- Survive the financial crisis on one income
- They sold everything they could to pay school fees.
An Australian couple with 13 children is considering taking their children out of school due to the rising cost of living.
Malinda Lange and her husband Erik, who is a window salesman, survive on their income to support their large family.
The couple from Dandenong, in Melbourne’s south-east, know their finances are stretched thin and have tried almost everything to make ends meet, but things are getting desperate.
With nine of their children still in school, one in preschool and another still at home, the decision to end traditional education is not made lightly.
“It’s getting very tight with all the costs going up and we cut everything we could and even sold some things to make it work,” Malinda told Daily Mail Australia.
“Their school fees are currently about $38,000 a year, so we’re considering homeschooling.”
While the couple managed to tighten their belts enough to cover schooling in the short term, Malinda is now terrified of the unexpected.
“We’re just getting out of the hole we dug during Covid and me getting sick after kidney failure,” he said.
Malinda and her husband Erik struggle to support their family of 15 on one income.
The family sold what they could this year to pay school fees.
‘The medical costs are what worries me the most. It’s becoming a joke and we pay a fortune in taxes.’
The family, who lives in a rental house, has become accustomed to sharing everything, especially the four bedrooms.
‘I hate that we have so many shared rooms these days, but we want to improve our financial situation and travel more. I haven’t seen my brother since before Covid hit,’ Malinda said, adding that five of her children currently share a bedroom.
“Cooper, Lachlan and Tyler prefer not to have Joel and Harry in their room, but the girls are pretty young so they don’t mind sharing.”
Malinda said she is managing to stay on top of rising bills with careful planning.
‘We always plan meals and then shop at the fruit and veg store, Aldi and Woolies. “It’s time-consuming, but it keeps costs much lower and we typically spend about $500 a week,” he said.
Nine of the 13 children are currently in the school, which costs about $38,000 in tuition a year.
The family also allocates $500 a year for each child for Christmas and birthday gifts.
“There’s no such thing as a cheap meal that everyone loves, but most people love baked spaghetti or tuna pasta, so they’re a regular on the menu.”
Malinda, who shares what it’s like to raise such a large family in @yestheyarealloursHe admitted that designer clothing is his weakness, but it was one of the first things he cut back when expenses skyrocketed.
‘We rarely take the children out and can’t afford to go to the cinema, theme parks or on holidays. “We are going to release things in the community, but even these are being held back less and less,” he said.
But as stressful as the couple is finding the financial crisis, they have no regrets about their huge family, even if it wasn’t always the plan.
‘I wanted four or six because I hate odd numbers, and Erik wanted eight. We don’t come from large families either,” he said.
And while it cannot be denied that such a large family draws attention when they are in public, there is one comment that they are getting tired of.
“People tell us we need a TV and they think they’re so funny and they’re the first to say it,” Malinda said.
“But the fact is, I’ve probably already heard it several times that day.”