How family with 22 children afford to live as couple taken to court over $70,000 Disney vacation
It's no secret that having a child is one of the most expensive things you can do - after all, you're responsible for clothing, feeding, entertaining and educating them for almost two decades.
So how exactly do one family dubbed 'Britain's biggest' manage to afford to do all that, plus Disney vacations worth $70,000, with a whopping 22 kids?
It's a reasonable question when many of us are thinking about whether we have enough spare cash to treat ourselves to some takeout, let alone a trip overseas, but Noel and Sue Radford manage to pull it off - even if it might land them in court.
The couple welcomed their first child in their teens, and are now parents to - deep breath - Chris, 35, Sophie, 31, Chloe, 29, Jack, 28, Daniel, 26, Luke, 24, Millie, 23, Katie, 22, James, 21, Ellie, 19, Aimee, 18, Josh, 17, Max, 16, Tillie, 14, Oscar, 13, Casper, 12, Haillie, nine, Phoebe, eight, Archie, seven, Bonnie, six, and Heidi, five.
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One of their children, Alfie, was sadly stillborn.
The family found their way into the public eye when they became the stars of the reality show, 22 Kids and Counting, which has boosted their finances alongside the income from their business, Radford’s Pie Company.
The website for the pie company explains it has been running for more than 25 years, reading: “We have owned our own lovely bakery since 1999 which is how we manage to provide for (and feed) our huge and expanding family as well as for the local people of Heysham and Morecambe.”
As well as local orders, the business accepts orders from across the UK, which are placed online.
Another source of income for the Radfords comes from their presence on social media, where they are able to earn money from brand partnerships.
The family have previously admitted to 'feeling the pinch' when it comes to finances, with mom Sue describing plans to The Mirror about 'scaling down' Christmas in order to save some cash.
However, their income evidently still proved fruitful enough to allow Noel and Sue to take their huge family, as well as a few partners, to Disney World in Florida back in April, spending a whopping $35,245 on flights alone.
Unfortunately, however, the trip came back to bite them as the parents ended up being taken to court and found guilty of failing to ensure regular attendance at school for four of their children.
The finding landed the parents with a fine of $87 per child on top of $158 in court costs.
Topics: Parenting, Disney World, Life, Money
Emily Brown