Money Secrets of the Amish was a fun, functional, entertaining, and informative story, emanating from the author's observations and interviews conducted in Amish homes and workplaces in Michigan.
Ms. Craker is respectful and admiring of the work ethic and frugality of the Amish families she visited. She gives pointers that Englishers will use to their benefit if they are willing to practice similar habits of Repurposing, Reducing, and Reusing.
Among the quotes I took to heart: ". . . the Amish believe that a gift given too easily robs children of the joy of earning it themselves."
A frugal tip that the author shares and that I will try, is to reuse aluminum foil by balling it up and putting it in the dryer with wet laundry. "It removes static and never has to be changed." I love those household tips that incorporate avoidance of adding chemicals to the environment. Of course, the Amish women more likely wash with a washboard and hang their clothes on a clothesline for the benefits of solar drying.
Ms. Craken reminds us that "the Amish view debt as a very real plague. . . . It goes completely against the grain for the Amish to go into hock to pay their expenses. Instead, they will find extra jobs or things to sell to come up with the extra cash."
I liked this book a lot; and I found lots of suggestions that will help me with good ideas for reasonable frugality in the "Englisher" world.
I highly recommend Money Secrets of the Amish: Finding True Abundance in Simplicity, Sharing, and Saving by Lorilee Craker.
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