Read about the cost of living
We have put together a list of titles to help with day-to-day living amid rising costs. Books cover a range of themes including housing rights, making and saving money, eating on a budget, growing your own vegetables, DIY and cheap ways to make repairs at home.
Book promotions are taking place at selected libraries to make it easy to borrow books to help.
How to borrow cost of living titles from the library
All items can be requested from the Barnet Libraries catalogue via our Select and Collect service. You will need your library card number and PIN to do this, and you can collect your chosen books at your local library. The links will take you to the titles so you can make your requests.
Advice
Matt Allwright Watchdog: the consumer survival guide
David Bryan A straightforward guide to the rights of the consumer
Roger Sproston A straightforward guide to housing rights
Roger Sproston A straightforward guide to the rights of the private tenant
Finance
Gemma Bird Money mum official: your ultimate money tips guide
Lee Boyce and Jessie McClure Never go broke: how to make money out of just about anything
Charlotte Burns On the money: take control of your finances to build a life you love
Adrian Fellows A straightforward guide to individual and family finances
Selina Flavius Black girl finance: let’s talk money
Patrick Grant A straightforward guide to planning for retirement: managing retirement finances
Makala Green The money edit: your no blame, no shame guide to taking control of your money
Michelle McGagh The no spend year: little ways to save a lot of money
Holly Smith Holly Smith’s money saving book: simple savings hacks for a happy life
Bola Sol How to…save it: fix your finances
Laura Whateley Money: a user’s guide
Food
Miguel Barclay Miguel Barclay’s one pound meals. Fast & fresh
Miguel Barclay Miguel Barclay’s store cupboard: one pound meals
Lorna Cooper Feed your family for £20 a week
Lorna Cooper Feed your family for £20 a week in a hurry
Lorna Cooper Feed your family: more from less
Nicola Graimes The thrifty veggie: economical, sustainable meals from storecupboard ingredients
Jack Monroe Cooking on a bootstrap: over 100 simple, budget recipes
Jack Monroe Tin can cook
Jo Scarratt-Jones Eat well for less
Jo Scarratt-Jones Eat well for less: happy & healthy
Jo Scarratt-Jones Eat well for less: quick & easy meals
Gardening
Lucy Chamberlain RHS step-by-step veg patch
Paul Grace The urban vegetable patch: a modern guide to growing sustainably, whatever your space
Carol Klein Grow your own fruit & veg bible
Lia Leendertz The half-hour allotment: timely tips for the most productive plot ever
Lia Leendertz My tiny veg plot: big ideas for small spaces
Clare MacNaughton Grow your own food
Paul Peacock Grow your own vegetables in pots and containers
Dick and James Strawbridge Practical self-sufficiency: the complete guide to sustainable living today
Alan Titchmarsh Grow your own fruit and veg
Jo Whittingham Easy veg: essential know-how and expert advice for gardening success
Home
Zoe Edwards Mend it, wear it, love it!: stitch your way to a sustainable wardrobe
John Harrison Low cost living
Dawn Isaac 101 things for kids to do outside
Dawn Isaac 101 things for kids to do on a rainy day
Arounna Khounnoraj Visible mending: repair, renew, reuse the clothes you love
Molly Martin The art of repair
Toni Trevillion DIY on a budget: the very best tried-and-tested ideas for your home
Digital books
Some of these titles are available in eBook format in our 'Cost of Living' collection on Overdrive. We recommend downloading the Libby app to borrow these titles.
We also have a collection of eAudiobooks available to listen to on our free Borrowbox app; which you can also access through a web browser on a laptop or PC.