4.5 Stars Out Of 5
4.5 out of 5
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(9)
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Quality:
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Value:
4.5 out Of 5
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Meets Expectations:
4.4 out Of 5
(4.4 out of 5)
97%
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Displaying items 26-30 of 30
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  1. Carin
    Canada
    Age: 25-34
    Gender: female
    4 Stars Out Of 5
    A lesson in generosity and community.
    June 4, 2011
    Carin
    Canada
    Age: 25-34
    Gender: female
    Quality: 4
    Value: 4
    Meets Expectations: 5
    I chose this book because I'm always looking for tips about saving money and living simply. The book didn't disappoint! Craker's interviews with Amish families provide plenty of helpful suggestions for living frugally and illustrate the sense of community that the Amish people have. It is inspiring to read of people who are genuinely interested and committed to helping their families and their neighbours. Their self-sufficiency is amazing, as is their ability to use and reuse things that others would simply toss. Craker also gives examples of ways that she has applied these principles to her own life and spending habits. I find her writing style leaves something to be desired, but it was a quick and easy read.

    Thompson Nelson Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
  2. lisadwb
    Columbus, OH
    Age: 45-54
    Gender: female
    4 Stars Out Of 5
    Practical ideas presented in a fun manner
    June 4, 2011
    lisadwb
    Columbus, OH
    Age: 45-54
    Gender: female
    Quality: 4
    Value: 4
    Meets Expectations: 4
    Money Secrets of the Amish: Finding True Abundance in Simplicity, Sharing, and Saving by Lorilee Craker takes a look into living a simpler, "greener" (as in saving money) lifestyle.

    Money Secrets of the Amish: Finding True Abundance in Simplicity, Sharing, and Saving offers 14 chapters of practical hints and tips on managing money that reminds one of our grandparents' principles. Each chapter not only lays out the thoughts of the Amish but also has several "English" friends who are willing to share their own tips. It was also inspiring to read the author's own experiences relating to each principle learned.

    While Lorilee writes about the steps many of us are already taking of being thrifty and saving some green, it is good to pick up some extra ideas. I think everyone could benefit from the principle found in chapter 2- "UWMW" (Use it up, Wear it out, Make Do or Do Without.) That, along with other suggestions for recycling, reusing and thrift store shopping helps to get the creative juices flowing on how to build the savings account. The To Do section following each chapter is a good place to start putting those lessons to good use.

    I found this book to not only be educational but entertaining too. I would recommend Money Secrets of the Amish: Finding True Abundance in Simplicity, Sharing, to anyone looking to improve their financial thinking.

    I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
  3. tammycookblogsbooks
    3 Stars Out Of 5
    Money Secrets of the Amish
    December 23, 2011
    tammycookblogsbooks
    The author, Lorilee Craker wanted to sell her house and move to a bigger one. The problem was her house was appraised at $27,000 less than what she and her husband paid for it. She decided it was time for become more thrifty to be able buy another house. She heard about the Amish surviving the recent economic crisis without losing their properties. She went straight to the source and interviewed several people in the Amish community to see how they dealt with finances.

    Lorilee learned many things about the Amish that she could apply to her own life. For example, she learned that the Amish always pay their bills on time and do not believe in having any kind of debt. They don't buy new, they go to secondhand stores and garage sales. They barter their services/goods for other's services/goods. The Amish use things until they wear out–completely. They repurpose, reuse and reclaim everything. This is just part of the list. Lorilee Cracker tells the reader the ways she and many other people have applied what she learned to their own lives.

    She gave a very useful formula for figuring out how many hours a person has to work to buy a desired item. Write down your pretax income, subtract 25 percent for taxes, and divide what's left by 2,000 (the hours you work in a year). This is the amount you make per hour. Take the cost of the item and divide by the amount you make per hour. Is the item worth the hours you work to pay for it?

    The author discovered the lifestyle of the Amish - their thriftiness, self-control concerning purchases, sharing with others and sense of community is what causes them to thrive in a world so full of financial distress.

    The one thing I didn't care for in the book was the author's use of humor. It is found throughout the book. I guess it's not my type of humor. To me it almost seemed degrading to the Amish. She said things like "Somehow Menno, rocking the bowl haircut, beard, and suspenders, didn't look surprised", "...have a wide repertoire of desserts under their bonnets", and "So when Moses and Mary grow up and hitch their buggies together, they won't be making many thoughtless and trivial purchases".

    I would recommend this book for anyone is looking to cut spending and to learn to how to save their money in ways they may not have thought about. I would say you have to like humor to really enjoy this book. There is a good amount of background information about the Amish in this book, which I enjoyed reading about.

    I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for my honest review.
  4. Steve Hyde
    Phnom Penh, Cambodia
    Age: 35-44
    Gender: male
    3 Stars Out Of 5
    Practical information on saving money
    June 28, 2011
    Steve Hyde
    Phnom Penh, Cambodia
    Age: 35-44
    Gender: male
    Quality: 3
    Value: 3
    Meets Expectations: 2
    About a month ago I purposefully made a trip to an Amish area of Northern Iowa. As I was there I was pondering how the Amish did business and why it seemed to work well for them. I was excited to see Lorilee Craker had written a book on the topic I was curious about, so I approached this book with great excitement and expectation. The book addressed many topics dealing with how the Amish do business and how they perceive money and wealth. A cornerstone seems to be "being taught to love work", one Amish farmer named Eli said. Others talked about how to save money you need to "scrape the bottom of the barrel!" The Amish reuse and recycle everything.

    In regards to money, they were clear on avoiding debt. Equally, they stressed saving money at all times so that you can accomplish your dreams and it will cushion you for rainy days. You must learn to say "no" to many items so that you can save to accomplish your bigger dreams.

    Craker offers practical advice for the reader on how to save money. For a simple and practical book on how to save money in a bad economy this is a good one to read. I wish that she would have linked the traditions of the Amish to the main source of their inspiration, the Bible and their Christian lifestyle. She didn't . It is extremely practical for those who want to save money and learn how the Amish save money, but I think it didn't go far enough to show the true source of many of their traditions in saving money, the Bible itself.

    The Amish are also known to be loyal to their community and constantly help each other out. Craker wrote from an individualistic perspective and though she mentioned the Amish in community, she did not mention how the community affects or are involved in their financial living. I would be curious to find out more about the communities role in helping with each other's needs.

    Furthermore, while she mentioned character throughout the book, it was not highlighted how character is an essential aspect of their lives and financial success. Work ethic, humility, simplicity, avoiding pride and ostentatious lifestyles, integrity, discipline and righteousness are godly characteristics which have impacted their whole life. I believe this book only skims the surface of the success of the Amish to flourish at a time when most Americans are finding the economic recession arduous. For the casual reader it is a good book to read, but for someone who is searching for deeper insight into the Amish secrets of money, you will likely be disappointed.

    Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.
  5. Jennifer
    West Virginia
    Age: 35-44
    Gender: female
    3 Stars Out Of 5
    Basic Frugal Ideas
    June 6, 2011
    Jennifer
    West Virginia
    Age: 35-44
    Gender: female
    Quality: 3
    Value: 3
    Meets Expectations: 3
    I'm Amish. Or at least my shopping habits are, at least to a large degree.

    In Money Secrets of the Amish: Finding True Abundance in Simplicity, Sharing, and Saving, Lorilee Cracker examines why even during economic downturns the Amish still are thriving financially.

    There's no real secrets in this book, but I still enjoyed most of it. She talks about bartering, paying off debt, not getting into debt using credit cards, buying in bulk, buying second hand, not spoiling children, waiting until you have the money for big purchases, and the like.

    For someone who is already good at managing your money, there are no real savings hints here. I did enjoy the stories about the Amish, such as the game night around the Trivial Pursuit game purchased second hand. (Instead of the Arts and Entertainment category, they replaced that with Bible trivia!) Also the story of the lady baking over a dozen pies was neat.

    I totally had to agree with her on "Rethinking Gifts". So many times people buy to just buy and don't consider the other person when buying. There are times that something second hand or a gift of time would be so much more appriciated than a new sweater.

    Would I recommend this book? It depends on the person. If they are already frugal, I'd say skip it. If they are interested in the Amish, definately. If they need to rethinking their spending habits, yes.

    FTC Disclosure: I received a free coupy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying items 26-30 of 30
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