Money Secrets of the Amish

Title: MONEY SECRETS OF THE AMISH
Author: Lorilee Craker
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
June 2011
ISBN: 978-1-5955-5341-6
Genre: Inspirational/business and economics/personal finance

Take one thoroughly modern gal with a recessionary income problem, mix with the practices of a culture that has proven to be recession-proof, and what have you got?

A financial planner in a straw hat. (from the back cover)

MONEY SECRETS OF THE AMISH is written in the same tongue-in-cheek attitude as the above. Ms. Craker has interviewed vast amounts of Amish, as well as bankers, etc. and discovered that if you take away the straw hat and the beard then the advice that Dave Ramsey gave is spot-on.

> If you want something, save for it. Don’t go into debt for it.
> Deny yourself (and your children) things, don’t buy everything you want.
> Shop thrift stores and consignment shops. Used is as good as new.
> Shop at home first—cook out of your pantry and your freezer and don’t eat out so much
and much more.

I enjoyed reading through MONEY SECRETS OF THE AMISH because it was fun to read the idioms and proverbs of the Amish, to read more about this fascinating culture (such as the way they refer to each other, in a community full of dozens with the same names) and Ms. Craker’s sarcastic thoughts mixed in. It made for a fun and entertaining read.

I really can’t say I learned anything though. My grandparents went through the depression. My parents were taught to hang on to everything. And I have been raised the same way. It does come in handy, as long as you remember where it was put… Financially, I know I need to save more, and I should. I can’t afford the $80 a month she mentioned in the book, but maybe I could start smaller. Give up the iced lattes I’m addicted to and put that money in the bank instead. Ms. Craker went through the math to figure out how much she saved giving up Starbucks – and it does add up. Over $700 a year in her case. And that $700 could go for something you need. Or for a vacation.

If you want a basic financial class, then MONEY SECRETS OF THE AMISH is a book to read. It is entertaining, packed with truth, and would do anyone well to read through, if only as a refresher course of core values. $15.99. 224 pages.