ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

Braggie used to mention how they sold their last house for $500,000 fully furnished because the buyers loved her taste so much 🙄

I follow another influencer (and have had some friends who did the same) who is building a new home and getting all new furniture. The friends left the old stuff in the homes they sold. I’ve been told that you  have to buy new stuff because the old stuff may not fit into the design or theme of the new home. 

This screams privilege to me. I usually considered our furniture when we went looking at homes. I had to imagine my stuff filling that space. Isn’t that why realtors recommend people take stuff out of their homes when trying to sell them? 

Edited May 15 by SassyPants

[Red Hair, Black Dress]

If I remember correctly Braggie not only sold her previous house completely furnished, she sold it with every single thing in it.  I believe all they took to the new house was clothes.

I cannot imagine choosing to sell everything and buying all new.  There are perhaps 3-4 pieces of furniture I'd donate (cheap folding bookcases) but most of our furniture is family pieces or things we found at estate sales, Our knick-knacks are things we've collected that remind of special times and places.

I know everything in my house is a thing and not what's ultimately important, But at this moment they are important to me.  Seeing them making me smile.  Sitting in my daddy's leather armchair is comforting. 

Braggie must not have emotions or feelings -- about anything

 

[JermajestyDuggar]

52 minutes ago, SassyPants said:

Yes…I was talking about this with my husband. Sure there is a significant portion of unhoused folks who have mental illness and SA problems. But there is also a % of those folks who are just poor. How about we look into the wealth and income distribution inequality that exists. We CAN do something about that. When adjusted for inflation, since the 1970s, the middle and lower class wages have stagnated while those at the tip of the chart have seen their incomes rise. This also happened after the US drastically lowered income taxes on top earnings. Even with Math not being my favorite subject, I can see how that affects the economy. 

So the people with all the money and the ability to influence politicians get to keep growing their portfolio and the people barely hanging on get to pay all the bills? And then people want to point fingers and accuse people of not being ambitious enough or lazy.

I follow another influencer (and have had some friends who did the same) who is building a new home and getting all new furniture. The friends left the old stuff in the homes they sold. I’ve been told that you  have to buy new stuff because the old stuff may not fit into the design or theme of the new home. 

This screams privilege to me. I usually considered our furniture when we went looking at homes. I had to imagine my stuff filling that space. Isn’t that why realtors recommend people take stuff out of their homes when trying to sell them? 

So when it comes to realtor recommendations on selling a house, an empty house doesn’t sell as well as a furnished house. But a very cluttered house is just as bad as an empty house. Basically because if a house is sbsolutely filled to the brim with stuff or it’s completely empty, the people viewing the house cannot picture living in a home like that. It’s too hard to picture how much furniture will fit or how to properly arrange it. So a well staged home is best for selling. Since Braggie is obsessed with how her home looks, I imagine their last house was well staged. I bet it was like Jill Rod’s house in that she didn’t have much kid stuff anywhere. And it was mostly just her taste and decor in perfect order. Similar to Erin Paine too. 

[SassyPants]

1 hour ago, Red Hair, Black Dress said:

If I remember correctly Braggie not only sold her previous house completely furnished, she sold it with every single thing in it.  I believe all they took to the new house was clothes.

I cannot imagine choosing to sell everything and buying all new.  There are perhaps 3-4 pieces of furniture I'd donate (cheap folding bookcases) but most of our furniture is family pieces or things we found at estate sales, Our knick-knacks are things we've collected that remind of special times and places.

I know everything in my house is a thing and not what's ultimately important, But at this moment they are important to me.  Seeing them making me smile.  Sitting in my daddy's leather armchair is comforting. 

Braggie must not have emotions or feelings -- about anything

 

She has admitted that she does not feel strong emotions (or emotions strongly). She says she rarely cries. She has also mentioned that her oldest daughter is a deep feeler and that she (Abbie) has a hard time relating to her  daughter’s emotions and kindness. TBH, I think AH does feel some emotions: anger, resentment, envy, spite…