Becoming a parent is terrifying, yet it’s one of the most exciting adventures in life. However, life’s grand adventure can become incredibly costly, especially if you’re a mother of 12, trying to make ends meet in today’s economy.

Mother of 12 makes Her Plea

Veronica Merritt is a 39-year-old mother of 12 and has recently sparked debate online, sharing her struggles to support her kids financially. She shares several challenges including limited financial assistance from her former partners and an irregular income. The mother of 12 notes that she does receive government assistance but that it’s $1400 a month. “I’m trying to take care of my kids as best I can. This month I didn’t have any money, so [I] had to spend $1,400 in food stamps,” she said. “It’s impossible to feed 11 people on $1,400 — the prices of everything right now are tight. I used to feed my family of 12 for $500 a month but now you need $2,000 to $3,000 a month to feed this many people ramen.”

Limited Income

She explains that her annual food bill is around $24,000 but she has gotten creative, sharing videos of easy-to-make and affordable meals on TikTok. With almost 450,000 followers, one might assume that she does well financially. However, the content creator and freelance artist explained that she only makes a few hundred dollars a month from the platform, depending on how much interaction she gets from viewers and followers. Additionally, she brings home about $15,000 from her work and one of her former partners pays the utilities for the family.