Queensland mum reveals what it's like to cook dinner for 16 kids. Photo / Facebook@TheBonellFamily
Queensland mum reveals what it's like to cook dinner for 16 kids. Photo / Facebook@TheBonellFamily
Supermum Jeni Bonell has revealed what it's like to get dinner on the table for her huge family of 18.
It's a stressful task when you have one or two kids – let alone 16.
The Queensland mother, whose children range in age from 6 to 31, is a firm believer in the benefits of stockpiling, a tactic that allows her to keep costs down.
She also purchases homebrand items, with an average weekly grocery bill of about A$450 ($485).
And in a recent Facebook post, the stay-at-home mum gave followers insight into what it's like to cook for her mammoth family.
"I ask hubby to sort out the toast. Please butter and cut and put on plates. I turn around to find him 'saving time' by cutting it with the kitchen shears," she laughed.
Many commended Ray's timesaving scissor hack, including his wife.
When one person asked how she affords all their expenses, Jeni responded by saying they live debt-free.
"[We] have no mortgage, so that helps," she said.
The 51-year-old regularly posts images giving insights into their hectic life on Instagram and YouTube, with Jeni saying she's "blessed" to have so many kids.
In celebration of her son's 10th birthday, Jeni decided to take the night off cooking and instead treated her family to a Hungry Jack's feast, totalling A$131.
She shared a snap of her son Damian surrounded by four large family bundle meals earlier this month which included 16 portions of fries, eight burgers, 40 chicken nuggets and 16 soft drinks.
"Loving just the little bit of takeaway for his birthday dinner," she captioned the image with a wink emoji.
She said with her son Damien turning 10, it left the family with just one child in the single-digit age range now.
"Mummy is definitely feeling all the feels about all her babies growing up," she said.
And for those wondering what her weekly shop looks like – here's an example.
Jeni Bonell (far left) and husband Ray (far right) with their 16 children. Photo / Facebook@TheBonellFamily
In one video, the Toowomba mum explained how after a trip to the butcher, she returned home with a meat haul that included 6kg of steak, 10kg of beef sausages, 6kg of curried sausages, 5kg chicken breasts and two trays of garlic rissoles.
"So I've been into the butchers – I have an enormous amount of meat that I just bought and I am going to take that home now and prep it into meals sizes for the family," Jeni told viewers.
Jeni usually does a huge supermarket shop at the start of the week to stock up on pantry staples, but with some items lasting just half a week, she often has to go back to the store to pick up essential items such as milk, bread and fresh produce.
"When you just need milk, bread and some fruit and vegetables," she wrote in a Facebook post alongside a snap of a big grocery shop.
When you just need milk, bread and some fruit and veg 😊
#thebonellfamily #bigfamily #blessedlife #aussiefamily...
"You don't need to join a gym. So much weight training going on, lifting the milk jugs," one person joked.
The family, who also have their own YouTube channel with 34,000 subscribers, often share videos of how they run their household.
To help keep costs down, Jeni previously said she always buys homebrand items, stocks up on half-price products and buys fresh meat and fresh produce in bulk.
"So I tend to buy up whatever we need to make meals for that week to add to our supplies or if I have something that I find that's on special or half-price or it's a great bargain, then I will buy up on that product and we will stockpile it," she said.
