that's life!

This week’s issue of tl! has a bit of a theme. As well as the usual sound advice from our Ms Moneysaver, Sam, (p59), we share the story of savvy mum Emily, from WA, who knows a thing or two about making her dollars go further (p6). Plus, there’s hearty recipes that won’t break the bank (p23) and some fun ways folk have made a buck or found a bargain (p20.) Truth is, money’s on our minds and we could all do with some tips. And I can think of a man for the job! My Grandad, Bill, who just turned 90, is the thriftiest man I know. Like many from his generation, his dollarwise ways started young. Growing up sharing a home and war rations with six siblings –…

WINNERS are grinners FAMILY FRIENDS LAUGHS ME and my PET email: thatslife@aremedia.com.au write: AUS: GPO Box 5245 Sydney NSW 2001 NZ: PO Box 90064, Victoria Street West, Auckland 1142…

Spooning another mouthful of food into my daughter Dawn’s mouth, I rubbed my growing belly. Already a mum to Lucy, four, Dawn, 18 months, and with another on the way, I knew my hubby Daniel, 26, and I were going to have to tighten our purse strings to feed our family of five. While Daniel’s idea of cooking was throwing a few snags on the barbie, I’d always loved experimenting in the kitchen. Health conscious, I made sure I fed the kids wholesome, homemade food with plenty of fruit and vegetables. That night, I sat down and carefully wrote out a meal plan for the week. While Daniel worked in the navy, I was a stay-at-home mum, so we set a shopping budget of $120, which would include food, nappies and other household products. Broken down,…

Watching as my fiancé, Dean, then 31, played with our kids, Millie, nine, and Mikey, six, I felt so lucky. My first love, Dean and I met as teenagers, and for 25 years he’d been my world. It was 2011 and we’d just moved to the coast from the city to raise the children in a safe and quiet spot, and the neighbours were lovely. Every day, Dean played outside with the kids, and on weekends, he took them fishing. He was their best friend, and Mikey shared his dad’s love for motorbikes. In 2016, we had another beautiful boy, Jake. We were besotted. Later that year, we got a new neighbour named Jamie, who moved into the house behind us. Unlike the others, he never smiled and kept to himself. One morning, around two years later,…

umping into bed, my boyfriend Dean, then 28, gave my bump a kiss goodnight. ‘It won’t be long before our two becomes three,’ he smiled. We’d met five years earlier when Dean sent me a message out of the blue on Facebook. Falling for his bright personality and ability to calm my storms, I fell madly in love, and so did he. Four years later, we moved in with my mum, Shona, 50, in Eungella, Qld. It was a stark contrast to our busy lives in Mackay, an hour away on the coast, but we hoped to save enough to buy a place of our own. So when I felt my tummy turn during a weight session at the gym three weeks after we’d moved, I thought I was just run down. ‘I reckon you’re pregnant,’…

‘Dogspotting’ is an adorable Facebook group where people share snaps of pooches they’ve met out and about. Nearly two million dog lovers have joined the community. And there’s just one basic rule – you aren’t allowed to personally know the dogs whose photos you submit. Oh, and no cats are allowed. We can’t wait for a Catspotting site to launch! Not eggs-actly a success! A man who stole 200,000 Cadbury Creme Eggs and other confectionery worth more than $50,000, faced the full force of the law after he was stopped by police on the highway. In a well-planned heist, Joby Pool, 32, broke into an industrial unit in Telford, UK, to steal the sweet treats. He then transported his gooey treasure of chocolate eggs in a stolen truck with false numberplates. The…