When I began my debt-free journey, I was overwhelmed. I had accumulated over £36,000 in debt and felt completely lost.

It wasn’t until I read The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey that I started to see a way out. This book didn’t just give me practical advice, it changed my entire mindset about money.

Through a combination of determination and Ramsey’s guidance, I finally paid off my debt.

If you’re in a similar situation, these five books could be the game-changers you need. 

1. The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey 

This book is my personal favourite because it played a crucial role in helping me pay off my debt. Ramsey’s no-nonsense approach to personal finance revolves around his seven “baby steps,” which provide a clear and actionable roadmap to financial security.  

These steps begin with saving £1,000 as a starter emergency fund, then focus on paying off all debts using the “debt snowball” method (paying off the smallest debts first to build momentum and motivation).

The plan progresses to building a fully funded emergency fund, investing for retirement, and achieving long-term financial goals like paying off a mortgage and giving generously. Ramsey’s step-by-step framework simplifies the overwhelming process of tackling debt and creating financial stability. 

One of the most impactful lessons I learned was the importance of budgeting. Before reading this book, I believed I had an income problem, but I soon realised I had a spending problem. Creating a written budget and sticking to it transformed my finances and my life.  

2. Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin 

If you’re looking for a book that delves into the emotional and psychological aspects of debt repayment, this one is a must-read. Robin’s work goes beyond just numbers and budgets; it challenges readers to redefine their relationship with money by recognising it as a representation of life energy.

The book provides a framework for evaluating expenses based on how much time and effort they cost you, empowering readers to make more intentional financial choices. By aligning spending with personal values, Robin helps readers find greater fulfilment while working toward financial independence. 

One key takeaway for me was the “Life Energy” concept, where you calculate the time spent earning money versus the fulfilment it brings. This mindset shift made me reconsider impulsive spending and focus on things that bring me value while clearing debt. 

3. How to Be Debt Free by Avery Breyer 

Avery Breyer’s book is a step-by-step guide tailored for people looking to eliminate different types of debt, from credit cards to mortgages. What I loved about this book is its simplicity and practicality. Breyer provides clear instructions for creating a repayment plan and avoiding common pitfalls that can lead to more debt. 

A key lesson I applied was the advice on identifying and tackling high-interest debt first. By focusing on the debts costing me the most in interest, I saw quicker progress and saved money in the long run. Breyer’s actionable steps helped me stay organised and focused on the bigger picture. 

4. The Meaningful Money Handbook by Pete Matthew 

Pete Matthew offers an accessible and UK-focused guide to managing money, which includes practical strategies for tackling debt.

The book’s clear, jargon-free language makes it easy to understand and implement the steps outlined for creating a budget, prioritising repayments, and building financial resilience. 

One lesson that resonated with me was the importance of “paying yourself first” while working toward debt freedom.

Matthew encourages setting aside even a small amount to build a safety net, which I found essential for avoiding future debt when unexpected expenses arose. This approach gave me peace of mind and helped me stay on track. 

5. The Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins 

While not exclusively focused on debt repayment, JL Collins’ book provides a straightforward and practical approach to achieving financial independence, starting with clearing debt.

Collins emphasises the importance of managing debt as the first step to wealth building and explains how to avoid financial traps that lead to more borrowing. 

One takeaway I applied was the concept of avoiding lifestyle inflation. As I began to pay off debts, I resisted the urge to increase my spending, redirecting those funds toward savings and debt overpayments instead.

This discipline not only helped me quickly achieve debt-freedom, but also set the stage for long-term financial stability. 

Photo credits: Pexels

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Mouthy Money competitions is constantly on the look out for new and interesting personal finance books for our readers to offer as competition prizes.

But we don’t just do book competitions! Keep an eye on the page for other exciting giveaways in future or subscribe to the newsletter to get updated right into your inbox each week.

See the details of current and past Mouthy Money competitions and how to win below.

Current Mouthy Money competitions

Coming Soon

Past Mouthy Money competitions

Here are some of the past Mouthy Money competitions. Keep an eye on our page, or subscribe to our newsletter to find out when the latest competitions launch.

WIN one of five copies of How to Retire by Christine Benz

Mouthy Money readers can win one of five copies of How to Retire by Christine Benz, Harriman House, RRP £14.99.

How to Retire by Christine Benz is a book about retirement at its heart.

Retirement is a complicated thing to manage and prepare for. It really pays to think about it well ahead, and have a clear idea in your mind of what you want to achieve.

How to Retire by Christine Benz is the perfect companion to this process. But this is no identikit guide to how to prepare for retirement. Instead, Christine interviews 19 financial experts to gain insights in detail into the steps for preparing to retire.

WIN one of five copies of The Soul of Wealth by Daniel Crosby

Mouthy Money readers can win one of five copies of The Soul of Wealth, 50 Reflections on Money and Meaning by Daniel Crosby, Harriman House, RRP £14.99.

The Soul of Wealth by Daniel Crosby is a thoughtful look at the meaning behind ‘wealth’ and how a normal person can reflect on, and work towards achieving it

This is all done while decoupling the idea of wealth from the pure numerical hoarding of cash and asset.

WIN a copy of of No worries – how to live a stress-free financial life by Jared Dillian

Readers can win one of 10 copies of Jared Dillian’s No Worries – how to live a stress-free financial life by entering the latest Mouthy Money competition below.

Jared Dillian’s No Worries – how to live a stress-free financial life is an eye-opening look at the way we all think about money. From stockbrokers to hospitality workers – we all have one thing in common: we’re worried about our money

WIN a copy of You’re not broke, you’re pre-rich by Emilie Bellet

Mouthy Money readers can win one of three copies of Emilie Bellet’s fantastic financial self-help book, You’re not broke, you’re pre-rich.

You’re not broke, you’re pre-rich is an unpretentious, informative ride across the personal finance landscape.

It provides useful and easy to understand explanations of key themes, process and ideas for understanding money better.

WIN a copy of Loose Change – Tina Learns to Save by Sonia Rach 

Are you looking for a fun and educational book to spark your child’s interest in financial literacy? Look no further than Loose Change – Tina Learns to Save by Sonia Rach.  

We’re excited to offer a chance to win one of five copies of Sonia’s book.   

Loose Change – Tina Learns to Save is a children’s book that combines storytelling with valuable lessons about money management.  

For a chance to win, complete the form here.

WIN a copy of The Everything Token by Steve Kaczynski and Scott Duke Kominers

Kaczynski and Kominer’s book take an unapologetically positive spin on NFTs. When it comes to any sort of investing, Mouthy Money thinks its readers should view everything through a critical lens – but if you want to understand how the tech works, this book should do the job.

Read our review here.

The competition is now CLOSED and winners have received their copies. You can buy a copy of the book here.

WIN a copy of Freedom: Earn It, Keep It, Grow It by Robert Gardner

Achieve financial freedom with three money habits – earn it, keep it, and grow it. Use this book as your toolkit to make your money work for you. Whether you’re managing debt, saving for a rainy day, or investing in your future, this proven approach to financial planning makes complex money concepts easy to understand.

For the full interview with the author, click here.

The competition is now CLOSED and winners have received their copies. You can buy a copy of the book here.

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Many people dream of writing a book. But while this has many attractions, it can be a major project, and there’s no guarantee you will find a traditional print publisher. Even if you do, you are highly unlikely to make a fortune.

An interesting – and probably more attainable – alternative is to self-publish in e-book form. Perhaps surprisingly, this can be a lot easier than writing a print book too. 

The huge popularity of Amazon’s Kindle e-reader devices means that more e-books are sold nowadays than traditional ones.

And Amazon has made it simple for anyone to publish and sell their own e-book by means of Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP for short).

How does it work?

Publishing a Kindle e-book is a straightforward process. Essentially, all you have to do is create your book in Microsoft Word or similar, save it in standard DOC or DOCX format, and upload it to Amazon using the KDP website. 

Or, for a more professional look, you can download Amazon’s free Kindle Create software. This features professionally designed themes with chapter titles, drop caps, image placement options, and other snazzy features. Kindle Create generates a publishable file (in KPF format) that can be uploaded to KDP as before.

Unlike traditional books, Kindle e-books can be as short as a few thousand words, so there’s no need to create an epic. You can write fiction or nonfiction, as you choose. A little time spent browsing the Kindle Store should give you plenty of ideas!

Once your e-book is published, anyone will be able to order it from Amazon. You can set your own price, and will then receive a royalty of up to 70 percent on sales (see below). That compares well with the 10 percent typically paid to traditionally published authors.

Some top tips

A few quick tips for new Kindle e-book authors include:

• Keep the formatting simple. Complex layouts may not survive conversion to e-book format and will likely not display as you intended on some devices.
• You are allowed to include diagrams and illustrations in Kindle e-books, but don’t go mad. Books with loads of graphics consume more bandwidth and Amazon may reduce the royalty they pay you in such cases.
• Create an eye-catching description of your book for the Kindle Store. You’re allowed to use up to 4,000 characters, so make the most of it. Check out the sales pages of some Kindle bestsellers for inspiration.
• Price your title between £1.77 and £9.99 – this should ensure you are eligible for Amazon’s highest (70 percent) royalty rate. Books priced outside this range attract just a 35 percent royalty.
• Make sure the first few pages of your e-book hook the reader. People can see the first 10 percent of your book free in the store. If the opening pages don’t grab them, they will soon move on to something else.
• Create an attractive cover image for your e-book. This can make a big difference in converting visitors to your sales page to buyers. You can use the KDP free cover-maker tool, or try Fiverr.com, where there are people offering to create e-book covers for just $5 (about £4.10).
• Spread the word about your e-book on any social networks you belong to, including Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, and so on. It can also help to create a blog, website or dedicated Facebook page for your e-book, and mention it on any forums you belong to (though do this sensitively, to avoid accusations of spamming).
• Aim to get a few reviews of your e-book up as soon as possible. Consider giving away free or discounted copies via social networks, forums, your blog (if you have one), and so on. Not everyone will end up leaving a review even if you ask them, but hopefully some will.
• You also have the option to publish your Kindle e-book in print and/or audiobook form on Amazon, thus providing extra income streams for you.
• And finally, once you have published your first Kindle e-book, don’t rest on your laurels! The more titles you have to your name the better, as you (and Amazon) can cross-promote between them.

Amazon has plenty more advice for would-be Kindle e-book authors on the Kindle Direct Publishing website. I also recommend Self Publishing To Amazon KDP In 2023, a guide by Brian Chessen available in print and KIndle e-book versions. As well as e-books, this also covers self-publishing in print and audiobook form on Amazon.

And yes – thank you for asking – I do have some published Kindle e-books of my own. As an example, you may like to check out my humorous, illustrated science-fiction novella The Festival on Lyris Five (see cover image below). If you buy and enjoy this (or any of my other Kindle e-books), a review is always much appreciated!

Final thoughts

If you are very lucky (and/or talented) your Kindle e-book could become an Amazon bestseller and maybe attract the attention of mainstream publishers as well (as happened with multi-million-selling US author Amanda Hocking, for example).

But even if not, you will have the satisfaction of being a published author in the world’s favourite online bookstore. And you will have royalties from sales arriving in your bank account every month, potentially for many years to come.

If you have any comments or questions about this article, as ever, please do post them below.

Photo Credits: Pexels

The post Write and publish Kindle e-books for profit appeared first on Mouthy Money.

Reading is such a great way to help your child through early development – whatever the book. 

Whether it’s a bedtime story, or a fun series like Mr Men, they can really add up to a lot of money. 

Luckily, there’s a deal right now that should stock you up with books to read for a super cheap price. Here’s everything you need to know.

What is in the deal exactly? 

Right now you can pick up a pack of 10 kids books for £10 – that works out at £1 per book. 

This offer is available both in store and online at The Works, and can be found nationwide. You may find however that there may be much more availability online. 

It’s particularly good for the savings that you get from it. Usually bundle packs of 10 books like this can cost as much as £69.90, so to get it for a tenner is a steal. 

With the discount down to £10 for a bundle, it’s saving up to 86% off the normal retail price. 

There are 19 different bundles in total to choose from, and range in ages from young babies all the way up to 10 and early teenage years. 

You can choose between a variety of different book styles and genres. This includes Mr Men, Elmer, Kipper the Dog and classic bedtime stories. 

All of the options available are picture books, so there’s plenty for you child to look and and take in while browsing through the books. 

You can order them online, where you can get free click & collect in store, or order them for delivery.  

You’ll pay £3.99 to have it delivered, unless you spend £25 or more in total, in which case delivery is free. 

Why should I care? 

You could quite easily pay between £5-10 per book for kids nowadays, so to get a bumper bundle for £1 each is great value. 

If you know anyone with kids too, it would make a nice little gift for them. It’s also very rare to find deals or offers on books also – so now is a good time to buy. 

What’s the catch? 

Bundles such as this can be very popular, so if you are heading into your local store to grab one, be prepared for a smaller selection. 

If you shop online, you’ll likely have more choice – and you can also get free click and collect on products over £10, which works nicely. 

What other options do I have? 

There are plenty of other kids books around, but it can be tricky to find them on sale. 

If you didn’t want the physical copies, you can usually find a lot of free kids books on places like Amazon, where you can browse through the book on an iPad or phone. 

Where can I find out more? 

Head over to The Works website, to view the full range of kids book bundles and to make a purchase. 

Photo credits: Pexels

The post 10 pack of kids books for £10 at The Works appeared first on Mouthy Money.

Mouthy Money is giving away three copies of ‘The Signs Were There,’ by Tim Steer.

Find out below about the book and how to win.

‘The Signs Were There,’ by Tim Steer

Do you want to know the crucial signs behind stock market disasters and how to avoid them? Then Tim Steer’s book on what is wrong in the world of investment, audit, and financial regulation might be the one for you and your reading list.

‘The Signs Were There’ provides forensic examination of more than twenty-five recent share price collapses, including Aston Martin Lagonda, Patisserie Holdings and Woodford Equity Income Fund and reveals how companies hide or disguise worrying facts about the robustness of their business.

Tim Steer qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Ernst & Young and then moved into investment analysis and fund management, becoming one of the most highly rated fund managers in Britain.

He’s one of the few who highlighted the warning signs at Carillion, a company known for its big share price collapse.

In his book, he illustrates the impact of accounting and financial fraud or misinterpretation on publicly listed companies in the UK, with case studies that are concise and very instructive.

While this is not a book for beginners, it’s a great accounting refresher for those familiar with the key aspects of double entry bookkeeping.

The stories are told in an engaging, lucid manner, and it keeps the book from rising above what otherwise could have been dry content.

This book shines a light on the darkest aspects of accounting, and why this industry is vital to the UK economy.

How to win

We’re giving away one of three copies. Enter here and fill in your details. We’ll pick three winners randomly after the competition closes on 28 November

Photo by Jonas Jacobsson on Unsplash

The post Book competition: WIN a copy of ‘The Signs Were There,’ by Tim Steer appeared first on Mouthy Money.

Take advantage of regular eBook deals

If you constantly have your head buried in a Kindle or e-reader, like me (normally to avoid making eye contact with anyone on public transport), you are probably already aware that although eBooks are cheaper than physical books, they aren’t that much cheaper – and buying them regularly can still put a pretty big dent in your wallet.

Luckily for you, readers, big eBook retailers like Amazon, iBooks and Kobo are constantly promoting new and slightly older titles for a fraction of the price.

Amazon run daily, weekly and monthly Kindle deals – allowing you to buy eBooks for as little as 99p, saving you a whopping 75%. If you’re a traditionalist and eBooks aren’t your thing, they also run paperback promotions offering 3 paperbacks for £10 – a significant saving on a £7.99 paperback.

iBooks offer similar promotions along with a Free Book of the Week and if you join Kobo you can get a free £3 account credit that you can put towards some of their fab buy-two-get-one-free deals.

Swap books with friends

Swap with friends, swap with family, swap with the person sitting next to you by the pool looking forlorn because they, like you, didn’t stuff enough books into their suitcase. It’s easy, free, and you might discover an author or genre you wouldn’t have picked up yourself.

If you have exhausted all your possible swaps you can turn to Read it, Swap it for the opportunity to swap your old beaten-up copy of Of Mice and Men you’ve had on your shelf since you did GCSE English for one of their 295,435 books. It’s super easy, too, and the Telegraph has stated that ‘even the most leisurely reader, averaging a book a month, can save £100 a year this way.’

Once you find a book you would like, you can request to swap it. That member can then browse through your virtual bookshelf and find something to trade. Once you have agreed all you have to pay for is postage, and voilà you are one step closer to a whole new library!

Audio books don’t have to break the bank

If you prefer listening to your books instead of reading them, then you can still build up your library without shelling out the big bucks. When you sign up for a 30-day free trial with Audible you can download any audiobook for free. I chose the biggest book I could think of, The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton. It lasted hours – and at 832 pages I really do mean hours and hours – of listening.

After that, audiobooks can cost anywhere between £15-30, but you can sample them beforehand to make sure they’re worth the investment and ensure you’re not going to rip your ears off at the sound of the narrator’s voice.

Another way to get your audio fix is by tuning into BBC Radio 4’s Book at Bedtime. They showcase readings of the latest fiction and break it down into bitesize episodes (15 mins) so you can download and listen on the go. And the best thing? It’s completely free!

Second hand books

 I view second hand book shops as treasure coves; you never know what you’re going to stumble upon. I once found a signed paperback from a beloved author and audibly gasped so loudly and dramatically, the old lady next to me had to ask if I was alright.

From Skoob Books in London, to Westwood Books in Cumbria, second hand bookstores are beloved up and down the country – and they are the perfect place to pick up a new read on the cheap. And if you find yourself on the South Bank, killing time before a show, or waiting for that friend who is always late for dinner, then make sure you check out the Southbank Centre Book Market whose rows and rows of books are just tucked under Waterloo Bridge.

Special mention has to go to Oxfam Books, my favourite haunting ground. Depending on the format (hardback or paperback) and the edition, you will probably spend somewhere between 99p- £2.49 per book meaning you can stock up on four or five guilt-free.

Finally, never underestimate a good car-boot sale. After years of trawling round rows of cars with my father I can guarantee that you can pick up some absolute gems for as little as 20p.  So then it’s really down to you to figure out how many you can carry back to your own car!

Happy reading!

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