"Money Secrets of the Amish" by Lorilee Craker

Lorilee Craker was your typical Michigan soccer mom until the recession hit - and it hit her family.  During a period of Extreme Thrift, as she calls it, she learned that the Amish were thriving financially despite the poor economy, and she determined to learn their secrets.  This book details what she learned and how she's applying it in her own family.

Craker's writing style is simple and humorous.  She sketches word pictures in your mind that are just plain funny and adds asides to point them out.  While I feared that a money book would be monotonous and boring, this book was anything but - I couldn't wait to finish it!  As a girl who grew up in a frugal farming family and in an Amish area, I felt that many of the tips Craker shared were basic, but they were explained well.  The examples she told of her Englischer friends using these tips detail how we can make these work in our lives, even in a more secular society.  Really, who wouldn't want to know how a farmer with 14 children is able to bank $400,000?

The best part of this book is that it's not meant to be a quick-fix-then-forget-about it-solution to your current money issues, but a way of life that's honoring to both God and His creation.  That message stands out in each chapter.  Need to get your family on board with that idea, too?  Read Chapter 7 - Craker plans for everything.

For anyone wanting to simplify their lifestyle and focus on what is really important in life, Money Secrets of the Amish is a must-read.

I received this book free from BookSneeze in exchange for an honest review.