Book Review: MONEY SECRETS OF THE AMISH, by Lorilee Craker Giveaway!

Read this whole review to find out how to win your own copy of Money Secrets of the Amish!

Paperback: 240 pages

Publisher: Thomas Nelson (June 14, 2011)
ISBN-10: 159555341X
Rating (1 to 5 *): ****** (yes, six)

Book Review: Money Secrets of the Amish


The Amish have long been known for their thriftiness, but few "fancies" (us folk who aren't part of their community) probably have little understanding of just how thrifty these "plain" folk are, or really what their culture is all about. As it turns out, these people are the masters of making do with what they can and saving money--in some cases, putting away hundreds of thousands of dollars while raising a family of 14 children.

Journalist and best-selling author Lorilee Craker found the need in her own life to learn to cut back on her spending, and with her Mennonite roots, the Amish fascinated her. She befriended several and got to know their ways, as well as talked to some experts outside of the community, to see how they lived and saved. What she found was not only highly interesting, but also very useful in the course of every day "fancy" life. Thus, Money Secrets of the Amish came to be.

Although most people aren't willing to give up their cars and televisions and turn to horse-drawn wagons and growing their own wheat, there are a lot of thing the Amish do that we can incorporate into our daily lives, namely: use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without. In Money Secrets of the Amish, Craker goes over some of these concepts and how they relate to the rest of us. She also brings in some suggestions from her thrifty "fancy" friends, so you get a wealth of ideas that are not hard to implement if you're willing to do it. She wraps up each chapter with "My Amish Money Makeover", which is a takeaway you can implement immediately to start saving some cash.

Craker's writing style is fun as well as informative, and what I particularly appreciated was that she is not preachy. In fact, she admits freely that she gives in to temptation from time to time, or that she's not ready to take on certain aspects of Amish living. She talks about what she does and doesn't do, the great ideas her friends come up with, what she wants to try, and how something worked out for her in a "hey, this is pretty cool!" sort of way rather than a "look at how much better than you I am" sort of way. Major kudos from me! I highly recommend Money Secrets of the Amish to everyone who could use to save a little money. In this economy, that pretty much means everyone!

Want to win a copy of Money Secrets of the Amish? Leave a comment on this post, and I will randomly draw a winner. Make your comment by Sunday, September 25th, and I'll announce the winner on Monday. Be sure to give me your email address so I can contact you.