Under one roof: This couple feeds 8 kids with $300 a week

Is it possible to feed eight kids on $300 a week?

That may sound like the premise for a reality competition, but one couple is actually doing it, according to The Sunday Times.

Michael See and his wife Karen have eight children, aged one to 16, and their secret seems to lie in living frugally.

Judging by the groceries bought, you wouldn't guess that See, a civil servant, has eight kids to feed at home.

At the wet market, he buys just 10 heads of broccoli and one kilogram of xiao bai cai for the week ahead. His wife also shared that they use one-and-a-half cups of rice a meal so their 5kg bag of basmati rice lasts them two months.

While doing a grocery run at a supermarket, See finds the salmon that his children like but it costs $22 a kilogram — an increase from last year when it was priced around $12 to $14 a kilogram.

Despite this, it is still cheaper than the one at the wet market so he purchases a whole 2.8kg salmon for $60, which will last the family for two weeks.

This brings his bill to a total of $120, about $20 more than average.

While he may splurge on a piece of salmon for the family, he cuts back on other things, such as a bag of Ruffles chips for $4.75 that his 12-year-old daughter Lael wants.

"Is this on offer? It's expensive, you know," See said, as she replaced it with a less pricey brand.

"Never in our wildest dreams"

The couple, who are both 46 this year, did not plan to have a big family. See initially wanted two while his wife wanted four.

A miscarriage in 2004 "changed our perspective on family planning", the stay-at-home mum told The Sunday Times.

[[nid:565041]]

"We agreed that since it's difficult to conceive and have kids in such a stressful society in Singapore, we should not prevent any more pregnancies." 

Their eldest, Ariel, turns 17 this year and her siblings – four girls and three boys – are spaced two or three years apart.

Their dad did not rule out the possibility of adding a new member to the family, saying that he will let God decide on such matters.

Being the sole breadwinner, See is aware that his family has to live frugally. Thus, going for a meal at a restaurant is considered a treat as the family usually eats in.

Also, the kids don't go for tuition lessons as their mother felt that the older siblings did not benefit much from it. Other methods of cutting down on expenses are the children reusing hand-me-down clothes and mobile phones. 

Though gadgets are a no-no, the children are unlikely to be bored as they play with other toys like Lego and board games. They are also allowed to watch shows on Disney+ and Netflix sparingly.

Dealing with the rising cost

See mentioned that the costs of raising the kids will continue to increase with their entrance into polytechnic. 

"There are little things here and there, you need a calculator, you need something, you have to spend money to get it. Their appetites have also increased and we are spending more on groceries," he said.

On top of such hidden costs are unexpected expenses. For example, their second kid Katriel, 14, required braces and it set the couple back about $4,000.

See admitted they "pray a lot more that money will come".

"A lot of parents are uptight about the cost of living. It's definitely increasing, but it also depends on what you want in life," he said.

For the full interview, go to The Straits Times.

ALSO READ: High cost of living: 8 things that will get more expensive in 2022

amierul@asiaone.com

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.