Australian mum of 16 shares how she feeds her family on a budget

A super-sized Queensland family of 18 have revealed their best budget hacks for creating cheap and tasty family meals.

One of Australia’s largest families has shared how they keep their grocery bills down while keeping their family of 18 fed.

With the cost of living crisis causing prices of everyday items to skyrocket, many Aussie families have struggled to stay within their budget during their supermarket shop.

After having nine sons and seven daughters, Jeni Bonell and her husband Ray, from Toowoomba, Queensland, have felt the pinch more than many over the years.

With nine of their children still living at home, the pair have had to work hard to formulate certain recipes and grocery tips to keep their costs as low as possible, as well as minimising waste.

The family have gained a following for their budget hacks. Picture: Instagram / @thebonellfamily_

“If you want to make a good budget, and a reasonable budget, you have to know exactly what’s coming in and exactly what you’re spending” Mrs Bonell told 7News.

“We bought meat, but I can turn what most people might put on plate by itself, we extend it into a bigger meal.

“We use the same amount of meat for 11 people that a family of four might eat for themselves.

“You’ve just got to be very clever. Just trying to use every little thing you can buy.

“Keeping an eye on used-by dates, rotating everything in your pantry, so that you’re getting the best value for your money.”

Jeni knows how to stretch meals to make them last. Picture: Instagram / @thebonellfamily_

One of the family's daughters made pumpkin soup with homemade vegetable stock. Picture: Instagram / @thebonellfamily_

On the family’s Instagram page, they share the meals they make to help feed their large brood.

The recipes are simple and wholesome, which keeps costs down.

“This is our easy dinner, beef teriyaki” the stay-at-home mum wrote.

“You just need beef, store-bought teriyaki sauce, white rice, stir-fry vegetables, and two packets of oriental rice.

“It was quick to make and quick to disappear.”

In a video on the family’s YouTube channel, one of their younger sons Damian shared a recipe for a creamy angel hair chicken pasta that can make a whopping 28 servings.

“We served 14 people and refrigerated an extra 14 servings for the next day as well” the video read.

The mum makes simple dishes with few ingredients. Picture: Instagram / @thebonellfamily_

Her beef teriyaki recipe is simple and healthy. Picture: Instagram / @thebonellfamily_

“The total cost is $1.40 a serving.”

In another clip, one of the family’s daughters Natalie whips up a budget-friendly pumpkin soup for the family by making her own veggie stock.

“I start with this bag of liquid gold right here” she said.

“All it is, is a stack of your offcuts from your vegetables, onion skin, garlic skin, carrot offcuts, all the things you’d usually throw away.

“Now that the weather is getting cooler, soup is a great way to feed a large group on a budget.”

Mum Jeni also showed off her budget meal haul that she stocked up on, which she then turned into a whopping 53 dinners.

“I’m off to the supermarket and the butchers, it’s time to fill the freezer up with meat,” she said.

Nine of the couple's 16 kids still live at home. Picture: Instagram / @thebonellfamily_

“I made 53 meals, and in total if I was serving 10-14 people per meal, it would come out to .88c – $1.23 per person.”

The parents also get their children directly involved the family’s finance, to help them learn about budgeting and spending.

“All of your children have gotten part-time jobs when they turned 15-16, and I think that teaches a lot of responsibility to them,” Ms Bonell said.

“And they learn to pay for their own wants, and that takes the pressure off us of having to buy them everything.”

The family’s weekly shop usually comes in at about $450, but that doesn't include midweek top-ups.

The couple have felt the pinch of the rising cost of living over the years. Picture: Instagram / @thebonellfamily_

The family does indulge in takeaway meals for special occasions. Picture: Instagram / @thebonellfamily_

In one of her midweek shops, Ms Bonell picked up six bottles of 3 litre milk, three loaves of sliced bread and an assortment of fresh fruits and vegetables.

The haul included 2kg carrots, four punnets of strawberries, two punnets of blueberries, 1kg grapes, 400g cherries, 600g grape tomatoes, 4kg potatoes, two salad kits, a punnet of peaches and a bag of apricots.

The Bonell family also splurge on takeaway on occasion, with one of their most recent bundles from Hungry Jacks including eight Whoppers, eight cheeseburgers, 40 chicken nuggets, 16 fries and 16 soft drinks – and cost $131.80.