Manicurist Tiffany Turner is an obsessive shopper. If an item is on sale and if someday Tiffany might need that item, it is a must buy and put on one of her ever expanding credit cards that her husband, Brian, believed she cut up in tiny pieces after they used all their savings plus borrowing money from Tiffany's father to pay off. Brian's company is downsizing, and his job is teetering on a fine line, as is their marriage. Will Tiffany be able to stop spending to save this relationship?

Rachel Green is a divorced mother of ten-year-old David and twelve-year-old Claire. Aaron, Rachel's ex-husband, is a dentist that left her for a twenty-ish blond when Rachel turned forty. He graciously let Rachel keep their house, but there was very little money to split -- most of it found its way into his wealthy mother's accounts. Getting back into teaching is next to impossible, and the substitute job she had will be over at the end of the school year. Rachel knows that she gives the children too much money over and above their allowance, but she feels so guilty that she can't give them the expensive things Aaron does. Her budget is a joke, especially since there is so little to work with.

Jessica Sharp's husband is a bank executive and makes plenty of money, and Jess doesn't seem to have any financial problems. At least she didn't until Michael's job moves to Ohio -- and it will move whether he does or not. Their grown son, Mikey, has already lost his job and has moved back home. Mikey isn't rushing out to find a job, and this is causing marital friction between his parents.

Tiffany, Rachel and Jessica are best friends and neighbors living on Cupid's Loop in Heart Lake, Washington and they meet weekly for crafts night at each other's houses. Mostly they eat chocolate and drink wine. With each of them facing financial crises they start a support group and think of ways to save money and possibly make money at the same time. Rachel is put in charge of this project, and for some unknown reason she begins a blog about it. There are a lot of people with the same problems, and suggestions and encouragement begin pouring in.

SMALL CHANGE is a relationship driven story from page one that is heartwarming and heartbreaking in equal measure. Tiffany finds a man that in all probability is her financial equal, but he proves to her battered heart that not all men are swine. Jess is finally able to fulfill a life long dream and make a little money while having a blast and Tiffany becomes queen of the garage and rummage sales and makes excellent use of her knowledge on good deals. Sheila Roberts' star shines brighter with each new offering as she is a master at assembling outstanding protagonists and giving them stories with humor, angst, compassion, emotion, and heart.

Book Summary

Rachel, Jessica, and Tiffany all share a difficult secret: they're all struggling with major financial problems. A sudden divorce has turned Rachel from a stay-at-home mom to a strapped-for-cash divorcee about to enter the workforce for the first time. Tiffany's spending has been out of control for years, and her mounting credit card bills have put a major strain on her marriage. And Jessica just had the rug pulled out from under her. After struggling her entire life to make ends meet, she's just gotten engaged to a man with a big bank account...and now he's asked her to sign a pre-nup.

When the women share their problems at their weekly crafting group, they decide to band together to take control of their finances. As they struggle to bring balance back to their checkbooks and their lives, they learn that some things in life, like good friends, are truly priceless.

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