Mum-of-16 reveals crazy £300 weekly shopping list – including a dozen loaves of bread and 50 litres of milk

A MUM of 16 children has revealed her crazy shopping list that includes a dozen loaves of bread and 50 litres of milk which costs her more than £300 a WEEK.

Jeni Bonell, 50, from Queensland, Australia, is the proud mum of nine boys and seven girls, ranging in age from the youngest aged four to the eldest at 29.

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And while she and husband Ray, 51, only have 11 of their children currently living with them, as others have moved in with their partners, there's still a lot of hungry mouths to keep fed.

Weekly meals and grocery shopping isn't an easy task for the stay-at-home mum, who admits that while the bill can vary from week to week, she often spends an average of £300 every week.

The brood can go through as much as 50 litres of milk in seven days, and often need at least one or two loaves of bread to get them through the day.

Jeni told Mamamia: "I buy everything in bulk and store large quantities of products - and I stockpile by buying items when they are on sale."

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Every night the super mum cooks dinner, and with her eldest children now with kids of their own, she sometimes has to cater for more than 20 people every meal.

So to keep things easy, she admits that she sticks to a simple menu, writing a meal plan at the start of each week so her family knows what is to come.

And the children pitch in and help with cooking, as well as all the other household chores - which Jeni divides up using a spreadsheet.

"It teaches them skills on how to give back to the family," she explained of the chart. "If you live here, you were here and you have to contribute. You have to do your job."

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Every few months the family sit down to reorganise the job roster, ensuring it doesn't clash with school activities and part-time jobs, as well as giving the children a chance to swap.

But it's just the tip of the iceberg for Jeni, who says she's constantly cleaning and washing - unloading and re-loading their 10kg industrial washer multiple times a day.

"Take an average family routine and times it by eight - that's what our life is like," she joked. "So as long as everyone is fed, bathed and goes to bed feeling loved, I consider it a success."

While to any outsider it might seem like more hard work than it's worth, Jeni and her husband Ray have no regrets about having such a big brood.

"Having a large family is not for everyone," she concluded. "But the joys far outweigh the bad, and I feel we are incredibly blessed to have such a big family."

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