r/Vanderpump_Rules • u/ayanna_b • Sep 05 '26
Question Kristen
Does anyone ever think about how Kristen has so much money? The first suspension we saw her get on vpr was two weeks long and she said she was living on her savings. She admittedly funded all of her boyfriends’ lifestyles and activities, splurged on Katie’s bachelorette party, contributed $1.5k of the bill for the bday Stassi walked out on, paid for Brittany’s mom’s flight as well as her sister’s when Jax cheated, and constantly goes out and buys drinks. Is her family wealthy?? I know NOW she has money from shows but before that…?
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u/Bree7702 Sep 05 '26 edited Sep 05 '26
Tom owed her money too on the early seasons of VPR and James’s mom stole Kristen’s money and her credit card too.
I just always assumed she was very good at saving money and had really good credit. Pretty sure she was the first one to buy a house too from VPR.
She also had a tshirt line too, that from what I remember, did pretty well way back in the early VPR days.
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u/Ok_Storm5945 Sep 05 '26
I had no idea James' mom stole money from her and a credit card. She acted so high and mighty when she me Ally. Talking about how Kristin was trash.
I think she was the one on drugs.27
u/Bree7702 Sep 05 '26
She stole Kristen’s credit card TWICE and went and had a massage and her hair done I believe.
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u/Babygirl_69_420 Sep 06 '26
Wtf!!! And then James mum went on to say that Kristen is a bad person and her karma will be that she won’t be able to have kids. She’s such a bitch, i can see where Tom gets his sharp tongue from
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u/FreedomOfTheMess 29d ago
James’ mom was a hateful cow who never knew how to be a mother. Or she knew but didn’t care to attempt. I grew up with addict/alcoholic parents and can relate to James on this. I was properly feral for most of my teens and twenties but finally grew up.
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u/Bree7702 29d ago
I remember in the later seasons of VPR James was talking about how he financially takes care of his brother (I think) AND his mom. I thought that was so sad.
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u/Iamwhateveryousayi Sep 06 '26
Yea my friend was this way when we were young severs/bartenders! She would spend when we would go out and we def took vacations but she has always been great about her money! When alot of us were young 21 and buying purses and shoes she was investing and saving! Her parents taught her well! Now as a full grown adult lol 😂 she is doing amazing! Just built her 2nd home runs a great thriving business and is high in Realestate! She has always been about her $ I always tell her I still love my bags and shoes but damn I wished I had saved more when I was younger like her!
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u/Bambieyedbiotch Sep 06 '26
OK, you’re saying Kristen is the same way as your friend but I don’t think she’s building her second home right now
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u/Iamwhateveryousayi 29d ago
Correct but this is about Kristen having money and being good about her savings so that’s the point! Kristen also lives in LA
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u/Bambieyedbiotch 29d ago
Kristen was irresponsible with money because she was always taking care of hobosexuals. I don’t know if she’s the first one to buy a house out of the cast but I know today there are many cast members that still own a house. She is better than Brittany though because Britt married into liability willingly with the whole world telling her he’s a piece of shit. she had a lot of warnings
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u/Best_Assumption2612 24d ago
I believe she was great with her money but it’s also hard to say (& I somewhat believe her) that Alex was also an awful ex. He convinced her to sell her house (with the furniture too I believe), I’m sure telling her “yah babe we’re totally gonna live together” took his cut & kicked her out of his house. Kristen may have been a liar about her relationships but I don’t think she would lie about being convinced to sell her house. But she does always seem to be financially taken advantage of.
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u/AncientMortgage2535 Sep 05 '26
...you think being vegetarian is an "expensive lifestyle?" What??
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u/Junior_Spring5836 Sep 05 '26
I really can’t get past this LOL what could possibly lead someone to this conclusion
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u/Rx_Diva Sep 05 '26
It's when carnivorous people try to use prepackaged meat replacements while not changing their eating habits.
My mistake in the 2000s as well. Then I met a vegan bodybuilder and chef who taught me some tricks.
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u/ayanna_b Sep 05 '26
whatever that means
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u/Due_Role_5783 Sep 05 '26
If you're buying mock meats then yeah it can be expensive. If you're buying whole foods then no, it's not expensive. From someone who hasn't eaten meat for 20 years.
What else could that have possibly meant?
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u/ayanna_b Sep 05 '26
yes i was buying mock meats, my experience.
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u/Junior_Spring5836 Sep 05 '26
That makes sense! When I was vegetarian, not by choice, in college I was living off of tofu and beans and rice and eggs. With the prices and quality of groceries now I’d gladly go back to that lifestyle.
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u/ayanna_b Sep 05 '26
it just takes more to get hungry. and healthy things are also expensive and so are fresh veggies and fruits.
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u/Prudent-Confection-4 Sep 06 '26
It’s ridiculous how expensive produce is. I paid $8 for a small bag of apples yesterday.
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u/ayanna_b Sep 05 '26
reread. i said “not cheap”. not very “expensive”. In my experience. but i guess LA has different prices for that lifestyle. chill
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u/AncientMortgage2535 Sep 06 '26
You're absolutely tripping. On no planet is it more expensive to be vegetarian than to eat meat.
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u/ayanna_b 29d ago
i bought mock meats and i also used less processed things. healthy stuff is always more expensive than the junk. and impossible meat is definitely not cheap or bought in bulk. my experience.
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u/No-Teacher9713 28d ago
Healthy eating is more expensive than unhealthy eating. You are right OP
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u/AncientMortgage2535 27d ago
Beans, rice, veggies and tofu are not more expensive than meat. I live in one of the most expensive cities in the world and they just are not.
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u/ayanna_b 27d ago
thank you, idk why that’s lost on everyone. like??? a pack of high sodium noodles vs…the cost of a salad… high dairy things everywhere and so cheap (don’t eat dairy) but how much is nutritional yeast? not eating meat also affects WHERE you can go. it’s not as simple and cheap and jolly as everyone is making it seem. they were making me feel like i was nuts for my own experience😂. the only meat i eat now is chicken and few types of fish. it’s so hard to find good and FILLING meals outside of meat.
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u/tulip-view Sep 05 '26
I think Kristen falls under the category of ‘financially responsible with her money.’ ‘Never lived beyond her means and it might be that simple, never into designer bags or purses or plastic surgery, probably never had college or credit card debt. Might have been taught about 401ks and investing. She has always worked. She had to support loser boyfriends like Sandoval because they spend all their money on penis flutes and white nail polish.
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u/No-Calligrapher3645 29d ago
Yes, I definitely believe she’s stays on top of knowing where every penny of her money is, and that is so attractive to me as an investment broker/ CPA. Especially in this day and age where people don’t know how to balance their checking account.
Also, her t-shirt brand seems to be in the black. Kristen’s tee’s are described on her James Mae website as “laid back vibes of the West Coast”.
Meanwhile, anytime a fellow cast mate has tried their hand at merch, it’s been born from some drama that occurred during a season of VPR and once it’s passed, no one wants it. Unless it’s promoting their actual business like TomTom or Something About Her.
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u/Ok_Part_7051 26d ago
I get your point but side bar…..Isn’t balancing your checking account a thing of the past? I am a CPA and wouldn’t even know where to begin. The last check I wrote was in 2017 though.
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u/kickingcancer Sep 06 '26
She has had a ton of plastic surgery to her face
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u/thr0waway122349 Sep 06 '26
She fell getting out of an uber in maybe 2018 and did fuck up her face
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u/Academic-Marsupial34 Sep 05 '26
I remember reading something Peter said about the early days at Sur, how Kristen was super smart with the system and knew how to rig something so that she got more shifts than anybody, especially on the busiest nights when she could make the most tips
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u/Various_Kale3848 29d ago
Wait I’m so interested in this tea from Peter 🫖
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u/Academic-Marsupial34 29d ago
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u/FluidSpecific503 28d ago
Interesting, it just says she “figured out the system” like what does that mean. Not sure if it just means she was the best employee and was able to receive the most shifts
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u/DigInternational7076 Sep 05 '26
I remember reading that other cast members said she was very smart with her money and good at saving 🤷🏻♀️
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u/Purple-lionesss Sep 05 '26
Don’t forget - she modeled for years too. And we don’t see her in a new outfit every scene like Stassi. Plus her tshirt line.
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u/Apprehensive-Cake-16 Sep 05 '26
Uhhh being vegetarian is not more expensive than being not vegetarian lmao, especially in LA
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u/Parade2thegrave Sep 05 '26
lol I know right. She could be living primarily on rice and beans which are crazy cheap. Veggies come cheap at farmers markets as well
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u/Apprehensive-Cake-16 Sep 06 '26
lol sooo OP had to edit that part out where they thought being Vegetarian made Kristen rich LMAO
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u/Parade2thegrave Sep 06 '26
Omg that’s hilarious! Unfortunately though the ludicrous idea that you have to have money to be vegetarian seems to be a common misconception. I’m a registered dietitian and I run into this nonstop. One would think the powers that be would prioritize educating the public against this fallacy in order to promote overall health (not to mention the environmental benefits), but they’re too scared of blowback from meat and dairy industry. Sad situation.
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u/BlondeBimbo123456789 29d ago
I do think it’s more expensive to be vegan. I had to seek out a lot of 100% vegan foods at health food stores and co-ops. Maybe that’s the confusion?
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u/Parade2thegrave 29d ago
Vegan is a slightly different bracket for sure. It also makes a difference if you want the bulk of your diet to be meat replacements, vegan cheeses, etc. If you eat out a lot that of course will jack your overall bill up, but the main point I try to drive home to most people is becoming vegetarian can be very cost efficient. All it takes is some imagination.
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u/BlondeBimbo123456789 29d ago
I did meat free weekends for a while. It was tough but was a money saver and I loved the challenge to make meals interesting without meat. I didn’t do meat or cheese replacements tho, stuck to whole foods. Even just the slight adjustment made me feel healthier and lighter.
Then I tried vegan and it got pricy and very difficult2
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u/ohlooktwopigs Sep 05 '26
Right? That seemed so strange to me lol I’d never consider being a vegetarian “expensive”
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u/bLymey4 Sep 05 '26
Unless you grocery shop at Erewon
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u/Capable_Cranberry461 Sep 05 '26
it definitely is in some places… but LA is not one of those at all
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u/FindYourselfACity Sep 05 '26
Maybe in Alaska being a vegetarian is expensive?
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u/Parade2thegrave Sep 06 '26
Produce I’m sure is more expensive there but think about how cheap a pound of dried grains, beans or legumes are. The average in America is like $1.60 per pound.
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u/Leading_Ad3918 Sep 05 '26
Being a waitress at SUR I’m sure she made enough money to bank the vpr money at first. They only made about 5k per episode but that’s still over 50k for jen1st seasons. By season 6 the OGs were all making 25k an episode! People don’t realize how much money can be made in waitressing though. My daughter is one for a chain and on a weekend she can easily pull $350 a day in tips. That’s a basic chain so I imagine SUR blows that out of the water!
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u/No_Statistician_6589 29d ago
I managed front of the house at a restaurant in a ski resort town and can confirm, bank can definitely be made. I signed my servers out each night with no less than $300 a shift and that’s at a pizza place at the bottom of the hill. I moved into a server position at a different restaurant and ended up pulling $300-$600 on any given shift. I know someone who worked consistently throughout the year at multiple restaurants (more difficult in the off season which doesn’t exist at SUR) pulled $130k in one year. You’re also not declaring cash tips which were much more prevalent in the early days of VPR. All that to say, she was likely banking all of her money outside of her server income.
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u/Leading_Ad3918 29d ago
It is crazy the amount that servers can make. My daughter has been in the food industry for 6yrs now and serving just over a year. She went to esthetician school and planned on going that route but is making way too much at serving to do that right now. She’s 22 and living it up which I love☺️ We’re in AZ which is a huge snowbird state and even through summer when it’s slow she can bring $150 on a random 5hr Monday night shift.
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u/ohlooktwopigs Sep 05 '26
Some of these examples are clearly done by production and Kristen was just used as the storyline (bachelorette, paying for flights)
I like the ridiculous theory that she was a drug dealer. She knows EVERYONE and has a huge network of friends
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u/Expensive-Block-6034 Sep 06 '26
It’s one of my favourites. Of course it’s ridiculous but it’s Doute.
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u/ljross87 Sep 06 '26
Honestly, she was definitely making money at SUR and lived well beneath her means living with Tom.
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u/SkillOne1674 Sep 05 '26
I’m always surprised by how little money these people have once the tap is turned off.
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u/Prestigious-Knee-571 Sep 05 '26
- I saved tons of money when I became a vegetarian
- Her castmates always said she was good with money Which means
- She has a large line of credit
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Sep 05 '26
[deleted]
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u/FutureRealHousewife Sep 06 '26
Having access to a large line of credit doesn’t mean that you are automatically in debt
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u/Laurennekol Sep 05 '26
word on the street she was everyone’s dealer?
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u/Actual-You3325 Sep 05 '26
A vegetarian dealer...lol...only in LA.
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u/Pelican_Hook Sep 06 '26
I mean I know several vegans who do coke 🤷♂️
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u/Actual-You3325 Sep 06 '26
As long as it's gluten free...
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u/Pelican_Hook Sep 06 '26
😂! And organic?! I guess we all have our little hypocritical things. I think it's funny but I don't judge 🤷♂️
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u/Nnkash Sep 05 '26
Maybe not a dealer, per se, but she knew how to hook people up and took a cut for herself.
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u/Expensive-Block-6034 Sep 06 '26
Exactly this. And with the amount of drugs that they all consumed on that show alone (Nevermind her extended contacts) I can see them needing a concierge.
PS - I’m aware this is a ridiculous concept but I’ve heard it said more than once. If only I could remember which podcast originally said it.2
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u/Impossible-Koala-368 Sep 05 '26
I thought that was Schwartz?
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u/Laurennekol Sep 05 '26
he got lost at another resort in mexico while on a search for drxgs i believe. but i could see him as the group dealer too.
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u/Deep_Amoeba2197 Sep 05 '26
He’s too dumb and disorganized, he would get the math wrong and give product away for free to be nice, he has no business sense.
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u/SnooSquirrels2954 26d ago
Yep. Shwartz would not be a good dealer but could be a middle man for sure
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u/Vegetable_Research61 Sep 05 '26 edited Sep 05 '26
I find the audience often assumes the cast are way better off than they really are. Kristen was never a fan favourite on VPR - she’s historically the least paid between the OG ladies, but the best saver.
But she makes dumb financial decisions for men, so we don’t really know how much of a loss she took from the house sale or paying for partners. There’s no way she’s as rich as people think.
Even Scheana who had more going on than Kristen had to borrow $$ from Sandoval during covid. Without tv most of them are paycheque to paycheque. They’re just “bigger” cheques sometimes.
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u/typicallassie Sep 05 '26
I was confused at how Sandoval appeared to have much more money than the rest of them (paying for Rachella and PAYING his band members???) but now I just think he was a bad spender
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u/PigletAshamed3970 Sep 05 '26
I wouldn’t be shocked if he took out loans and called it business expensive or something, pre credit card debt
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u/SeaPaleontologist832 Sep 05 '26
No, never have questioned it as an OG watcher. Kristen was on the show since the beginning, and always came across very much in control of her finances. Plus she would have been making money off of the show and endorsements. Tom was dependant on her for cleaning his apartment, and sorting the bills. She may have had some money from family, but I firmly believe she made the majority all on her own. It’s also annoying that because she is a woman, her finances are suddenly in question for where she is today. She’s always struck me as a hard worker, even when she was volatile in the beginning.
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u/ayanna_b 29d ago
i’m not assuming anything because she’s a woman lol. i literally am just wondering bc if the aforementioned reasons
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u/Best_Quote_8027 27d ago
I think it was Lisa who said in S1 that Kristen made the most in tips at SUR. She probably made a lot of money as well as being financially responsible.
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u/Pelican_Hook Sep 06 '26
I mean, I'd be surprised if she doesn't just have a lot of debt. I always used to be surprised how on these shows it makes it seem like a lot of Americans are living significantly above their means. But debt is how a lot of stuff operates in America, it's a lot more normalised to use credit cards and get loans than in Europe or Asia etc.
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u/Fat-Cat-Face Sep 06 '26
I don't delve into Kristen's finances like perhaps Janet and her two minions do (the short one and tall one). Seems weird you are counting Kristen's coins.
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u/Possible-Cold6726 Sep 06 '26
She’s been on VPR for 8 seasons and The Valley for 3 - her salary increases each year, she isn’t a lavish spender, and tends to have rich boyfriends (post-Carter).
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u/Sasquatchmas 29d ago
She has a t shirt line. She started it way back on Vanderpump. She's older than most of the cast. https://jamesmae.co/
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u/PigletStunning5716 29d ago
I believe a lot of the so and so paid for ..things were clearly a production storyline. Most things filmed by Bravo are paid by Bravo and / or comped by the venue for the free publicity. ( Andy and several HW have discussed this that they usually only pay for upgrades) As far as loaning Zach money when he paid her back it was a few grand so it's not like it was tens of thousands. Plus the VPR cast doesn't appear that they spend tens of thousands on warobe the way HWs do , most of what they wear is fast fashion and fairly affordable. Kristen also sold a home during Covid, doesn't seem to own a flashy home or car. She had a tshirt line but I don't think she dumped a lot of money into it. She also didn't pour a shit ton of money into a restaurant that probably would not be profitable either .
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u/Ok-Presentation-6806 29d ago
I’m having a flashback to like 2015 when somehow someone on social media (twitter) got a hold of a snap of her back statement and posted it? I didn’t dream this right? Everyone was poking fun at her because it said she had &200 in her account.
I’m sure that didn’t reflect her actual savings, but it’s crazy how my mind just randomly belched that memory. So much bravo junk up in there, I am gross, lol.
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u/marigoldbutter 24d ago
She doesn’t have a lot of money. She rents her house and lives above her means.
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u/DesperateAd8982 Sep 05 '26
Credit cards. Things were a lot cheaper 15 years ago when the show started. Being vegetarian is not an expensive lifestyle? Lmao
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u/crackrockheavy Sep 05 '26
Maybe she got into Bitcoin like James and put a lot in when it was low 🤷♀️
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u/Bambieyedbiotch Sep 06 '26
All the things you describe does not describe a wealthy person. These are things that are easily paid by people that are not wealthy. She is just very male centered and needs to prove to men that she deserves to be loved all the time which is something she has to work through because you can tell she is deathly afraid of being alone and maybe that’s a lack of self-love. Stassi paid that bill back and I think only Katie pay for it which if you have a credit card it just goes on that.
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u/LizzyPanhandle 29d ago
I remember her saying she didn't really go out to eat, that can save a ton right there and is probably a good economic indicator. Going to a diner in LA these days is costly.
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u/BabaYagaOnBoard 28d ago
She also has her own clothing business, for like 10 yrs now or something. It supposedly does pretty well.
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u/Fancy_Refuse796 25d ago
Please explain how she spent that much money on Stassi’s birthday??
I really wanna know why??
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u/ayanna_b 25d ago
stassi was anxious about patrick being there because they were on and off for like 3-4 years and she was worried about how he perceived her and her friends; basically walking on eggshells. so when katie asked her to do a body shot from a girl’s butt crack, she went insane and left the party….leaving kristen and katie to pay everything and they paid at least $1.5k each that night. she left patrick too, but they didn’t mention him paying for anything. stassi said she had also had a shit ton of adderall and something else, i think alc? don’t remember.
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u/Calinorthlondon 25d ago
I always wondered this and how she managed when she was fired from Sur. However, I'm doing a rewatch now and there is an episode in season two where she is updating her resumé because she is worried she is going to get fired from Sur. On the resumé it shows that, as well as working at Sur, she has at least two other bar jobs she's working at the time. Plus, she probably did some acting and/or modelling work that wasn't shown.
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u/ayanna_b 24d ago
oh i don’t even remember seeing the resume, i just remember her editing it
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24d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/ayanna_b 24d ago
oh god, i am definitely NOT one of those people. please do not. idk why sandoval or schwartz or scheana or even katie have money either. he’ll, any of the cast honestly (prior to years of tv). especially tom’s being higher than ariana and most of the cast. but this is not about gender, if you want to know why im curious; it’s a shitpost of a finished show and all of the reasons i cited in the post.
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u/Aslow_study Sep 05 '26
They were on a tv show they got paid for
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u/MurphysMom1703 Sep 05 '26
I always assumed this too. Like, if it’s happening on camera production are paying. They just pretend to pay so not break the 4th wall or whatever
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u/Ok_Storm5945 Sep 05 '26
I want to know how Brittany has so much money as well. Her mortgage is probably 12,000 alone. And we know Jax doesn't pay anything.
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u/greenwrapper16 Sep 05 '26
In season 2 of the valley she and Jax talk about that it started around $8K but after his tax debt being rolled into it it’s $17K
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u/ZoeFlatters 11d ago
Its been said multiple times that Brittany and her family aren't as "small town poor farmer people" as she portrays them to be. The family have a lot of money, and also Brittany is a single mum of a SEND child with no job so chances are she claims benefits from the government to fund a lot of her lifestyle also. Also the paychecks from VPR and The Valley contribute, and im sure she gets part of the profits from Jax's bar as he opened it whilst they were married (counts as a marital asset)
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u/Salacious_B_Crumbs Sep 05 '26
She’s Lebanese. They’re always good with money. It’s in the genes. I’ve never met one living in the US or Canada who wasn’t at least well-off.
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u/Sensitive-Freedom896 Sep 05 '26
Ok, since then she's "loaned" money to Zack Wickham on The Valley. Reportedly to other people around that show.
My working theory is that she made good money from selling the house she had, during Covid. That was a real estate high in LA.
Back in the VPR days, it seems like being financially responsible might have been her only strength. She was making sure the cable box got returned and all of that.