Jessa Duggar Once Alluded Jim Bob Duggar Liked to ‘Haggle the Price Down’ of Everything He Bought
Those who follow the Duggars know they love a good steal. The Counting On stars believe in the phrase, “buy used and save the difference,” as Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar didn’t have a ton of money to raise 19 kids with. And the Duggar children have adopted many of their parents’ thrifty ways.
Back when 19 Kids and Counting was airing, Jessa Duggar alluded that her dad loved to haggle for even lower prices on already low-priced items. Here’s what she said.
The Duggar family is known for their thrifty ways
Raising 19 kids isn’t easy, but Jim Bob and Michelle managed to do it. Not only did they grow up with ultra-strict rules for their kids, but they also had a tight budget. And this meant all of the kids wore hand-me-downs and shopped in thrift stores for clothing.
While Jim Bob and Michelle didn’t have a lot of money to spare, they also managed to live without any debt. They paid for their 7,000-square-foot home with cash so they wouldn’t have to pay off loans. And they also got quite creative when it came to groceries, as Michelle noted she liked to spend only $3,000 a month when possible.
Michelle explained to TLC that she did the majority of her shopping at “discount grocery stores, warehouse clubs, and co-ops” so she could buy bulk items when possible. Her family also made their own loaves of bread to cut down on costs.
Jessa Duggar mentioned her father, Jim Bob Duggar, attempts to ‘haggle’ low prices even lower
Some of the older Duggars haven’t stuck to the traditional budget they grew up with (Jinger Duggar is living quite a luxurious life in Los Angeles with her husband). But when Jinger and Jessa were just teens, they certainly abided by the “buy used and save the difference” mentality.
A clip from 19 Kids and Counting shows the sisters searching for cheap clothing at garage sales so they could sell it at their Duggar family flea market.
“Our budget for today is $60,” Jessa told the camera. “I think if we go to enough garage sales, we can probably find some pretty good deals.” Jessa and Jinger were then filmed grabbing several pieces of clothing that were just 50 cents each.
Since the articles of clothing the sisters picked out were so inexpensive, they were able to grab a number of pieces for their flea market. But Jessa then mentioned something telling about Jim Bob. “Everything was so reasonably priced that even my dad wouldn’t haggle the price down,” she added.
Duggar family critics call out the family for ‘pretending’ they don’t have much money
Jim Bob and Michelle may have had to budget when their kids were young, but now that many of their children are all grown up and they’re still making income from reality TV, they must have quite a lot saved. Aside from Counting On, the Duggars are still pulling in money from book sales, social media, and Jim Bob’s real estate. And this had led many Duggar family critics to accuse the Duggars of having more money than they let on.
“The Duggars love to pretend they’re poor,” one Reddit user wrote.
“You could tell by 19KaC that they were running out of ‘Buy Used, Save the Difference’ story lines,” another wrote. “… Here, it’s just silly, especially with all the money they had coming in at this point in their fame.”
So, are Jim Bob and Michelle still abiding by their ultra-tight budget? And does Jim Bob still allegedly haggle down the price of items that are already reasonable? We may never know — but more tidbits from the Duggar daughters may give us clues in the future.
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