The mum behind Australia's largest family has shared her budgeting secrets. Photo / 123RF
The mum behind Australia's largest family has shared her budgeting secrets. Photo / 123RF
The mother at the head of Australia’s largest family has revealed her top secrets when it comes to budgeting and how she ensures her overwhelmingly big household is organised.
Jeni Bonell and husband Ray, from Toowoomba, have 16 kids: nine sons and seven daughters, aged between 9 and 34.
The 54-year-old mum told the Daily Mail that eight kids currently live at home, which sees her weekly grocery shop cost up to A$600 ($642). However, with the cost-of-living crisis, she’s realised that the number has slowly crept up to an extra A$50 a week.
“In a household budget, the groceries is one thing you can manoeuvre and change if money is tight,” Jeni said.
All the kids who still live at home pay a small amount of rent and keep to a weekly chore list.
Reflecting on the cost of living, she said: “It’s a struggle for everyone at the moment. We’re all feeling that pinch with the budget. You’ve really got to all be on the same page with your partner and your kids to get through it.”
Jeni teaches her kids about money to prepare them for the reality of living. She also believes her family is lucky because she and her husband managed to pay off their mortgage 10 years ago.
“You have to be honest with them. You don’t want to scare your kids but I think they need to know that money is not unending and that we have to use it wisely.
“Every six months I do a budget overhaul and calculate how much we’ve been spending – or if money is tight, I’ll look at it every three months to see where we can make some improvements.”
Shop backwards, says Jeni Bonell: try to use everything in the fridge, make a meal plan, then go to the supermarket.
Shop backwards
Before heading to the grocery store, Jeni always checks what she has in the pantry and fridge. She then creates a meal plan combining the leftover ingredients.
“Instead of making a meal plan first, and then going and shopping for those ingredients, I do it back to front – I shop from my home first,” she said.
“I try to use everything I’ve bought and haven’t used, make a meal plan, then go to the supermarket.
“That way you’re turning over your stock and it’s not going to waste.”
Making a grocery list ensures you only buy what you need.
Live by lists
To keep on top of things and ensure she’s spending within the budget, Jeni “lives by lists”, whether it’s for the groceries or her household routine.
“Making a grocery list ensures you only buy what you need.”
She mostly shops at Coles and Woolworths but also buys from butchers and fruit and vegetable stores.
She usually ends up with two trolleys worth of groceries once a week and always takes one of the children with her to help carry the giant load.
Managing such a big household is no easy feat. So to ensure the process runs smoothly, Jeni uses a chore sheet.
“A morning routine list is a visual reminder of what needs doing. Our weekly chore chart also divides the household load between everyone aged 8 and above with clear roles and responsibilities.”
Sticking to a meal plan is one of the best and easiest ways to save money. Photo / 123rf
Plan out meals
Sticking to a meal plan is one of the best and easiest ways to save money, and Jeni describes her family meal plan as “basic” but “tasty”.
She tends to opt for meals that are “really easy to make” and can be frozen and eaten later on, such as chicken and beef dishes.
“Depending on the season or preferences, the choices change. The kids love fruit platters, baked goods like muffins.”
While she doesn’t have a “signature dish”, she enjoys cooking (and eating) chicken. Ray, however, often makes surprise mince dishes by combining leftover mince with other leftover ingredients to make a meal that is both fresh and new.
