Innehållsförteckning för Issue 28, 2025 från that's life!

‘My favourite things are free!’ As always, our thrifty Ms Moneysaver Sam Ireland has some top tips this week. Her column is all about making the most of time with the kids, grandies or other little ones in our lives without breaking the bank (page 63). It got us talking about the things we love to do that don’t cost a cent. For Jude, a lot of her favourite pastimes come without a price tag. ‘My favourite things are free!’ she said. ‘Most involve walking – gardens, bushland, beaches, or even window-shopping! And I love veging out to free-to-air TV.’ Her cost-free approach got me thinking about how often I end up buying myself a ‘little treat’ if I’m out and about – maybe a coffee if I start feeling…

Creative takes on an old fave APPLE CRUMBLE CHEESECAKE SERVES 8 PREP & COOK 45 MINS 250g packet Butternut Snap Cookies 2 tsp ground cinnamon 75g butter, melted ⅓ cup traditional rolled oats 2 tbsp flaked almonds 2 tbsp shredded coconut FILLING 1 tbsp powdered gelatine 2 x 250g blocks cream cheese, chopped ¾ cup caster sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp ground cinnamon 400g can Apples Sliced Pie Fruit 300ml tub thickened cream 1 Invert base of a 23cm springform pan (base measures 22cm). Grease and line base and side with baking paper. 2 Process cookies and cinnamon in a food processor until finely crushed. Add butter. Process until combined. Transfer ½ cup to a bowl. Press remaining over base of prepared pan. Refrigerate. 3 Add oats, almonds…

WE PAY FOR EACH PHOTO USED These are my two orange cherubs, Bella, 12, and Leo, nine months. Mirella Pergoleto, via email Thank you for the prize. I buy that’s life! every week without fail. It helps keep my brain active. Robin Mathews, Adelaide, SA WINNERS ARE GRINNERS Some people say that my kelpie x shih tzu, Bindi, looked like a dingo pup when she was little. Chelsea Lee MacKenzie, Gilgandra, NSW $50 CASH WHAT’S ODD? PUZZLE HOW TO WIN... This image has been taken from the film Knives Out. We have tinkered with the image and have added something that doesn’t appear in the original scene (4). Write which object doesn’t belong only on the entry coupon and you could be a winner. Turn to entry coupon (p50) to…

Katie Billing, 25 CONTENT WARNING Strumming the strings on the acoustic guitar, my grandad, Alan, then 44, smiled at me. It was 2009, and aged eight, I thought Grandad was the best. Although he was technically my step-grandad, I couldn’t remember a time without him. He began dating my nan when I was two. I never knew my biological grandfather, as they’d separated and lost touch before I was born. While my parents worked, he and Nan looked after me and my siblings after school and on weekends. They had a music room in their home, filled with keyboards, harmonicas, guitars and more. I adored having a go on the instruments. But one day that year, Nan left Grandad in charge of me as she popped out. As I played…

Riki-lee Lipschinski, 36, Barossa Valley, SA As the smell of burning rubber filled the air, I smiled. It was April 2012 and I was at the local racetrack, where I was having a lesson to learn how to drift – a technique where you oversteer and slide through a bend or corner. Growing up in a family of car enthusiasts, my mum, Linda, competed in burnout comps. My dad, Allan, even built her a burnout car! And my aunt Anne was a mechanic. After finishing school, I’d enrolled in a one-year mechanics course at TAFE. Absorbed in my studies, I relied on junk food to get me through the day. I’d gorge on pasta, pizza, chips, chocolate and fries, and sugary drinks such as iced coffee. By the time I…

Collette Butler, 33, Launceston, Tas Sinking into the newly assembled armchair in my nursery, I smiled. ‘It’ll be perfect to feed the baby,’ I said to my husband Nathan, then 28. It was May 2020 and I was 38 weeks along with our first bub. We’d kept the gender a surprise, but had already picked out names – Amelia for a girl or Charlie for a boy. So when I went into labour four days later, I was ecstatic to be soon meeting our bub. We drove to Launceston General Hospital and the midwives examined me to check how far I was dilated. Shockingly, they said they could feel the baby’s foot, indicating our bub was breech. Within seconds, our baby’s heart rate started to drop and I was rushed…

EDITORIAL Editorial Director Kate Kirsten, Editor Sarah Firth, Deputy Editor Beth Young, Art Director Darren Monaghan, Picture Editor Holly Campbell ARE MEDIA Chief Executive Officer Jane Huxley, Director of Sales Anna Quinn, Director of Content Sally Eagle, General Manager Entertainment Susan Armstrong, Commercial Brand Manager Jessica Ashworth, Director of Marketing Carly Bowra Subscription enquiries: Customer Service 136 116 (Mon-Fri 8am-6pm AEST) International +61 2 9692 3535 Email magshop@magshop.com.au Website www.magshop.com.au Advertising enquiries: advertising@aremedia.com.au Published by Are Media Pty Limited (ABN 18 053 273 546), 54-58 Park Street, Sydney, NSW 2000. ©2025. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part without prior written permission. that’s life! is a registered trade mark of Are Media. Use of trademark strictly prohibited. Licensing Inquiries: www.contentshop.com.au / syndication@aremedia.com.au…

WITH PSYCHIC MEDIUM Michelle De Angelis S acred geometry is essentially the blueprint of the universe, reflected in everything from the structure of crystals to the spiral of seashells. Each pattern carries a unique vibration that reflects aspects of your spiritual essence. Take this quiz to discover which sacred geometry symbol resonates with your soul! INSTRUCTIONS Choose the answer to each question that best fits for you and record the letter A, B, C or D. At the end, add your score and find your sacred geometry symbol! 1 What best describes your spiritual journey so far? A Seeking balance and harmony in all aspects of life. B Continually learning, evolving, and transforming. C Exploring deep cosmic mysteries. D Focusing on grounding and personal growth. 2 Which of these elements…

Christina Forster, 34, Largs North, SA AUSSIE REAL LIFE As the doctor’s words hung in the air, I gripped my partner Myles’ hand. This can’t be happening, I thought, fighting back tears. It was February 2023 and I was 20 weeks pregnant. Myles, then 35, and I had just been given some life-changing news. We’d been dating for a year when we learned we were going to be first-time parents. ‘Imagine if it’s twins?’ Myles joked. ‘It won’t be,’ I laughed. But during my 12-week scan, I was in for a huge surprise when the doctor detected two heartbeats. Shocked, I was equal parts terrified and excited. Two weeks later, a blood test confirmed they were both boys. Then in December, when I was four months along, Myles got down…

Marilyn Fuss, 64, Adelaide, SA Driving home after work one evening, I rolled down the car window. What a beautiful day, I thought. It was March this year, and the air was warm and still. I’d spent the day at the childcare centre where I worked, and was keen to unwind with my adorable chihuahuas, Taco and Tilly, in front of the TV. Turning into the driveway of our home, I saw that my husband, John, then 70, had just arrived back from taking the dogs for a walk. ‘Hi, love!’ he called out, as I parked the car and climbed out, the pups excitedly licking my legs. ‘Hello, babies!’ I beamed, bending over to pat them. Suddenly, I heard a loud cracking sound coming from the eight-metre tall, one-metre…

CHEESY RATATOUILLE GNOCCHI SERVES 4-6PREP & COOK 45 MINS 1 large onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, crushed 2 zucchini, sliced 1 small eggplant (300g), chopped 1 red capsicum, chopped 1 tblsp Tuscan seasoning 500g packet potato gnocchi 700g bottle tomato passata sauce ¾ cup shredded parmesan 150g drained bocconcini cheese, torn Mixed salad leaves, to serve 1 Heat an oiled, large flameproof casserole dish over a medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 mins, or until soft. 2 Add zucchini, eggplant, capsicum and Tuscan seasoning. Cook, stirring, for further 4 to 5 mins, or until lightly browned. Stir in potato gnocchi. 3 Stir in passata sauce and 1½ cups water. Season with pepper. Bring to a boil. Scatter over parmesan and torn bocconcini.…

BLACK FOREST BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING SERVES 8 PREP & COOK 1 HOUR 10 MINS 75g butter, softened 6 large slices traditional white extra thick bread (350g) ⅔ cup cherry conserve 200g frozen cherries, halved 100g dark chocolate, chopped Vanilla ice-cream, to serve CUSTARD 4 eggs 300ml tub thickened cream ¾ cup milk ¼ cup caster sugar 2 tsps vanilla extract 1 Grease a round ovenproof dish (10-cup capacity). 2 Spread butter over one side of bread slices. Spread half of the cherry conserve over three of the bread slices. Cut all slices in half crossways. Arrange slices alternately, slightly overlapping in prepared dish. 3 CUSTARD Whisk together eggs, cream, milk, sugar and vanilla in a large jug until combined. Carefully pour custard over bread in dish. Stand for 15…

I remember when you could buy a concert ticket for $50 and still get front row, if you were prepared to sleep outside the stadium overnight,’ I sighed to my husband, Shannon. We really wanted to take our kids to see the Metallica concert in November, but the only tickets I could find were over $500 each. Finding fun and affordable things to do together is getting harder. Our budgets for entertainment are shrinking, as we direct more of our income to essentials like food and housing. Quality downtime boosts good mental health so here are a few ideas for fun that are cheap as chips! COLLABORATE One of my favourite things to do when my son, Xander, was young was get together with other parents and kids for a…