Shelling out less for super-size family
As the cost of living puts the squeeze on many families, the hunt to find alternative ways or means of living is becoming more common, Sharnae Hope reports.
Shelly Shelling jokes that when you’ve got almost a rugby team to feed, you don’t have much choice but to stretch the family budget.
‘‘When you’ve got 12 kids you don’t really have much choice, but I think it’s something anyone can achieve,’’ mum Shelley said
With hard graft, shrewd planning, an economic eye and teamwork the family, who live in the idyllic hills of the lower Coromandel, have been able to keep their expenses down to less than $1000 a week.
Of that, around $400 goes towards groceries while the rest is divided between petrol, electricity, homeschooling, and a favourite of the Shelling family: secondhand shopping.
While the family consider themselves fortunate to be living on a 20-acre section on the outskirts of Thames, they have become very accustomed to living frugally.
When Stuff last spoke with the Christian family, parents Andrew and Shelley had a full house, with all 12 children living under the same roof.
Now two years on, their eldest two daughters – aged 21 and 20 – have moved out after marrying and having babies of their own.
But having fewer mouths to feed hasn’t reduced their costs.
‘‘The kids are all out of the nappy phase, which has saved us money, but they are now eating more because they are teenagers.’’
Describing her cooking as ‘‘campstyle’’, Shelley tries to spread meals out by cooking almost everything in one pot.
‘‘Part of our life in general has been to eat simply. We don’t buy a lot of junk food, except for special occasions like birthdays or as a treat,’’ Shelley said.
‘‘If we buy mince we always stretch the mince out with sauce or grated carrots, courgettes or mushrooms – if they are cheap that week.’
Where they save costs the most is in milk, bread and meat.
They have a family cow named Hazel who can produce about five litres a day of A2 milk – many of the children are lactose intolerant. What’s not used for the day is turned into butter, cream and cheese.
During calving season they often have a beef cow that Andrew and the boys will later butcher themselves for the freezer.
On top of that they often go fishing and buy grain to make their own bread.
Despite these cost-cutting measures they too are feeling the pinch of inflation, Andrew said.
While their shop is cheaper than an average New Zealander’s – with a family of four in Auckland estimated to spend about $430 a week on groceries – Shelley said it’s more than they were paying two years ago.
This comes as the cost of living is under the spotlight, with inflation running at 6.9% in the first quarter and increasing petrol prices, and following reporting on one couple’s off-the-grid living and another being priced out of the rental market and into a bus.
Recently the Shellings have bought
laying hens, bees and have planted fruit trees and vegetables in a bid to reduce their food costs even further.
The Shellings and their neighbours are also constantly trading produce – something they believe should become more normalised in the city.
They are also looking into canning and preserving food.
‘‘Covid and the rising costs of living have definitely pushed us towards the idea of living off the land more so than we previously have been doing,’’ Andrew said.
The savings don’t stop there.
All their clothes are bought from op shops around Thames.
Shelley’s mum has taught the children how to sew, so if something doesn’t quite fit or isn’t their style they have the opportunity to get creative with it.
Andrew also buys a lot of secondhand materials from The Seagull Centre in Thames or Trade Me.
‘‘It’s about changing your mindset and shopping around,’’ Andrew said.
‘‘You don’t always need to buy the most expensive new items when you can get secondhand items for half the price for the same quality, if not better.’’
Andrew has also found innovative ways to keep money coming in.
Coming from a Dutch background, he was taught the importance of turning ‘‘$1 into $10’’ but admits their change in lifestyle has forced him to think more outside the box.
After quitting his job as a builder in West Auckland – as the sole provider for the family – he has slowly established multiple incomes on the farm.
He has built a bach on the edge of the property that they hire out for $239 a night, and he also builds sleepouts and has a business making cable-drum trailers.
The most surprising venture, which takes the whole family’s input, is dog breeding.
‘‘Initially we had two dogs as pets, but then they had puppies. We couldn’t keep them all, so we sold a few and found there was a real market for border collie and golden retriever mix puppies.
‘‘With our choices we try to make sure they have two or three benefits or purpose to them.
‘‘For example the dogs not only bring a lot of joy to the family, the children also learn valuable skills like routine, discipline, care and biology and at the end it also brings in income.’’
While he wouldn’t divulge how much each income was making the family, over time, he said, it was enough to keep the family going.
‘‘If you want to reduce your costs you have to be prepared to up-skill, be more resourceful and find comfort in living simply.’’