‘Take a deep breath and pick up the phone’: a former union organizer on how to negotiate your debts down

Carrie Joy Grimes’ new book The Joy of Money offers tip and tools for middle-class Americans seeking out stability and security Carrie Joy Grimes wants you to know you’re not going to get rich – or even out of debt – just by practicing “latte celibacy”. She decries the online “shame gurus” who promote the financial equivalent of crash diets, and believes “the economy’s just become harder and harder for everyone to navigate.” Still, she argues, there are tools and tricks that can help many people save money and secure a slice of the American dream. But you have to know where to find them – and that’s where she comes in. Grimes is the author of The Joy of Money: How to Do More With and Feel Better About Your Money – No Matter How Much You Have, out on 19 May. A former union organizer who once struggled with credit card debt and “scraped [her] way into the middle class”, says she wrote her book for people who, like her, grew up without money, made mistakes and assumed that meant they were “bad with money”. She says putting aside that shame can be a powerful first step to taking control of your finances. “There’s no magic app or program that can