Money Secrets of the Amish Book Review

I am not really sure how I found this book while searching on the computer at the library but I am glad that I did.  I put it on hold and it came in fairly quickly.  It was copy written in 2011 so it isn't a super new book and this copy of the book smelled like incense.  I started to get used to it while reading through the humorous book.  It was a fast read and well worth looking it up if you haven't read it before.  Money Secrets of the Amish: Finding True Abundance in Simplicity, Sharing, and Saving by Lorilee Craker is a cheaper book on Amazon at $9 if you can't find it in your library, maybe add it to your wish list or check out the preview.

Take one thoroughly modern gal with a recessionary income problem, mix with the practices of a culture that has proved to be recession-proof, and what have you got?
A financial planner in a straw hat.
When writer Lorilee Craker learned that the Amish are not just surviving but thriving in the economic downturn, she decided to find out why.  What she found was about a dozen tried and true financial habits the Amish have employed for generations that will make your cash last longer and help you build wealth.  Craker provides tips to...

• use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without
• rethink your gift giving
• repurpose, recycle, and reuse
• eat like royalty for a peasant's pittance

Endorsements:

Packed with practical, simple, and smart money saving ideas and teeming with great insight into the sensible Amish ways, Money Secrets of the Amishwill entertain you with stories and retrain your brain to be the savvy money saver you always dreamed you could be.  --Beth Wiseman, best-selling author of Plain Promise and Seek Me With All Your Heart
Sometimes touching, sometimes humorous and always helpful, author Lorilee Craker pulls us into the family rooms of the Amish and shows us how they make ends meet. Story after story illustrates savvy money management: trading for goods and services, shopping for bargains, living with less, avoiding debt, curbing the desire to impress others. And Craker’s journalistic bent provides plenty of takeaway value for the non-Amish. A very worthwhile read whether your bank account is bursting or busting.  --Suzanne Woods Fisher, author of Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World and Lancaster County Secrets (Revell)
This book is like an Amish basement shelf loaded with Mason jars full of Plain money wisdom.  Self-confessed “Fancy” gal Lorilee Craker rolls up her sleeves and cracks them open one-by-one, figuring out how to fit Amish principles to a non-Amish life.  She succeeds, and so can you―read Money Secrets of the Amish and add weight to your wallet.  --Erik Wesner, amishamerica.com; author ofSuccess Made Simple: An Inside Look at Why Amish Businesses Thrive
Money Secrets of the Amish is a practical, doable guide, and it's such fun to read.  Lorilee's voice is as engaging and lively as ever, and the wisdom she shares from the Amish community is both inspiring and instructive. I just finished the last page, and my mind is buzzing with all sorts of ways to waste less, want less, and spend less.  --Shauna Niequist, author of Cold Tangerines and Bittersweet

Lorilee inspires and impacts your everyday life with this marvelous little read. From buttons to bakery you suddenly realize this conversation is not about just pinching a few pennies but about transforming how we view our everyday lives. I applaud Lorilee for asking the hard questions and pressing in to find honest answers. Forget the mall, kick back and soak up the delicious wisdom of a life well lived. Thank you Lorilee for shaping my everyday!  --Tracey Bianchi, author of Green Mama
Money Secrets of the Amish isn’t so much about making money; it’s about family, discipline, and redefining what wealthy means. This is a great read that helps us all to see more clearly what’s really valuable in our lives.  --Jeff McMahon, award-nominated musician and national director/runner with the Team McGraw endurance program

I thought that it brought some of the same ideas that I already use but it was filled with funny stories and strong reminders on how to be frugal.  These 14 chapters help describe how the Amish live that makes them more immune to the economic downturn then other Americans.  There are many ideas such as using things up, not paying bills late, not using credit, rethinking gifts, saving, buying in bulk, and bartering.  There are many lessons in this book and I know that the last chapter talking about the best things in life are free really brings the book to the natural conclusion.  We can all be reminded of great things that Amish do and things that we can do to make more frugal decisions even if we are already making them.  This book puts very funny stories with these lessons that make it even more fun and enjoyable.  I think that this book is a great summary for those who couldn't make it through the whole Tightwad Gazette with all the wonderful ideas.  I highly recommend checking this book out if you can find it at your local library!!  Hope you enjoy it as much as I have!