Mum-of-16 reveals what the fridge and freezer for her massive family really looks like - including an 'egg shelf', 24 LITRES of ice cream and 14 pork roasts
- A mum-of-16 has revealed how she organises her multiple fridges and freezers
- Jeni Bonell, 51, from Queensland, is the mum of Australia's largest family
- She recently cleaned out her fridge/freezers including an entire shelf of eggs
- Jeni also said she has 24 litres of ice cream at any one point and 14 pork roasts
- She keeps lists to ensure that everything is in order and so she has an inventory A mum-of-16 has revealed how she organises her multiple fridges and freezers, including an entire shelf for eggs, 24 litres of ice cream and 14 pork roasts in the freezer.
Jeni Bonell and her husband Ray, from Queensland, are the parents of Australia's largest family, and their super-sized brood consists of nine sons and seven daughters, aged between six and 31.
In a recent YouTube video, Jeni explained that she is undertaking the huge task of cleaning, sorting and re-stocking her five appliances. Scroll down for video
A mum-of-16 revealed how she organises her fridges and freezers, including an entire shelf for eggs, 24 litres of ice cream and 14 pork roasts in the freezer (the Bonell family pictured)
Jeni keeps multiple eggs (pictured) at any one time, so her kids, aged between six and 31, can always make themselves a meal
She keeps 'backstock' of meat meals including 14 lamb roasts (pictured), so there is always something to eat in the freezer
'We've got a large deep freeze, we've got two top-mount fridge freezers, and a large "pigeon pair" inside which is a full fridge and full freezer,' Jeni said.
'All of them are pretty stocked, but they were all a bit of a mess, so I needed to clean them.'
In one of the fridge/freezers, Jeni said she keeps things like ice blocks and dessert foods, including six four-litre containers of ice cream and desserts ready to be de-frosted.
She also has countless cartons of juice for her kids, 10 large packets of eggs and ham from Christmas that is still needing to be eaten.
'We've got a large deep freeze, we've got two top-mount fridge freezers, and a large "pigeon pair" inside which is a full fridge and full freezer,' Jeni said (her frozen vegetables pictured)
In another of the fridge/freezers, Jeni said she keeps pre-prepped chicken and beef meals (pictured)
She manages this freezer by chopping up the meat as soon as she buys it from the supermarket and freezing the pieces in a marinade (pictured)
In another of the fridge/freezers, Jeni said she keeps pre-prepped chicken and beef meals.
She manages this freezer by chopping up the meat as soon as she buys it from the supermarket and freezing the pieces in a marinade.
At present, Jeni said she has two red wine and garlic chickens, two satay chickens, two smoky barbecue chickens and two honey and garlic chickens - all of which just need to be thrown in a pan and cooked to enjoy.
She also has countless containers of butter, ready if the family ever run out.
'It's nice when the pre-prepped freezer is full,' Jeni said, because it takes the pressure off with cooking time.
The mum-of-16 also keep five litres of milk on hand at any one point, along with endless packets of frozen vegetables.
'It's nice when the pre-prepped freezer is full,' Jeni said, because it takes the pressure off with cooking time (some of her kids pictured at dinner)
Jeni is used to making regular packed lunches for school, which requires many sandwiches (pictured)
'I have a list of everything that I keep in the fridges and freezers and have divided it into different sections that make it easier for me to keep track of,' Jeni said (the milk pictured)
Jeni said she keeps things organised by using a list of everything she has in her fridges and freezers at any one time.
'I have a list of everything that I keep in the fridges and freezers and have divided it into different sections that make it easier for me to keep track of,' Jeni said.
'So there is a meat section, a poultry section, fish, vegetables and desserts, as well as miscellaneous items like butter, chips, bread and pre-made meals.'
Jeni said the list does change a bit from time to time, but it's easy enough for her to alter it on the computer and print it out.
She likes to keep 'backstock' food for her family so they always have plenty to eat if caught without food in the fridge, including 14 pork roasts, three lamb roasts, two corned beef and 11 packets of sausages.
In her list, Jeni has a meat section, a poultry section, fish, vegetables and desserts, as well as miscellaneous items like butter, chips, bread and pre-made meals (pictured)
Thousands who saw Jeni's video said they were impressed with her levels of organisation (one of the freezers pictured)
At the end of the clip, everything in Jeni's fridges and freezers were neatly stacked (one of the freezers pictured)
Thousands who saw Jeni's video said they were impressed with her levels of organisation.
'Love seeing your organisation, Jeni! You are a super mum! Would love to see more organisation, thanks for sharing,' one commenter wrote.
'I admire your organisation skills,' another added. Earlier this month, the mum-of-16 offered a glimpse into what it's really like to quickly 'pop to the shops for bread and milk' for her growing family.
The 51-year-old mother usually does on a massive supermarket shop at the start of the week to stock up on pantry staples, spending an average of $450.
However, the stock would only last the family half the week. And so she would return to the store mid-week to pick up essential items such as milk, bread, fresh fruits and vegetables.
In her latest shop, she picked up six bottles of 3L milk, three loaves of sliced bread and an array of fresh fruits and vegetables.
The haul included 2kg carrots, four punnets of strawberries, two punnets of blueberries, 1kg grapes, 400g of cherries, 600g of grape tomatoes, 4kg potatoes, two salad kits, a punnet of peaches and a bag of apricots.
'When you just need milk, bread and some fruit and vegetables,' she wrote on Facebook, alongside a huge grocery haul of her 'quick shop'.
Her latest grocery bill came to an estimate total of $132.67.
Dozens of people were amazed with her shop, with one joking: 'You don't need to join a gym. So much weight training going on, lifting the milk jugs.'
Other parents shared what their typical shop looks like in their home.
'My family is the same but there’s only ten of us here, just a couple of days essentials. Love the fresh veggies and fruit,' one mother wrote.
And another added: 'Makes me smile. We are over the hump. 11 kids, but four married now and we have more grandkids than kids.'
What's typically in the Bonells' weekly shopping trolley?
- 4kg potatoes
- 2kg carrots
- 2kg royal gala apples
- 500g white cup mushrooms
- 2 x bags of grapes
- Thai-style salad kit
- Crunchy noodle coleslaw kit
- 400g of green beans
- 1.5kg homebrand spaghetti
- 700g homebrand pasta sauce
- 3 x 12 white dinner rolls
- 3 x cheese and back rolls
- 4 tins of corn kernels
- 2 tins of apricot nectar
- 500g homebrand peanut butter
- Leg of ham under 1kg
- 2 x 250g champagne leg ham
- 2 x 80g roast beef
- 10L of water
- 4 x 700g homebrand bread slices
- 24 rolls of toilet paper
- 18 hot dog rolls
- Vegemite 280g
- 6 x bottles of 3L milk
- 125g Salmon and lobster spread
- 245g homebrand cream cheese
- 250g homebrand mustard
- 120g homebrand roast meat gravy
- Nescafe instant cappuccino
- Nescafe instant latte
- 500g light tasty shredded cheese
- 250g Mil Lel parmesan cheese
- 2kg homebrand vanilla yoghurt
- 600mL thickened cream
- 3 x 12-pack Yoplait yoghurt
- 12-pack Paul chocolate mousse
- 6 x dozens of cage-free eggs
- 3 x Ritz dips
- 1kg short cut bacon
- 4 x homebrand cereal
- 2 x Uncle Tobys cereal
- 3 x bottles homebrand lemonade
- 24-pack Anzac biscuits
- 750mL homebrand canola oil
- 400g homebrand canola oil spray
- 4 x 1L Cottee's cordial
The mum-of-16 offered a glimpse into what it's really like to quickly 'pop to the shops for bread and milk' for her growing family (her quick trip to the shops pictured)
No comments: