When a family announces that they are expecting their 14th child, the question on everyone’s mind is usually “How do they afford it?” For one extra-large family in the U.K., the Jacksons, their biggest expense, surprise, surprise, is food.

During an interview on the U.K. morning show “This Morning,” parents Natalie and Oliver Jackson admitted they were a bit “apprehensive” about the fact that they were expecting a new addition to their already large family. After giving birth to their first child, son Elliot, in 2005, Natalie has been pregnant most years, and the pair now have 13 children, with their 14th due this summer. Take that in for a second. These parents are feeding a family of 15, soon to be 16!

Parents expecting their 14th child reveal how much the family spends on groceries each week.

During their interview, “This Morning” hosts read off some of the food items that the Jackson family tends to go through quite quickly in their home. Between all 15 of them, the family goes through 12 loaves of bread, 56 pints of milk, eight boxes of cereal, and five dozen eggs, totaling about £250 on groceries per week.

That’s $339. When it comes to per month, the total sits at $1,360. All things considered, that’s not that bad! 

To put it into perspective, a 2026 report determined that the average family of 4 in the U.S. is spending about $1,430 per month, and that’s on the frugal side. Natalie and Oliver are feeding 11 more people for less money.

On top of the groceries, Natalie admitted that she does three loads of laundry a day, which doesn’t include towels or bedding, in their five-bedroom house. “We don’t have a choice, we can’t send them back,” she joked. Natalie explained that her husband has a “well-paid job,” but they make sure to budget and stretch out money as best as they can. 

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The couple never thought they would have a big family in the first place.

They revealed that back in 2004, Oliver had been diagnosed with stage 3 testicular cancer. The idea of having even one child, let alone 14, seemed impossible.

After undergoing chemotherapy and an operation, doctors claimed that Oliver was “subfertile,” which led the couple to explore in vitro fertilization as an option. But, they didn’t need it. Natalie surprised Oliver with a positive pregnancy test, and Elliot, now 19, became their “miracle baby.”

“I think that’s what people fail to realize: We feel blessed, we don’t feel that it’s a chore, we don’t feel it’s a negative,” Natalie said. “We just feel very, very lucky.”

What’s wild? Oliver had a vasectomy after their 10th, Kit, who is now 7. “I thought 10, that’s got to be enough, so yes, I had a vasectomy, and lo and behold, that obviously didn’t work particularly well, because we are now expecting our fourth since the vasectomy.”

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They often receive mixed reactions from people about their large family.

“It’s our choice to have this family, and we’ve made that choice based on the fact we have the resources to raise them,” Oliver explained during the interview. Adding, “we are endeavoring to make the most of everything we’ve been fortunate to have so they can have a fantastic start to their lives and let it take them wherever they want to go.”

Considering they have the resources to care for their children, having a big family works for them. Of course, that can’t be said for everyone else, especially families living in America. An estimated one in 7 households (13.7%) experienced food insecurity, or lack of access to an affordable, nutritious diet.

It’s important to reiterate that the Jacksons can feed their family of 15 for less than a family of 4 in the U.S. Another thing to consider is that it’s free to give birth in the U.K. These parents aren’t saddled with medical care for any of their kids. Yeah, they have more expenses than the average family in the U.K., but they are sitting pretty compared to parents stateside.

At the end of the day, the Jackson family shows that while it might be overwhelming for outsiders looking in, their family feels normal to them. It’s simply just part of how their household runs.

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Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.