Book Review and Giveaway: Money Secrets of the Amish: Finding True Abundance in Simplicity, Sharing, and Saving by Lorilee Craker

This book is pretty timely with the recession and most of us cutting back, so I was happy to review it!

Synopsis: Author and journalist Lorilee Craker was just like the rest of us, feeling the pinch from the financial fallout of 2008. As a freelancer, her income was going the way of the dodo-family dollars seemed like an extinct myth, the bank account some archeological evidence of past prosperity.


Then, inspired by a news segment covering the Amish and how they emerged from the economic crisis unscathed, she realized it was time to learn a thing or two about their time-tested approach to personal finances. While the middle-class was wringing its hands over the family budget and the wealthy were weeping over their slashed portfolios, the Amish were content as always, spared from the cares of the world and worldliness. They not only had financial health to support their lives, they exuded a wholeness that eludes so many when the financial bottom drops out.

In Money Secrets of the Amish, readers go on an "Amish money makeover," learning the choices, secrets, and disciplines that safeguarded the contentment and the coffers of America's favorite plain folk by spending less, saving more, and getting happier doing it.


About the Author: Lorilee Craker is a native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, the Coldest City in the World (with the warmest heart). She now lives in balmy Grand Rapids, MI, where she rocks out in her minivan as she shuttles her three children to hockey, gymnastics, soccer, lacrosse, and everywhere in between. She is the author of 11 books, including "Money Secrets of the Amish" and the New York Times bestseller "Through the Storm" with Lynne Spears. She is also a longtime contributor to the entertainment pages of "The Grand Rapids Press" and has been published in magazines ranging from "Sports Spectrum" to "Parents."

Review: This is a super quick read, but I picked up alot of great ideas from it! The basic tenet that the book is based on is the Amish way: "Use it up, wear it out, make do or do without". We've all heard it before, but in our modern society, we tend to ignore it til we HAVE to. The book expands on this in many different ways, using Amish examples with examples from the author's family life with 3 kids:

• Reorganize your closet and  shop it, you might be surprised by what you have- haven't worn it, doesnt fit? Can it be recycled to someone else in your family, or made into something else (like pants to capris)? Buy only classics that don't go out of style, and you won't be throwing items out. I SO SO need to do this to our closet!
• Think garage sales, ebay, Craiglist and resale stores to SAVE. I sell Kiddos' old items on ebay or at Once Upon a Child, and the money parlayed goes to buy clothes for the next size she will be. By getting items at reduced prices, off season, she has a great wardrobe!
• Want/need a new piece of furniture-see what you can move around and repurpose in your house first. Like a dresser that can become a holder for towels in a bathroom, once it's painted to match. Mom taught me to do this as a child, and I love using pieces for not normal uses!
• Plan your menu around what you already HAVE in your pantry, only buy needed staples- Americans typically spend 42% of our food budget on dining out, when we usually have a month load of meals in our pantry! Call us GUILTY! We have to work on this one!
• Don't buy new appliances, if the old ones can be fixed cheaply. If it still works, it's cheaper then buying new. This also applies to cars! Plus your insurance will be cheaper!
• Learn to delay gratification- save your money and see if you still HAVE to have a wanted item, or can you find something cheaper and better? Same applies to kids- they need to learn to work for large items, to appreciate them and stop the gimmies every time they ask for something expensive.
• Pay bills on time and avoid late fees- they add up at the end of the year.Pay off credit cards- smallest first, add extra whenever you can. did you know you can split your payment in half each month, make 2 payemtns and reduce your interest/finance charges? Check out credit union credit cards- they typically have much lower interst rates (like 16% versus 3%) and because credit unions are non-profit, they dont play games with their members
• Be more thoughtful in gift giving- expensive hurts your wallet, not necessary makes for an item the recipient wants or needs. Think home made/home cooked! Teach children by reducing the amount of gifts they get at holidays, and by adding needed items to their list. Have to work on this one as well- it's hard for me to say NO when Kiddo wants a book whenever we go shopping!
• Some items to buy in bulk- cereal, soup, pet food, diapers, tuna. If you bake a lot- flour and sugar as well. Some items, don't buy ever- movie popcorn has a 900% (yes you read that right) mark up! This is why we ended up quitting the bulk club after Kiddo got out of diapers- it was too far to go, and not worth the expense of the membership fees and gas, for us.
• Start by saving your change, then loosing say a coffee a week, and see how easy it is to save for something you want at the end of the year- do this with your kids EARLY and teach them responsibility and safe spending. We're getting ready to start this with Kiddo. We bought a chore/action chart, set up 3 banks (save, spend and church), and agreed upon an amount she will earn. She see's the value already, as we have filled up 2 of the banks before we started and when she saw how much it was when cashed in for bills, she was eager to save it all! Woo hoo!

I highly recommend this book to everyone. Some of you will learn new things, others will be reminded of things you stopped doing, and others may find just the course of action they need to take to get their financial lives back in order!

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Disclosure: I received this book, from the publisher, C Grant and Company, free of charge, for blog review purposes. I received no other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post.Nor was I told what to say about the book!