Money Secrets of the Amish: Finding True Abundance in Simplicity, Sharing, and Saving

by Lorilee Craker

Overview

Are you ready to take control of your finances, no matter where the market goes? Join Lorilee Craker as she shares the time-tested Amish secrets to enjoying true abundance on a practical budget.

When writer Lorilee Craker learned that Amish communities are thriving (not just surviving) during periods of economic downturn, she decided she had to find out why. Along the way, she found a treasure trove of tried-and-true financial habits the Amish have employed for generations that will forever change how you think about money.

In Money Secrets of the Amish, Craker gives you the tools you need to:

• Use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without
• Repurpose, recycle, and reuse what you already have
• Find the value in delayed gratification and self-control

Praise for Money Secrets of the Amish:

"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, bestselling author of I Guess I Haven't Learned that Yet and Present Over Perfect

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781595553416
Publisher:	Nelson, Thomas, Inc.
Publication date:	06/13/2011
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	1,175,756
Product dimensions:	8.12(w) x 5.56(h) x 0.67(d)

About the Author

Lorilee Craker is the author of eleven books, including The New York Times best seller Through the Storm with Lynne Spears, and A is for Atticus: Baby Names from Great Books . When she’s not shuttling her three children to hockey, gymnastics, and everywhere in between,Lorilee moonlights as an entertainment and features writer for the Grand Rapids Press in Grand Rapids, MI, and has written for magazines such as Parents and Parent and Child.

Table of Contents

Introduction ix

1 Upside Down 1

2 UWMW: Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make Do, or Do Without 9

3 Don't Eat the Marshmallow: Learning Delayed Gratification 31

4 Pay on Time 47

5 Rethinking Gifts 55

6 Saving 75

7 Operation De-spoil the Kids 91

8 Repurpose, Recycle, and Reuse 105

9 Dead Horses Smell Bad, but Debt Smells Even Worse 121

10 Shopping Secondhand 133

11 To Bulk or Not to Bulk? 159

12 Amish Foodies or Frugal Feinschmeckers 175

13 Bartering: I'll Trade You This Cow for a Bunch of Rugs 195

14 The Best Things in Life Are Free 211

Acknowledgments 221

About the Author 224

Editorial Reviews

Craker (Through the Storm) interviews lots of thrifty Amish people to understand better their financial habits and choices. Each chapter covers a different aspect of financial behavior (pay bills on time, don't overindulge the children) and ends with "money makeover" advice. A lot of the advice is common sense, but money is a subject that needs all the common sense people can bring to it. The book is driven by the writer's distinctive voice; response to it will be a matter of taste. Some will find it friendly and encouraging; others may find it more flippant than good-humored. Lots of debt-ridden Americans could use this book, though whether they'll take it to heart is another matter. (June)

Publishers Weekly

"Packed with practical, simple, and smart money saving ideas and teeming with great insight into the sensible Amish ways, Money Secrets of the Amish will 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



“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


“Everyone should take a course in Amish frugality before graduation, but since there isn’t one, Craker’s book fits the bill.” —James “JY” Young, guitarist, singer, songwriter, and cofounder of the rock band Styx

From the Publisher