Keeping It Simple: More on Money and the Amish

My good friend let me borrow two amazing books. I can't stop thinking about them.  Let me share...

 

Money Secrets of the Amish: Finding True Abundance in Simplicity, Sharing, and Saving

by Lorilee Craker

This is the first one that I read. 

No, devoured.

MSotA:FTAiSSaS, for short,  is something old and something new. The author admits that the advice is similar to Dave Ramsey however I would add..."but even better." It is better because the Amish don't focus on earthly things but rather their heavenly reward. 

Also, because they are not consumer-minded, their philosophies on money and life resonate with me.  Don't get me wrong, I like Dave Ramsey. I think his principles are sound and proven. I am just of the mindset that simplicity rules.

Another Amish philosophy I really connected with was "use it up, wear it out, make do or do without." This reminded me of my grandparents' generation. My grandparents came from the Depression Era so they were rightly cautious with money, food and reusing the reusable. They saved because it was prudent. They reused because it was prudent (they were "zero waste" before it was en-vogue).

They also stocked up on a good sale. My grandparents had shelves of canned goods- top to bottom shelves full. My sister and I used to play "store" in the pantry. Yeah-it was that much food.

The importance of thrift and preparedness is invaluable. I am not talking about those people who buy $900 worth of chips and sports drinks for $1.40 total. I am referring to having a good supply of real food and store visits are monthly or less.

Homesteading/self-reliance was another topic I really related to in this book. It's not because we are homesteaders but because that is our goal. More on that later though.

I could go on with a review but just read it. It is completely worth it.


 The second book was even more edifying:

 

Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology (P.S.)

by Eric Brende (Paperback)

This is a true story of a man who lived with an Amish (or Amish-like) community for 18 months. He was researching their community and wrote about his experiences, trials and joys.

I have to admit that forty pages into the book, I had to close it. 

I was overwhelmed. 

It was the utter selflessness of the community that made me put the book down for about an hour. I had to answer a lot of questions that I had been pondering lately. The questions are so profound and complex that I cannot properly give an example. They have a beginning but then they flow in all directions.

Read it and thank me later. Even better-recommend it to someone else. 

I wanted to share both of these titles because I feel like I have been given a gift. This gift has me savoring in thought, planning, and prayer.