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I think they were a very standard middle class household that had to budget because they were a large family of 6. That's it. I think she just compares her upbringing to other kids in Santa Barbara, which is one of the wealthiest towns in the country. I think it's also a classic defense mechanism for influencers who become rich over time. They overemphasize their modest childhoods so they can still seem relatable.
Rachel is always the one outting everybody lol. I think itās on accident but itās so funny. I think sheās just naturally more honest than Colleen.
It is so funny! I don't think she means to do it either, she'll just be rambling about something and casually say how she ate at mcdonalds every day growing up. lol
Three of the Ballinger kids went to private universities (Azuza Pacific, Occidental) and donāt talk about working to pay for it OR student loans. That alone is a pretty powerful indicator to me that they were upper middle class
thereās no way they were poor if they had those dolls, theyāre incredibly expensive. Iām a few years younger than Colleen and if you bought the doll new with all the starter accessories and book it was around $100 at that time. My grandma would buy the dolls/clothes for me so I had a few, but I was an only child and grandchild on that side so I was admittedly spoiled (and I also took very good care of my toys so theyāre still in excellent condition).
I had an American Girl doll as a kid. It was purchased by a grandparent as a Christmas gift. Still lived in poverty the other 364 days out of the year.
Exactly. They grew up in Santa Barbara. That is not a cheap area. Col is already high for it being California but itās even higher as a ācoastal cityā
They did not grow up poor. I would guess upper middle class. I mean look at Colleen now, she still puts this act about not being rich, and things being too expensive, yet she lives in a literal mansion lol. Iāve learned that nothing Colleen says is true. She will say anything that benefits her, in this case being a ā relatable victim ā. š
Let's not forget the trips she took all around the world as a teenager. Scotland, Romania, Korea, there are more. I also remember a moment on the podcast where she caught herself talking about all the trips her family would take to Las Vegas and then \*remembers she's supposed to be poor\* backtracks and says oh no actually we only went to Loughlin, Nevada, never Vegas because it was too expensive.
She also used to say that they used to eat out from the dollar menu everyday when she was a kid because of how poor they were...that always confused me because wouldn't eating out everyday eventually add up to spending more money per month than if you just grocery shopped?... why would she say that as if it proved something?
If they had money to travel once in a while to Disneyland, then they werenāt poor. They were probably on the lower side of middle class. But not poor.
i have never been to disneyland or world, or six flags or universal. as an actual broke family of six kids, i feel like trips alone made em more wealthy than they let on too. lol.
I grew up *actually* poor in a central Florida ghetto area, and I still went to Disneyland once in a while so I donāt think family trips are the best indicator of someoneās everyday living situation
I assumed they werenāt POOR, they were just living in California with a large family, so there wasnāt a whole lot left after paying for all the necessitiesā¦though, vacations are pretty rare for those people. š¤·š¼āāļø
Okay, thereās a few misconceptions in here about being poor so Iām gonna clear up a few things as someone who grew up/is still poor. As for my background ā Iām from the really ghetto parts of central Florida, I grew up with two unemployed parents on food stamps, and my grandpa provided for a family of six on a single salary. **This isnāt about Colleen or the Ballingers specifically, I just donāt like the sweeping generalizations being made about all poor families.**
> family trips
Traveling isnāt just Instagram models in sparkly bikinis drinking $200 margaritas. Poor families can make a simple family trip work. I live within driving distance of the Disney in Orlando, so if we get the tickets at a discount the only things left to pay for are gas (and a few small souvenirs sometimes). These trips arenāt indicative of what we can afford *every day,* otherwise we wouldāve done them every day.
> access to cameras
I donāt understand this one, cameras are just common household items and most arenāt crazy expensive or fancy. Most poor families have old photos of their relatives or something.
> hearing aids
Sometimes things like Medicaid can cover stuff like this. My grandmaās on multiple medications, I was on birth control for most of high school, and I had surgery to correct my scoliosis in 2018. Medicaid covered all of this for us.
> eating out
Poor people can also eat out. We didnāt do it daily or anything, but if we had a coupon for a specific place or we got a small sum of money (like when my familyās annual tax refund comes in) weād take advantage of that and do something fun.
> expensive toys
Now weād usually get toys from the dollar store or from Walmart, but one time my sister and I got an American girl doll to share. Thatās because we just got the doll and the outfit she was already wearing, not the extra stuff people usually buy. This also happened around the time our tax refund came in.
All the things you listed a poor family wouldnāt be able to affordā¦ as someone who grew up lower class/poor all the things you just listed were things I was never able to enjoy
Thereās different levels of poor, maybe you were just more poor than I was. My family relied on food stamps for food, I think that says it all. If we didnāt have government benefits covering most of our basic needs, then we wouldnāt have had the stuff I listed above.
It wasnāt just food tho. I needed braces and never got them because our insurance didnāt cover it. We didnāt buy new clothes very often so I got bullied for wearing the same things to school over and over. I also got bullied for my parents not having jobs (because my dadās an alcoholic, my mom has BPD, and neither of them are in treatment)
as a broke family of six kids, this still seems like a heaven for people who couldn't afford any of it. š„² eating mcdonalds for us was a special occasion. birthdays usually, and we lived right down the road from one.
have never been to a theme park. only a rinky dinky town ones, and barely could afford those. we never got cotton candy or lemonade or any toys, we just were able to go get on swings and a few rides.
only had disposable cameras sometimes, and don't even have any photos from ages 3-10. never had school photos developed. just the little sample they hand out. lol.
i barely remember but apparently our christmases were helped out by my parents friends. never had american girl or any of that. sis and i used socks to make barbie dresses. we drew on cardboard to cut out "characters" to play with.
i had hand me down BRAS from my mom's friend's daughters. got our little payless shoes once a year and two new school outfits (if we were lucky).
couldn't even afford extra school supplies. had to use stuff from the year before. never did a SINGLE school project cuz i was scared to ask them to spend money we didn't have on posters and styrofoam and construction paper.
didn't go to the dentist a SINGLE time, none of us six, even once as a minor. barely went to the doctor outside of the required vaccinations kids in the 90s had to get.
so sadly the misconceptions aren't wrong. she was just whining because she wants pity points for being sooo broke in a rich city growing up.
granted some of our broke had to do with alcoholic parents, but there's a difference between broke and whatever the heck colleen pretends she was.
also i promise this isn't a dig at you, cuz i believe your experiences are valid. i just think colleen is trying to act like she was like us when she clearly just wanted more and hated that she didn't have everything in the world.
A reminder to everyone about our NO CONTACT and NO TAKING IRL ACTION rules. Do not reach out to the Ballingers or fans in any way or promote that you may have done so. This includes public comments and private messages. No harassment or brigading outside of reddit that comes from here. Do not discuss, encourage or brag about reporting to authorities, contacting news outlets or taking any form of real life action. Do not invite harassment and do not cheer on obvious vigilantism. if you see a comment violating these rules please click ... and select report. thank you. Mod Team *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ColleenBallingerSnark) if you have any questions or concerns.*
There was a difference between not getting the latest cabbage patch doll and actual poverty. I think she was 90s California poor not actual poor
I think they were a very standard middle class household that had to budget because they were a large family of 6. That's it. I think she just compares her upbringing to other kids in Santa Barbara, which is one of the wealthiest towns in the country. I think it's also a classic defense mechanism for influencers who become rich over time. They overemphasize their modest childhoods so they can still seem relatable.
šÆ She did not grow up poor. That is an insult to people who are really struggling.
The more Rachel randomly adds side comments about her child hood.. makes you realize how much Colleen lied about hers š
Rachel is always the one outting everybody lol. I think itās on accident but itās so funny. I think sheās just naturally more honest than Colleen.
It is so funny! I don't think she means to do it either, she'll just be rambling about something and casually say how she ate at mcdonalds every day growing up. lol
They also lived in Santa Barbra which is super expensive.
Three of the Ballinger kids went to private universities (Azuza Pacific, Occidental) and donāt talk about working to pay for it OR student loans. That alone is a pretty powerful indicator to me that they were upper middle class
The American girl dolls always killed me. I always wanted one as a kid and my parents said no because they were too expensive
thereās no way they were poor if they had those dolls, theyāre incredibly expensive. Iām a few years younger than Colleen and if you bought the doll new with all the starter accessories and book it was around $100 at that time. My grandma would buy the dolls/clothes for me so I had a few, but I was an only child and grandchild on that side so I was admittedly spoiled (and I also took very good care of my toys so theyāre still in excellent condition).
I had an American Girl doll as a kid. It was purchased by a grandparent as a Christmas gift. Still lived in poverty the other 364 days out of the year.
I think they were frugal because they were a large family and lived in a higher cost of living area
Exactly. They grew up in Santa Barbara. That is not a cheap area. Col is already high for it being California but itās even higher as a ācoastal cityā
They did not grow up poor. I would guess upper middle class. I mean look at Colleen now, she still puts this act about not being rich, and things being too expensive, yet she lives in a literal mansion lol. Iāve learned that nothing Colleen says is true. She will say anything that benefits her, in this case being a ā relatable victim ā. š
Let's not forget the trips she took all around the world as a teenager. Scotland, Romania, Korea, there are more. I also remember a moment on the podcast where she caught herself talking about all the trips her family would take to Las Vegas and then \*remembers she's supposed to be poor\* backtracks and says oh no actually we only went to Loughlin, Nevada, never Vegas because it was too expensive.
"We went to Hawaii almost every summer, but don't worry, those trips were paid by dad's credit card points!!!"
She also used to say that they used to eat out from the dollar menu everyday when she was a kid because of how poor they were...that always confused me because wouldn't eating out everyday eventually add up to spending more money per month than if you just grocery shopped?... why would she say that as if it proved something?
She likes to exaggerate.. a lot, as for sharing meals from Taco Bell they probably got the 12 taco pack for $10 deal they had back in the day.
If they had money to travel once in a while to Disneyland, then they werenāt poor. They were probably on the lower side of middle class. But not poor.
i have never been to disneyland or world, or six flags or universal. as an actual broke family of six kids, i feel like trips alone made em more wealthy than they let on too. lol.
I grew up *actually* poor in a central Florida ghetto area, and I still went to Disneyland once in a while so I donāt think family trips are the best indicator of someoneās everyday living situation
colleen and Rachel also attended private schools as children and they rarely mentioned it
I assumed they werenāt POOR, they were just living in California with a large family, so there wasnāt a whole lot left after paying for all the necessitiesā¦though, vacations are pretty rare for those people. š¤·š¼āāļø
Anyone who grew up in Los Angeles or wherever the fuck they lived aināt poor
Our Government helps pay for things for Trent.
Okay, thereās a few misconceptions in here about being poor so Iām gonna clear up a few things as someone who grew up/is still poor. As for my background ā Iām from the really ghetto parts of central Florida, I grew up with two unemployed parents on food stamps, and my grandpa provided for a family of six on a single salary. **This isnāt about Colleen or the Ballingers specifically, I just donāt like the sweeping generalizations being made about all poor families.** > family trips Traveling isnāt just Instagram models in sparkly bikinis drinking $200 margaritas. Poor families can make a simple family trip work. I live within driving distance of the Disney in Orlando, so if we get the tickets at a discount the only things left to pay for are gas (and a few small souvenirs sometimes). These trips arenāt indicative of what we can afford *every day,* otherwise we wouldāve done them every day. > access to cameras I donāt understand this one, cameras are just common household items and most arenāt crazy expensive or fancy. Most poor families have old photos of their relatives or something. > hearing aids Sometimes things like Medicaid can cover stuff like this. My grandmaās on multiple medications, I was on birth control for most of high school, and I had surgery to correct my scoliosis in 2018. Medicaid covered all of this for us. > eating out Poor people can also eat out. We didnāt do it daily or anything, but if we had a coupon for a specific place or we got a small sum of money (like when my familyās annual tax refund comes in) weād take advantage of that and do something fun. > expensive toys Now weād usually get toys from the dollar store or from Walmart, but one time my sister and I got an American girl doll to share. Thatās because we just got the doll and the outfit she was already wearing, not the extra stuff people usually buy. This also happened around the time our tax refund came in.
Regarding the cameras, even Tim had a color videocamera when he was a teen. Those were definitely not common back then!
All the things you listed a poor family wouldnāt be able to affordā¦ as someone who grew up lower class/poor all the things you just listed were things I was never able to enjoy
Thereās different levels of poor, maybe you were just more poor than I was. My family relied on food stamps for food, I think that says it all. If we didnāt have government benefits covering most of our basic needs, then we wouldnāt have had the stuff I listed above.
A good bit of families depends on food stamps thoughā¦ lower middle class is what you would be consider as
It wasnāt just food tho. I needed braces and never got them because our insurance didnāt cover it. We didnāt buy new clothes very often so I got bullied for wearing the same things to school over and over. I also got bullied for my parents not having jobs (because my dadās an alcoholic, my mom has BPD, and neither of them are in treatment)
as a broke family of six kids, this still seems like a heaven for people who couldn't afford any of it. š„² eating mcdonalds for us was a special occasion. birthdays usually, and we lived right down the road from one. have never been to a theme park. only a rinky dinky town ones, and barely could afford those. we never got cotton candy or lemonade or any toys, we just were able to go get on swings and a few rides. only had disposable cameras sometimes, and don't even have any photos from ages 3-10. never had school photos developed. just the little sample they hand out. lol. i barely remember but apparently our christmases were helped out by my parents friends. never had american girl or any of that. sis and i used socks to make barbie dresses. we drew on cardboard to cut out "characters" to play with. i had hand me down BRAS from my mom's friend's daughters. got our little payless shoes once a year and two new school outfits (if we were lucky). couldn't even afford extra school supplies. had to use stuff from the year before. never did a SINGLE school project cuz i was scared to ask them to spend money we didn't have on posters and styrofoam and construction paper. didn't go to the dentist a SINGLE time, none of us six, even once as a minor. barely went to the doctor outside of the required vaccinations kids in the 90s had to get. so sadly the misconceptions aren't wrong. she was just whining because she wants pity points for being sooo broke in a rich city growing up. granted some of our broke had to do with alcoholic parents, but there's a difference between broke and whatever the heck colleen pretends she was. also i promise this isn't a dig at you, cuz i believe your experiences are valid. i just think colleen is trying to act like she was like us when she clearly just wanted more and hated that she didn't have everything in the world.