A mum-of-eight reveals how just spends just $12k-a-year on her food shop – and still cooks dinner for her adult children.
Heather Bell, 53, and her husband, Luke, 51, had tried for a baby for eight years when they adopted their eldest son, David, 24.
The couple decided to help others and gave fostering a go – going on to then adopt Robert, 23, Joshua, 22, Hailey, 22, Brendon, 21, Izzy, 18 and Noah, 17.
They were also lucky enough to naturally conceive, Gideon, 20.
As the family suddenly grew Heather found herself having to learn how to cope with her bigger brood.
As many of her children came with food trauma she had to learn how to cook for them – such as incorporating fast food that they were used to into her meals, as well as offering some vegetables.
The mum still cooks for her family – despite having just four of her kids permanently living at home – and spends $1,000 on her monthly food shop.
Heather, who runs a poultry farm and masonry business, from the Upper Peninsula, Michigan, US, said: “People say ‘why do you feed your kids still?’
“I know they are adults but they are still my kids.
“They all come here for dinner.
“They are very very close.
“I don’t mind cooking for my family – I don’t know how to cook small.
“They all just love coming here – they are definitely taking advantage of it.”
Heather and Luke were devastated when they couldn’t conceive due to Heather’s struggles with endometriosis.
She said: “I was told I wouldn’t be able to have children.”
They adopted David in 1999 and decided to help others – after seeing their friends foster.
Heather said: “We thought ‘we have our child, maybe we can help others’.”
In their first year as foster parents they adopted Joshua.
After getting the paperwork through they found out they were pregnant with Gideon.
Gradually they found themselves adopting some of the children they fostered.
Heather and Luke always kept the “door open” to their children’s biological families and says it has made their family “closer”.
Heather said: “In six years we adopted six kids.
“It was bam bam bam.
“I came from a big family but I never really thought about having a big family myself.”
As their brood grew Heather had to adapt her cooking.
She said: “Our kids – they all had some kind of food issue or trauma.
“I had to change the way I made things.
“Izzy was sensitive to textures.
“I had lots of children throw up at the table as they were not used to it.
“When kids came in my home I didn’t want to set them up for failure.
“I’d make sure they were used to like French fries and hot dogs and incorporate with some vegetables.
“I make a tater tot casserole in a 17 inch dish.
“I had a cabinet where they can have access to snacks.”
Heather was finding she was spending $500 to $700 on her weekly food shops but has now learnt to cut back and goes just once a month.
She now raises her own beef, eggs and preserves her food using techniques such as canning.
Heather said: “I’m learning to be more self-sufficient.
“When I was younger I was tired and exhausted.
“I would go to the grocery store a lot.
“I was doing it overkill.
“Now I have been trying to utilise what we have before I go to the grocery store.
“I go once a month – and spend $1,000 a month if that.”
Despite cutting back on her spending throughout the year Heather doesn’t hold back for Thanksgiving and Christmas – and has no budget.
She gets her children seven small presents and one main one – and she spends an average on £500 on each.
Heather said: “We spend thousands on the holidays.
“I started my list early and in a notepad.
“I listen to my kids and make notes.
“I’ve been shopping for Christmas since July.”
Heather has just got four of her children at home but all of her kids still live close and often pop over for dinner or a baked treat.
The mum has now published her own cookbook – Mama Bell’s Big Family Cooking – to help other big families.
She said: “I’ve never found a cookbook for big families.
“Families like me are sick of quadrupling recipes.”
The cookbook also shares a little about Heather’s family – going in order of who came into their family when and how she adapted her cooking.
Mama Bell’s Big Family Cooking is available to buy from Amazon and Simon & Schuster.
