Latest news with #AliciaDougherty
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Parents of 11 Reveal Shocking $1,200 Weekly Grocery Bill After Adopting 6 Kids (Exclusive)
Alicia and Josh Dougherty, known as the Dougherty Dozen online, are proud parents to 11 children, six of whom are adopted NEED TO KNOW Alicia Dougherty talks to PEOPLE about the rising costs of groceries as she and her husband raise 11 children Six of their children have Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) The family, known as the Dougherty Dozen, has adjusted to internet fame, rising costs and two of their children entering adulthood Groceries are expensive, even with just one mouth to feed, but Alicia and Josh Dougherty have 11 children to consider. The couple, known as the Dougherty Dozen online, share glimpses into what it takes to raise such a large family with their 12 million followers, giving insight into their spending habits, daily meals and unconventional but close-knit family dynamic. Alicia's grocery hauls often go viral, as she fills up to four shopping carts to feed the family for just one week. She exclusively tells PEOPLE that, nowadays, their monthly grocery bill can get up to almost $4,800. "The cost of groceries is increasing rapidly. During the pandemic-ish time, I was spending $500 to $750 a week, I would say," Alicia says. "And then the past year [since the election] has been rising. I am buying the exact same stuff, our menu does not change drastically, and now I'm spending about $1,000 to $1,200 a week." With so many growing kids under one roof, Alicia says she has to be mindful of spending and is always "watching" to see if she has to cut back on anything. "If my kids could, they would eat steak every single week," she jokes. "I bought a four-pack of ribeyes on Sunday for $101! I'm more mindful of, 'Okay, chicken is cheap. We're gonna have chicken more.' " Alicia says she used to go from store to store to find different brands and items that her kids liked, but eventually realized she was spending too much "time and energy" driving around. "To get it all at one store is easier for me," she notes, "but I will say, since the election, I am going to wholesale stores, probably double what I used to." With grocery costs rising, Alicia also worries about the recent cuts to Medicaid and how other foster children might bear the brunt. "Six of our kids have Medicaid. Thankfully, Josh has amazing health insurance that also covers them, but I have no idea what that would mean for the 400,000-plus children in the foster care system who rely on Medicaid," she says. Alicia and Josh have four biological children — Zoey, 13, Dashel, 11, Bodhi, 8, and Harlee, 6 — and adopted six children — Alex, 19, James, 18, Patrick, 16, Bree, 14, and 10-year-old twins Jordan and Jason. All of their adopted children have Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), a group of conditions that can occur in a person whose mother consumed alcohol during pregnancy. FASD can lead to physical problems, as well as learning and behavioral difficulties. In 2022, Alicia and Josh also welcomed 15-year-old Dayshawn into their family. Dayshawn's mother grew up with Alicia and the family now has permanent custody of the 11th grader. "His last name's not Dougherty yet, but he's a Dougherty," Alicia shares. Alicia says she and Josh don't see any more kids on their horizon as they navigate raising 11 kids while building and growing their social media presence, which she admits can make things "tricky." While Josh is a teacher, Alicia has been able to monetize their channels to help support her family and has turned social media into her full-time job, spending about 75 hours a week making content. While their content often reaches a supportive community, Alicia says not all of the attention has been good. She says the "backlash and hate from random strangers online" can be "very invasive and tough." She says there are people who often "bully and harass" her "under the guise of protecting kids from child exploitation." However, she notes that the people who make videos about her have "monetized" their own videos. At times, the backlash has become so intense that they have needed to hire security. Given the level of negative attention, Alicia says she is "constantly second-guessing" whether she should continue posting on social media. "I've taken the kids out of a lot of my content, and it's mostly just me now, me what I'm doing for my kids content, just to protect my kids," she shares. "I'm constantly like, 'Should I keep going with this?' And my main thing is I don't want the bullies to win. Yeah, I quit. The bullies won. They got me and my family suffering because of it, because then I gotta find another career," Alicia adds. "And what kind of career am I going to have to make this kind of money to support my family? So I'll just keep going and I just show up every day with a smile on my face and just keep going." Despite any online hate, Alicia is both enjoying and finding challenges in the "whole new world of parenting" adult children, especially when they are also dealing "with bipolar disorder and FAS." "Parenting adults is my hardest parenting adventure yet, because you can't really tell them. You can tell them, but they don't listen," she says, noting that she "can't force" them to take their medications or do other things. Alicia first spoke with PEOPLE back in 2020 and told the story of adopting her eldest son, Alex, who was just 4 years old when they welcomed him into their home. The couple worked tirelessly to support the then-preschooler, who flourished under their care. Caseworkers were so impressed with the couple's success that they continued sending them children facing similar struggles. "So many people gave up on these kids," Alicia told us at the time, "but they knew we wouldn't." Fast forward to now and Alicia says she's so "proud" of Alex, who decided by himself that going to college wasn't "the right path" and got a job working at a construction supply company instead. "He's doing great, he works full time and has a girlfriend and his own apartment," she shares. James, her second oldest, did a two-year program in culinary arts. "That was his dream," Alicia says. "And he's doing it." While things are going well for the family, there are still occasional behavioral issues and annoyances, but Alicia tries never to yell and keeps in mind what she was like as a kid. "I try and live a lot of 'Okay, I can't get mad because I did that as a kid.' You get irritated for a second, but it really doesn't matter," Alicia shares. "I still think the grand picture of it is that I went so long wanting to be a mom that now I just really am thankful to be a mom, and that stops me from getting irritated about mom stuff." Alicia is trying not to let the little things get to her, and she realizes all her children are in different stages of life and dealing with their own unique sets of challenges. "Probably every week when the house is a mess, and I'm like, 'Oh, my God, I can't stand the messes.' But then I'm like, 'You know what? Someday it's not going to be a mess, because they're not going to be here anymore.' " Despite having such a large family, Alicia says she and Josh still make time for one-on-one time with her kids, cherishing every minute amid the chaos. Read the original article on People Solve the daily Crossword
News.com.au
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
A one-night stand brought this couple together — now they have 11 children
A real-life 'Cheaper by the Dozen' family. One-night stands can usually go one of two ways. This couple got together for a night, fell in love and the rest is history. Alicia and Josh Dougherty moved in together after only knowing each other for two days — and now they are the parents to 11 children. The New York-based family has quite a following on social media – 7.5 million TikTok followers to be exact – where they consistently post videos about the chaos of life as a family of 13. The couple have four biological children — Zoey, Dash, Bodhi and Harlee — and eight children that they're fostering or adopting: Alex, James, Jordan, Jason, Patrick, Bree, Nevaeh and Dayshawn. With such a massive following, it's clear people cannot get enough of this charming family. Oftentimes, Alicia will provide a glimpse to the family's millions of followers of what a day of feeding her kids looks like. While the jaw-dropping spread looks like something a person would only find at a hotel buffet breakfast — in the Dougherty household, it's just another regular day for them. To feed the mouths of that many kids — the couple revealed on TikTok that an average trip to Walmart consists of filling up four shopping carts supposedly totalling a little over $US1,500 – and that's just for the week. Having that many kids is clearly not for the weak. Alicia has also posted the family's morning routine, which requires making 11 sandwiches, packing monogrammed lunch bags complete with snacks and all the fixings — in addition to getting breakfast on the table – all before the kiddos head off to school. Clearly, this giant family has their routines down to a science — and viewers can't get enough of them. 'You're a great mum!' a follower commented on one of the Dougherty's videos. 'The food looks so good!! Such a sweet mum,' wrote someone else on a video of Alicia preparing breakfast and lunch for her clan. 'How does she do it?' chimed in someone else. 'How big is your fridge?!!!' someone commented on the video of Alicia food shopping for her family.
Daily Mail
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Mom-of-11 reveals how she spends over $1,000 on groceries in a single trip and is forced to use FOUR shopping carts
A mom-of-11 has revealed that she spends over $1,000 in one trip to the grocery store, and has to use a whopping four shopping carts when she stocks up for her enormous brood. Alicia Dougherty, 44, from Pittsford, New York, has four biological children and eight others she adopted with her husband, Josh, 44. The mom-of-11 often gives people a glimpse inside her life on TikTok and Instagram, where she has about 9.1 million followers collectively. In a recent video, she documented a shopping trip to Walmart, and left viewers stunned over the immense amount of stuff that she had bought for her family. Alicia started the video by showing a clipboard with her immense list of items. It then cut to her four full carts, the first of which held toiletries and medicines, a kiddy pool, a case of printer paper, cleaning supplies, and matching family shirts in two colors. The second cart held most of the dry food items including dressings, jams, and crotons. It also held other food items including tomato products, pasta, bread, cereal, coffee, mints, and muffin mix. Alicia then spotted red and blue Gatorade and Jello cups so she joked that she 'had to get them for the kids for Memorial Day.' She also stocked up on sodas, teas, and juices. Cart three held the family's produce items including fruit, avocado, tomatoes, potatoes, Lunchables, and salad. Alicia also got 'the meats for the week,' including, '20 lbs of chicken for grill night, ground beef for taco Tuesday, and pork chops for slow cooker night.' The fourth cart included 10 dozen eggs, yogurt, orange juice, cheese, and nine different kinds of milk. Her last stop was in the freezer section, where she placed frozen pizza, fries, Pizza Rolls, White Castle burgers, four gallons of ice cream, and a slew of different treats. At the end of the video, she showed two long receipts for her purchases, which came out to more than $1,000. In 2023, Alicia came under fire after she fed her kids out of a baby pool. In a viral video, Alicia showed viewers how she prepared a 'nacho party' that saw her dozen kids munching out of a baby pool. She began by pouring tortilla chips on the bottom of the pool before adding ground meat, cheese sauce, lettuce, olives, tomatoes, and sour cream. At the end of her video, the busy mom showed the children digging into the pool and indulging in the Tex-Mex-inspired meal without any forks or napkins in sight. While the pool platter proved to be a hassle-free feeding strategy because it had no dishes involved, many viewers couldn't believe how 'unsanitary' the mom's 'party' was.
Daily Mirror
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
'I'm a mum-of-11 and you won't believe how much weekly food shop costs me'
A mum-of-11 has shared exactly what she buys her family from the supermarket to make sure they're fed, watered and entertained all week - and it has left people gobsmacked over the cost A mum-of-11 has shared exactly how much it costs her to feed her family every week - and it's left people gobsmacked over the expense. Alicia Dougherty, from New York, regularly shares insights into her chaotic day-to-day life on social media as she raises her 11 children, four biological and seven adopted. As part of this, she is regularly buying and preparing meals for her children including their school dinners. In a recent TikTok video, she is seen walking around a BJ's grocery store completing her weekly shop. To start off, she buys three cases of water, three packs of paper towels as well as various juices. She takes the opportunity to stock up on cleaning products as well as 256 rolls of toilet paper. For snacks, she bought protein bars, Oreo cookies, Hershey's chocolate, various packets of crisps as well as other sweet treats. After shopping around at other stores such as Target, Wegmans and Petco, she bought all of her groceries - including fruits, vegetables, breads, pasta, meats, and dog food - with her total across all the shops coming to around £3,000. Within this, however, she bought 'fun items' such as a new cool box to store outside drinks this summer and pool toys and floaties. Commenting on her video, one user said: "This is how I feel as a foster mum-of-three." Another user said: "That's almost £3,000. Oh my God." A third user said: "Weekly! I'm sat." One more user said: "I'm sorry, did you say weekly?" Another user said: "You work so hard. This is awesome." One more user asked: "How do you pay for all this?" Finally, another user shared their appreciation for her honestly, saying: "Love that you showed the receipts." The Dougherty Dozen is a family that gained popularity on social media for sharing relatable, heartwarming, and often chaotic glimpses into their daily lives. The family lives in Pittsford, New York, and is led by parents Alicia and Josh Dougherty. The bumper brood includes a mix of biological kids and children adopted from foster care, and the parents advocate for fostering, adoption, and raising awareness around neurodiversity and mental health. Alicia Dougherty, the mother, frequently shares updates, meals, shopping hauls, routines, and parenting strategies on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. The family has grown a large following of fans who enjoy their humorous and candid take on managing a family of such a vast size.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
A one-night stand brought this couple together — now they have 11 children and spend thousands on weekly grocery runs
A real-life 'Cheaper by the Dozen' family. One-night stands can usually go one of two ways. This fortunate couple got frisky for a night, fell in love and the rest is history. Alicia and Josh Dougherty moved in together after only knowing each other for two days — and now they are the parents to 11 children. The New York-based family has quite a following on social media — 7.5 million TikTok followers to be exact — where they consistently post videos about the chaos of life as a family of 13. The couple has four biological children — Zoey, Dash, Bodhi, and Harlee — and eight children that they're fostering or adopting- Alex, James, Jordan, Jason, Patrick, Bree, Nevaeh, and Dayshawn. With such a massive following, it's clear people cannot get enough of this charming family. Oftentimes, Alicia will give a glimpse to the family's millions of followers into a what a day of eating for her kids looks like. While the jaw-dropping spread looks like something a person would only find at a hotel buffet breakfast — in the Dougherty household, it's just another regular day for them. To feed the mouths of that many kids — the couple revealed on TikTok that an average trip to Walmart consists of filling up four shopping carts supposedly totaling a little over $1,000 — and that's just for the week. Having that many kids is clearly not for the weak. Alicia has also posted the family's morning routine, which requires making 11 sandwiches, packing monogrammed lunch bags complete with snacks and all the fixings — in addition to getting breakfast on the table all before the kiddos head off to school. Clearly this giant family has their routines down to a science — and viewers can't get enough of them. 'You're a great mom!' a follower commented on one of the Dougherty's videos. 'The food looks so good!! Such a sweet mom,' wrote someone else on a video of Aicia preparing breakfast and lunch for her clan. 'How does she do it?' chimed in someone else. 'How big is your fridge?!!!' someone commented on the video of Alicia food shopping for her family.
