This is from their website:
As a family project the Duggars built a 7000 sq. ft. home debt free! Both Jim Bob and Michelle are licensed real estate agents.They often host and facilitate the Jim Sammon’s Financial Freedom Seminar. Jim Bob served in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1999 to 2003 and was a candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2002.
With 16 children, it's all about faith, finances and family for the Duggars By Arnold Hamilton
THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS January 5, 2006:
SPRINGDALE, Ark. – Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar are baby boomers. They may not fit the age profile of the post-World War II generation, but the numbers don't lie: They have 16 children. Ten boys, six girls. Together, as a couple. All theirs, biologically. And they may have more, Lord willing.
BRAD LOPER / Dallas Morning News
Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar pose with their 16 biological children in their Arkansas home: 10 boys and six girls. The girls wear skirts or dresses (no pants) and the boys favor polo shirts. "We never dreamed we would have 16 children," said Jim Bob, a soft-spoken, 40-year-old former state lawmaker, as he surveys what Michelle lovingly refers to as their home's "serene chaos." Now, he said, "We wouldn't have it any other way."
As a couple, the Duggars' approach to family planning is simple: They are born-again Christians who view the Bible as their life's manual – and the Bible describes children as a blessing from God. They will cheerfully accept as many blessings as God ordains. So far, the blessings have added up to more children than all but a tiny fraction of American families have.
Life with the Duggars in the hills of northwest Arkansas is part "Little House on the Prairie," part "Yours, Mine and Ours" – except the only blending in this real-life family occurs with restaurantlike precision at mealtime.
The girls – and their 39-year-old mother – don skirts or dresses (no pants) and white socks. The boys – and their father – dress most days in the same colored polo shirts and slacks or jeans, with black socks. The sameness of their attire helps with laundry and organization.
The girls embrace a similar hairstyle, long and pulled back with a clip, flowing to near their waistlines. The boys' hair is closely cropped, often cemented into position with gel.
The girls do most of the cooking, though they've been taught to change a tire and check the oil. The boys are trained to fix the cars and make home repairs, though they cook occasionally – mostly on the grill.
They don't have a precise budget, Jim Bob said, but it takes about $5,000 a month to operate their household. They live off the rental income from commercial property they own debt-free.
They have no house or car payments and no credit cards. They purchase their clothes at a thrift store that benefits the homeless in northwest Arkansas. They eat out occasionally but take advantage of the dollar menus at fast-food restaurants or the 49-cent children's meals at AQ ("Arkansas Quality") Chicken, a local favorite once frequented by former President Bill Clinton. The three older girls give the boys haircuts.
It's the fruit of a financial freedom seminar Jim Bob attended years ago.
"We haven't had an overabundance," he said, "but God's always met our needs."
