New Idea 3 April 2017

Do you ever get weeks where you just seem to spend money like water? Yes, me too. Every day brings a new bill – my car needs a service, or the kids suddenly have a growth spurt and desperately need new shoes – it never ends! I’m not great with money anyway – I’m an impulse buyer, one of those people who refuse to look at their balance at the ATM and just crosses their fingers that money will come out when I put my PIN in! That’s why I was really interested to read the tips from Australia’s most frugal mum on page 30. She reckons that we can all save $1000 by Easter. Big call, right? But her tips make perfect sense... as long as you have the willpower to stick to…

BONJOUR, KATE & WILLS Looks like PRINCE WILLIAM and the DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE got an ‘Eiffel’ of Paris! The whirlwind trip was Wills’ first official visit since the 1997 death of his mum Princess Diana. Later, at a dinner at the British ambassador’s house, Kate dazzled in a Jenny Packham gown (right). So chic! Move over, Dad! ALEC BALDWIN’s kids CARMEN and RAFAEL – and their mum HILARIA (far right) – worked the red carpet at the premiere of his film The Boss Baby. Meanwhile, Alec and co-star LISA KUDROW (right) cosied up – no doubt reminiscing about his 2002 guest role on Friends. Who says royalty can’t cook? It looks like CAMILLA, DUCHESS OF CORNWALL has wowed celeb chef JAMIE OLIVER with her culinary skills during the CEO CookOff charity event in…

Our Mary has cried tears of joy after being told she will be Queen of Denmark at a historic private ceremony, declaring it ‘the best day of my life’. The much-loved Queen Margrethe made the decision to hand over her royal duties to Princess Mary, 45, and Prince Frederik, 48, during an official cabinet meeting dinner in Copenhagen last Wednesday, announcing she was stepping down. This marks the next step in Australia’s Mary being officially crowned Queen – news that’s been met with rapturous waves of public celebration. ‘It’s all a modern fairytale,’ she once admitted about her life. ‘I could never, ever have imagined this. This is a fairytale for all. ‘Right now, I can tell it’s a very happy time. Very happy for me, for my family, and for Frederik and his…

‘I don’t recall wishing that one day I would be a princess. I wanted to be a veterinarian!’ It’s the stuff dreams are made of – Mary’s rise from small town Tassie girl to princess, and now Queen of Denmark, has stunned the world. So just how did she pull off this modern-day fairytale? Born Mary Elizabeth Donaldson in Hobart, Mary’s early years were uneventful. She went to her local high school, then attended the University of Tasmania, graduating with Bachelor’s degrees in Commerce and Law, before settling on a career in advertising and real estate. But a chance meeting with a Danish prince during the 2000 Sydney Olympics was to change the then 28-year-old’s life forever. Mary opened up to People magazine about how she met Frederik at Sydney’s CBD Slip Inn…

‘She’s kind of frightened... She’s definitely not trustful of people at all... So much has changed’ Every night at bedtime, Schapelle Corby texts her mother a heartfelt message, sending ‘sweet dreams’. But dreams are a luxury the convicted drug smuggler cannot afford, despite her looming freedom and return to Australia after 12 years trapped in Bali. With Schapelle’s parole finally up on May 27, mother Rosleigh Rose reveals the fragile 39-year-old is actually ‘scared’ to come home to the Gold Coast. Still scarred by her ordeal in Bali’s Kerobokan jail, Schapelle is reluctant to leave her ‘close friend’ Ben Panangian behind and fearful that she will never be able to lead a normal life again – let alone have the baby she longs for. ‘I don’t like thinking about it. It will be hard for…

‘I’m not a big marriage person – I don’t see the point of it. It’s a big, expensive day for not much gain’ They’re going from strength to strength in the My Kitchen Rules kitchen, but sister and brother Amy and Tyson’s stint on the hit show has had very different effects on their love lives. While Amy is believed to have found romance with rival contestant Tim, it’s been revealed that Tyson’s relationship with his girlfriend of seven years ended shortly after the cooking show went to air. In January, Tyson opened up to New Idea about his long romance with neighbour Tasha, revealing that she wasn’t coping with his ‘Angry Man’ reputation. ‘It’s a bit of a learning curve for her as well,’ admitted Tyson at the time. ‘She says it’s weird…