Things are pretty peachy for Ben and Erin Napier, but Ben admits he doesn’t really know how much money they have. The HGTV stars shared why he doesn’t have access to their financial information.
Ben Napier Admits He Doesn’t Know How Much Money They Have
During the October 27 episode of the “Talk To Me: The Debra Fileta Podcast,” the couple shared how their different upbringings informed their views on money. As a result, Ben is a bit out of the loop about how much of it they have.
“Ben grew up differently than I did, but also the same. My dad was a doctor of physical therapy and a chicken farmer. We had plenty. My mom drove a Mercedes. We had a new house. But I wasn’t spoiled,” Erin explained. “I asked for things and the answer was always, ‘No.’ Which is the exact same way [Ben] was raised.”
She continued, “His parents had to scratch by. They fought for every penny they had. They had to hang onto it and be very careful and frugal.”
“So he grew up that way, I grew up this way, and I’m extremely good at watching our finances, making sure we are responsible,” she added.
The HGTV star noted that her husband has “a mindset of, ‘It’s just money. None of that matters. All that matters is like, This is what matters,” referring to their family.
Ben noted, “Financially, for me, I’ve witnessed my father, who was the breadwinner in our home, lose everything twice, and it was all okay. Our family never … it never felt like we went without.”
Ben admitted, “By design, I don’t know how much money we have and I don’t have access to any of it because I would be buying things that we don’t need. So it all works out.”
“Growing up, one time I asked my dad, ‘Daddy, are we rich?’ And he said, ‘We sure are son. I got a woman who loves me, I’ve got three healthy sons, I got a good dog, and I got a good pick-up truck,'” he recalled.
At the time he said he thought, “Oh, we’re poor,” but he came to understand that his family was rich in other important ways.
Erin Recalls Being ‘Scared’ to Bring Ben Home to Meet Her Parents
During the interview, the couple reminisced about meeting at college and Erin shared her fear about bringing Ben home to meet her parents when they were dating.
“In high school, we didn’t have such a good relationship because I didn’t trust their counsel when I should have,” the HGTV star explained. “I had some really bad influences in my life, and they were like, ‘These people are terrible for you.’ And I was like, ‘You don’t know’ … And then, it turns out they definitely did know.”
She added, “And so, they never liked any guy I ever dated or that they ever met. And then I was just so scared for them to meet Ben.”
“I knew Ben on December 7. I brought him to meet my parents December 9,” Erin noted.
Ben met Erin’s mom first. “She loved him immediately. He walked in the room and gave her a big hug like he just belonged there, like he’s always been doing this,” she recalled.
She continued, “And then, my dad, he met two days later. Daddy was home and Ben came over, and my dad immediately loved him. And that had just never happened.”
“Like immediately they were like, ‘He’s very good. He’s good.’ And I was like, ‘Are you sure? Are you sure? ‘Cause he’s very like poor and also a partier,'” she said. “And they were like, ‘No, he’s wonderful.’ And I couldn’t understand what made them say that about him.”
“I knew I felt that way, but I had had bad judgment as a teenager,” Erin added.
Ben Napier Makes Surprising Confession About His and Erin’s Money: ‘I Don’t Have Access to Any of It’