SO RAD!
The 6 tricks Sue Radford uses to save hundreds during the school holidays with 22 kids including the ‘dishwasher race’
Including fun activities that don't cost them a thing
WITH a monster brood of a whopping 22 children, you may assume that Sue Radford spends a fortune during summer with kids being off from school.
But despite living in a ten-bedroom mansion in the leafy Lancashire and hubby Noel Radford running a successful pie business, the 49-year-old has a few savvy hacks she swears by to keep the costs down.
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Here we, the team at Fabulous, take a look at how the parents of Britain's biggest family, Sue and Noel, save cash during the summer holidays, including free activities and caravan trips.
Holidaying on the cheap
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Sue, who gave her first birth aged just 13, and her brood loves a holiday - in the past 12 months alone, Britain's biggest family have been to a staggering 18 holidays.
But although they do love catching flights to more exotic destinations, such as Florida and the latest influencer hotspot, Dubai, the family will not say no to a lovely getaway in a caravan.
The parents will often take their kids away in their motorhome at weekends and school holidays - and whisked them up to Scotland in May.
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Bouncing around caravan parks across the country, the pair didn't splash out thousands on hotels, knowing they could save money on caravans.
And judging by the snaps online, they've had a fantastic time - a win-win.
When it comes to holidays, package deals are a no-go for this family.
Sue said: "We would never be able to afford it - we just find them too expensive.
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"Instead I'll book things separately. I'll keep an eye on flight prices, shop around, wait until they drop and then book."
Know where to shop
The family might own a pie business and live in a mansion - but the parents aren't ones to splash out cash when it comes to boujee food shops.
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Not only does Sue shop at Primark, she also keeps the family's tummies full with bargain buys from Aldi - and even recently joked she feels like she's ''never away'' from the discount store.
As the family goes through gallons of milk, cereal, bread and tons of meat every week, especially with the kids now at home, it's essential to know where to shop for less - and the parents have totally nailed it.
Sue told : “When it comes to food I try to shop around - different shops and supermarkets.”
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The mum added to Closer magazine that she likes to buy items in large quantities, and said: "We buy in bulk things like wash powder, toilet rolls and we shop about for things and see what's on offer.
"It's all about planning and being savvy."
Meanwhile, pie master Noel is no stranger to using affordable products to whip up delicious meals, some of which come out to be as little as 40p a head.
And the dad regularly shares his easy yet scrumptious recipes on the family channel to give inspiration to other families.
Who's who in the Radford family?
The Radfords are Britain's biggest family with 22 children.
Here are the kids from eldest to youngest include:
- Chris - born May 7, 1989
- Sophie - born December 13, 1993
- Chloe - born July 31, 1995
- Jack - born April 9, 1997
- Daniel - born March 3, 1999
- Luke - born October 1, 2000
- Millie Radford - born August 29, 2001
- Katie - born November 14, 2002
- James - born October 17, 2003
- Ellie - born May 6, 2005
- Aimee - born April 21, 2006
- Josh - born July 3, 2007
- Max - born December 11, 2008
- Tillie - born May 2, 2010
- Oscar - born October 22, 2011
- Casper, - born October 3, 2012
- Hallie - born June 3, 2015
- Phoebe - born July 24, 2016
- Archie - born September 18, 2017
- Bonnie - born November 6, 2018
- Heidie - born April 3, 2020
Fun movie nights - at home
Long gone are the days when a visit to watch the latest movie was as cheap as chips - with an added bevvy and popcorn on top, heading to the cinema has become a pretty expensive activity.
But not for mum Sue and dad Noel who've come up with a brilliant alternative - to take the cinema home with them.
In 2014, Noel told : "Family cinema trips and DVD rentals are becoming pricier these days so we take advantage of our TV package which often has the latest films, on the same day as DVD release.
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It’s the same with football, we can watch the big games at home - there are enough of us to recreate the atmosphere."
To achieve the ultimate cinema experience, the mum even sets up a snack station for her kids in the form of an huge bowl of sweets and crisps.
Raving about the epic movie night, she previously said: ''That was absolutely brilliant the kids absolutely loved it.
''I can’t believe how good the projector was. I didn’t think it would be that good but the picture was really really good.
“I would definitely recommend it, if anyone is thinking about getting one.''
Days out
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Keeping kids entertained is hard, so spare a thought for Sue who needs to come with new ways to occupy the brood.
But as the weather is finally warming up, the mum always ensures to make the most out of the sunnier days before the school returns.
Not only does the family visit adventure playgrounds to let off some steam, they also like to soak up some sun on the beach - which costs absolutely nothing.
The cash-savvy mum-of-22 recently took to TikTok to share a little glimpse into their glorious and relaxing time by the water where the kids were busy building castles and even getting buried in the sand.
The fun day outside was completed with some refreshing ice cream - what better way to spend the summer holidays?
How does family-of-22 the Radfords afford to live?
AS Britain's biggest family, it may come as no surprise that Sue and Noel Radford must have some hefty bills.
Between them, they have a whopping 22 children and seven dogs, which often has some people wonder how they manage their money.
The Radfords support themselves with the proceeds of Noel’s bakery, The Radford Pie Company, which is located near their home.
On their , it says: “We have owned our own lovely bakery since 1999 which is how we manage to provide for (and feed) our huge and expanding family as well as for the local people of Heysham and Morecambe.”
The family expanded their business to cater to online orders placed across the UK.
The business is a family affair, with Noel at the helm, and some of their children helping out.
The older kids, who are working at least part-time, don't get a free ride as they're made to pay a small amount of rent to their parents.
"Us older ones do pay a little bit of board. Granted it’s not a lot but I’m also trying to save up for my own house at the moment.” their daughter Chloe said in a video on the .
Sue added: "We’ve always said if you want to buy somewhere, renting is a bit of dead money, so we’d rather you saved that money up and stayed at home a bit longer.
“I also do believe they should pay board if they are earning. We’ve always been brought up by our parents that we had to pay board.”
Noel and Sue famously don’t rely on benefits for their bumper brood and live off their pie shop for income.
They also revealed they make money from brand partnerships on social media.
The Radford family stars in their own reality TV show 22 Kids and Counting - which has run for four series.
Brand expert Andy Barr believes Noel and Sue have been paid less than £10,000 for each show.
He told the : "The typical fee per episode is going to be in the thousands rather than the tens or hundreds of thousands that people often think is the case with TV shows of this nature.
"If they continue to get commissioned for a fourth or fifth season, then they are going to be able to command a higher fee."
He estimates that the Radfords make £ 5,000 an episode.
Dishwasher games
With many people’s homes likely to get messy during the six long weeks off, Noel also recently shared a genius hack that not only will leave you with a tidy space - but also keep the children entertained.
Starring in the Channel 5 show 22 Kids & Counting, the patriarch said: “To get the kids to help, I just need to come up with a little plan."
He continued: "Get a little game going, and then they’ll all join in and help me.”
The father, who has ten grandchildren, told the youngsters: “The game is, whoever gets the most items in the dishwasher, is the winner.”
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Viewers could then see just how effective the game was, as the Radford children scrambled around the kitchen, running to put their dirty bowls and plates in the dishwasher.
Hallie, nine, collected four items, whilst two young Radfords kids were seen washing up their dirty dishes.
The savvy trick also went down a treat amongst fellow parents, as fans of the brood raced to Instagram to praise the pie whizz.
One said: “Just caught up on this week's episode. You are just the best parents to your kiddos. I love watching you all.”
Another commented: “That was brilliant to watch.”
Chippy tea in the park
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We all have days when we can't be bothered to cook - and the Radfords are no different... except for them, a visit to the restaurant with 22 kids can land with a hefty bill.
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To keep the costs down, the parents recently took their brood to a park where they enjoyed a delicious chippy tea, with Noel sarcastically joking how ''healthy'' it was.
''Deep fried this, deep fried that,'' he chuckled, as Sue was removing the packaging from the fries that they washed down with cans of cold Coke.
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