Erin Napier Reflects on Husband Ben’s ‘Sacrifice’ to Give Her Sentimental Item ‘He Could Barely Afford’ at the Time

Natalia SenanayakeThu, July 9, 2026 at 11:25 PM UTC

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Erin and Ben NapierCredit: HGTV -

Erin Napier shared the story behind a sentimental item her husband Ben gave her and the lengths he went to in order to purchase it

The Home Town star shared her emotional reaction to the memory in a July 8 Instagram post

The couple, now married with two daughters, got engaged in September 2007

Erin Napier is reflecting on one very special “sacrifice” her husband Ben made for her in the early years of their relationship.

The Home Town star, 40, took to Instagram on Wednesday, July 8, to explain the story behind her engagement ring and the lengths her husband went to for the meaningful piece of jewelry. She began by saying that since their basement flooded due to extensive rain over the last couple of months, her husband left some sentimental items he’s kept over the years out to dry after they got wet.

“It rained for two months, and so our basement flooded,” she wrote in the caption. “Ben keeps a shoebox of things that were special to him as a boy down there. Inside it are photos from high school, school and sports awards, colorful notes from girls who were cheering for him at the game, and this.”

Alongside the caption was a photo of the “retail installment contract” Ben signed for the ring, with the “date of the contract” being Sept. 15, 2007. The crinkled paper also included a description of the ring, the number of payments he would have to make and the total sale price, which was listed as $3,210.

Seeing that contract made Erin emotional, especially while reflecting on their financial situation at the time, she explained in the caption.

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“[Ben] had it all spread out on the stairs drying, and I felt a lump in my throat seeing the dollar amount for what he sacrificed and worked so hard to give me when he could barely afford gas for his truck senior year at Ole Miss,” Erin continued. “I didn’t expect it at all and would’ve married him with a dandelion tied around my finger.”

The last slide included a close-up shot of her sparkling ring, featuring one large diamond at the center surrounded by smaller ones against a thick band.

Erin Napier’s engagement ringCredit: Erin Napier/Instagram

The married HGTV stars got engaged on Sept. 21, 2007, when Ben proposed to Erin in a bookstore in Oxford, Miss., three years after they first met. The mom of two — she shares daughters  Helen, 8, and Mae, 5 with Ben — previously commemorated the special day in an Instagram post in which she shared a photo of Ben down on one knee.

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“11 years ago a boy who had saved all the money he could set aside for 3 years surprised me at @squarebooks with a diamond ring and a little leather bound book he made himself. Thanks for this life and this adventure, @scotsman.co,” she wrote in the caption at the time, tagging her husband.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”