The rising cost of living is making it increasingly difficult to reach the end of the month for many families, but the challenge takes on another dimension when the household is made up of 12 people, including 10 children. This is the reality experienced by the Puche Martínez family, in Spain, who are trying to balance their accounts in a context of persistent inflation and constantly growing essential expenses.
Reaching the end of the month is no longer simple for most households, but when the house is far from being small, the financial effort multiplies. In the case of this family, each decision has a direct impact on the monthly budget, requiring strict management of all expenses.
In a report published by the Spanish digital newspaper Noticias Trabajo, parents explained how they try to make fixed expenses compatible with available income. “Our two salaries total around 4,000 euros, we spend 1,500 euros on food alone and we receive an annual aid of 1,200 euros”, they report. It is these numbers that define the family’s daily life, which also includes expenses for housing, school, clothing, water, electricity and other essential goods.
Feeding 12 people is an ongoing cost
The daily logistics are complex, but the economic impact is even more evident. In a home with children of different ages, each meal represents a collective effort and a fixed cost that is difficult to reduce. “There are 12 of us for breakfast, snack and dinner”, they explain.
The data that best illustrates the size of the monthly budget is clear: “On food alone we are spending around 1,500 euros per month”. A value that remains relatively stable, due to the need to guarantee complete meals for growing children.
With this level of expense, the space for unforeseen events or non-essential purchases is practically non-existent. Any unplanned expenditure requires immediate adjustments in other areas of the budget, according to the same source.
Support exists, but is insufficient
The family, with 10 children, benefits from some support associated with large family status. “We also have a social bonus, which gives us a small discount”, they explain. Even so, they consider that this support is far from offsetting the volume of expenses for a household with ten children.
According to reports, the annual aid received is not even enough to cover an entire month of supermarket purchases. In practice, the entire family economy is based on tight management, where each item has to be carefully controlled.
January is the hardest month
Among the most complicated periods of the year, January appears as the most demanding. After the expenses associated with parties and the resumption of school and professional routine, the budget is under special pressure.
“This month we are trying to get back to the routine little by little. We have to organize ourselves and be responsible with what we have month by month”, they acknowledge. This organization involves cutting back on small “whims” for a few weeks, to ensure that the essentials don’t fail, they say, cited by the same source.
A portrait of large families in Spain
The case of the Puche Martínez family reflects a broader reality. The general increase in prices and the decline in birth rates have profoundly changed family decisions. Large families, in particular, feel more intensely any increase in the cost of essential goods.
In Spain, the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption and Agenda 2030 indicated that, in 2023, there were around 818,585 registered large families, mostly with three children, although there are exceptional situations such as this Murcian family, with 10 dependent minor children, according to the .
What if this situation were in Portugal?
If this scenario were transposed to Portugal, the difficulties would be, in many aspects, similar or even more pronounced. Large Portuguese families also face an increase in the cost of living, especially in the prices of food, energy and housing.
In Portugal, there is specific support for large families, such as increases in family benefits, social energy and water tariffs, and some tax benefits. However, as in Spain, this support rarely keeps up with the real growth in monthly expenses, especially in households with many children.
With lower average salaries and more limited purchasing power, a Portuguese family with ten children would have to resort to even more rigorous budget management, relying heavily on social support and constant cost containment. The Spanish case thus helps to illustrate a problem that is not exclusive to one country, but common to many large families across Europe.
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