I’m a mum-of-16 and not on benefits but still send my kids to private school, it’s thanks to hard-work & savvy budgeting
A MUM-OF-16 told how cruel online trolls criticised her for her bumper brood - and revealed she was STILL sending them to private school.
Jeni Bonell, 53, from Queensland, Australia, is mum to Jesse, Brooke, Claire, Natalie, Karl, Sam, Cameron, Sabrina, Tim, Brandon, Eve, Nate, Rachel, Eric, Damian and Katelyn, whose ages range from 32 to eight.
Her budget has sky-rocketed in recent years and has struggled to make the family income from electrician dad Ray, 54, stretch.
But despite all this Jeni and Ray refuse to rely on benefits.
And now they’ve revealed they send their kids to private school.
Speaking exclusively to Fabulous, Jeni said: “Our kids attend private school.
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“For our family, the schools we have chosen are the perfect fit - great education, great opportunities, great culture, great teachers and similar beliefs.
“My husband works very hard to provide well for our family.
We make sacrifices to afford the kids' education.
“We make it a priority.”
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But sadly keyboard bullies still troll them. “We are not judged by family, friends or our local community,” Jeni said. “But there are plenty of folks online and a lot of trolls who like to voice their ‘opinions’ on our family size
“We are doing what is right for us and we love having our big family.
“We are very blessed.”
Jeni, a self-confessed ‘morning person’, told how she got up between 5am and 6am, before getting the children up around 6.30am.
“Our kids love school,” she explained. “They enjoy all the sports and opportunities and seeing their friends.
“And they love being fully involved in school life.”
She’s careful to ensure there is enough money for uniforms and books.
“I allocate a certain budget each year to cover the costs of uniforms and the booklists,” she explained.
“We’ve been lucky to be able to hand down uniforms from one child to the next.
“We also utilise the school clothing shops for secondhand uniforms to keep costs down.”
The kids are driven to school in a 16-seater bus the family own and are responsible for doing their own homework.
“We try to encourage them to be responsible for their own homework, working hard and doing the best they can,” the mum said.
“But we are also there to support them when needed.”
Still, now a grandmother, she won’t be having more kids. “We would love more kids but it’s unlikely that we will have more now and we’re enjoying being grandparents. It’s the best thing ever,” she said.
Jeni, who is pals with mum-of-22 Sue Radford, previously revealed how she bought so much food for her super-brood, she looked like she was “stocking her own mini store” when she went shopping.
She said: “I don’t shop like most people. It’s like I am stocking my own mini store and I meal plan from what I have in the house.
“I have enough so that if something happens we wouldn’t need to rush out for anything other than fresh bread or milk.
“It could be weeks and weeks and weeks before we ran out of food. The freezer is always full.”
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And for those hoping to start their own stockpile, Jeni suggests starting small and slowly building your pantry up.
She says: “Start off small with one or two items a week you can afford and just get those extra things and pop them aside for a rainy day.”
