Mum-of-16 celebrates Christmas with 11 kilos of ham, 3kg of turkey & three chickens – and spends £2.5K on celebrations
A MUM of sixteen kids has revealed the staggering amount of food her giant family will eat this Christmas.
Jeni Bonell and husband Ray, from Queensland, Australia, said their large brood devours 11 kilos of ham, 3kg of turkey, three cooked chickens and 6kg of fresh prawns for Christmas lunch.
Also on the menu for “Australia's biggest family” is 4kg of potato salad and a dozen bottles of soft drink.
For dessert, the 18-person family consume two large plum puddings, four litres of ice cream and custard fruit skewers.
On her , Jeni opened up about how much the festive season costs in the Bonell house, which is made up of nine sons and seven daughters aged from 29 to four.
Speaking in 2019, she said: “Between gifts, food, decorations and also making sure we extend a helping hand to those in need, Christmas can cost anywhere between $3,000 (£1,550) - $5,000 (£2,576).”
Food is bought on special offer and she constantly compares prices between the supermarket and the butcher in the weeks leading up to the big day.
Jeni said that with such a large group of people to cater for, she likes to get fully organised in the two weeks before Christmas to avoid getting stressed.
When it comes to buying presents for her large family, Jeni has to be strategic.
She buys presents all year round and never pays full price for anything, writing down all purchases on a list so she doesn’t forget what she has bought.
The dedicated mum also believes you don’t have to spend a fortune on gifts, and she likes to give a lot of homemade treats if she can.
Jeni aims to spend £104 per child, and the gift-buying is made simpler by implementing a Secret Santa-style system for her nine eldest kids.
However, the devout Christian family say that they try and have a “no expense spared” mentality when it comes to Christmas, but avoid credit cards so they don’t end up in debt.
She said: “This can certainly be difficult and it's expensive too but also we have many happy times, we make it all work.
“And while daily life can be chaotic and crazy, the laughter, the noise, the friendships, the joy is what makes it all worthwhile.”
We shared how a thrifty mum is using leftover wallpaper to wrap her Christmas presents and says it’s better than shop-bought paper.
Meanwhile parents are raving about a £10 felt tree which they say keeps kids entertained for hours.
And parents are swearing by the ‘four-gift rule’ this Christmas which saves them time AND money.