People ask me all the time how I came up with the idea for my book “Money Secrets of the Amish,” my most successful solo book to date and a 2012 Audie Awards nominee for Best Audio Book in the Personal Development category.
Here’s the scoop: An agent friend of mine, Tim Beals, approached me because he knew I was Mennonite. “Publishers are looking for a book about Amish financial principles,” he said. I didn’t really think this would be for me–moi, write a book about money???
I was bad at money–a spender, not a saver. How could I impart Amish money secrets? My friend Alison sealed the deal: “That’s IT,” she said, “you’re bad with money…you can learn right alongside the Amish. That can be your schtick!”
Eureka! The rest is history, and thus launched my very unlikely Amish money makeover! I had a ball tromping around Amish barns in my rubber boots, and sitting in the kitchens of Sadies and Naomi’s and Esther’s, inhaling the good smells of Snitz pies baking in the ovens. The book still sells, and I still get interview requests for it from places like The Wall Street Journal and The Economist. Amazing! So I thought I would put together a list of Amish money secrets, highlighting those that have really worked for me over the last five years:
1. Most of the time, buy what you need, and then only when you have the money for it.
Put so starkly, most of us could agree that this sounds like a grand idea. If only we had the self-control to do it.
As I researched my book, Money Secrets of the Amish: Finding True Abundance in Simplicity, Sharing and Saving, I saw with my own two eyes that the Amish were generally unfazed by the turmoil of the economic crises.
Their money values were “upside down,” put next to ours. Counter-intuitive. Counter-cultural.
2. The Amish “UWMD” (Use it up, Wear it Out, Make Do, Do Without), without fail, going to great lengths to mend and repair everything from their buggies to their bonnets, only buying a replacement when an item has been worn down to its last bit of usefulness.
We tend to rush out and buy a gleaming new replacement, at the first sign of wear and tear.
3. The Amish don’t fritter like we do. They laser focus on their financial goals, employing a tremendous knack for delayed gratification that prevents them from frittering away their hard-earned money on non-essentials.
We (okay, me) fritter. Madly. Our impulsive culture caves in at the sight of glossy magazines, frapps, cute shoes, the latest electronics, and so much more.
4. My Plain friends think much differently about gift giving occasions, especially Christmas. Their gifts are usually small and need-based, and then their recipients (even their children) only get a gift or two, max.

Me and the kiddos the day the seeds were planted for this book, when I spoke a bit of Low German-Pennsylvania Dutch to an Amishman, who told me we were spiritual brother and sister.
On the other hand, Englishers (you and me and every non-Amish soul out there) think nothing of blowing a huge wad of cash on tons of gifts, gifts that may be tossed aside or broken quickly, while our little beneficiaries play in the box.
Other differences:
The Amish pay their bills on time, every time.
5. Save (usually about 20% of their income)!
6. Shop thrift stores and garage sales, and find a second and a third use for everything.

Me with the great former congressman Vern Ehlers, at his GARAGE SALE. The coolest garage sale ever!
7. Their children are loved, but not adored and spoiled. Even little Amos and Sadie know the value of hard work and a dollar.
8. They steer clear of debt like the plague.
While our country’s well being buckles under the debt ceiling, the hopelessly old-fashioned Amish look horrified at the mention of credit cards. Wide-eyed with wariness, they repeatedly quoted P.T. Barnum, the circus maven, on his view of debt, written a hundred years ago.
“Debt is like buying a dead horse,” they’d tell me, startled that I would even ask if they used credit.
What they mean by this is that by the time you finish paying for a horse on credit, he might be dead, and how foolish is that? Admittedly, I have paid for dead horses before, or rather, clothes that don’t fit or go out of style.
9. They control their impulses. On a spiritual level, it all comes down to self-control, or lack of it. Just like any other fruit of the spirit, it’s important to work on cultivating self control for many reasons, and spiritual growth is at the top of the list.
Like our country in general, I have a ways to go as I try and follow the model set by the Amish, one of America’s most fascinating and admirable subcultures. It’s a mindset shift, of thinking differently about spending values and habits, and focusing not on what we lost but what we have.
I may not be willing to wear a bonnet on the outside, but hopefully I can become a little more Amish, even if it’s just on the inside.
Note: This blog was originally written a while back for Suzanne Woods Fisher’s blog–a site to connect with all things Amish and to learn about the newest books from my pal, the great storyteller Suzanne! (I met this woman in Lancaster County, at Amish Trivial Pursuit Night, one of the most fascinating and memorable nights of my whole life. Read about it in Money Secrets of the Amish! 🙂
GIVEAWAY: Comment below for chance to win a copy of “The Quieting” AND “Money Secrets of the Amish”!

Suzanne’s latest, “The Quieting.”
You are right on it, Lorilee. It does take self-control.
Something many of us struggle with, but it is key to financial stability!
This is great info – the Amish avoid the media and the hype so they’re not stuck in the commercialism of our society. Even those of us who don’t live the Amish lifestyle could rein in our expenditures!
Peter, that’s a good point. We are stuck in the land of commercials and fliers etc. We are exposed to so many selling messages, while the Amish are not. That probably helps with their lack of impulse spending!
Loved this. Though not Amish, many of these outlooks and ways of living are in my family’s background. As a Christian, I feel called to live more simply and to find joy in what money cannot buy.
Hi Anna–my goal for the book was that anyone, even a couple living in Manhattan or Chicago, could benefit from these tips! :)And yes, there is such joy in things money can’t buy!
Loved this book, Lorilee! My most useful takeaway: “Shop your closet.” I’ve done so many times since reading your book, and have marveled at what I can come up with when I put fresh eyes on my closet. Thanks, pal!
Lorilee!!! Thank-you!!! This strikes home with me just now as I prepare to empty my home of all things that I don’t need and no one uses—-clutter–excess. Yes, a few things may be used over or in a different capacity, but most of it’s going!!!! The big one for me is clothing. I have so much clothing, and most of it does not fit me, although I enjoyed buying it and know that “one day” it might fit, or, that some of that over-loose clothing that I admire so greatly, could be really relaxing to wear on leisure days. (but it looks horrid).
Just recently, it has been in my mind to purchase one wonderful, attractive suit for special occasions, such as church, a wedding, or visiting those long lost relatives. Hopefully, God’s Spirit will lead me to the right place, at the right time, at the right price for that particular suit, so that perhaps it won’t wear out for 40 years!!!
Sincerely with Raspberry Cordial,
Marge
Your book “Money Secrets” is delightful. I’ve been fascinated by the Amish for a long time (since about 1986 when I visited an Amish Market in Maryland). Lately I’ve been pondering how I can incorporate more of their attitudes and actions into my life. They have a lot to offer. Thanks for sharing.
Each of these “secrets” are well-worth striving for. I especially need to learn to control my impulse shopping and my over expenditures on gifts. Thanks for sharing this post.
Very sound advice.
Delayed gratification is something completely foreign to most of us now, and I’m worried the long term effects of this are going to be really, really hard on us. And our children!
I love this… we try and simplify so often looking to gurus with loads of money, fancy clothes, television or radio shows, perfect hair & makeup… when that itself is (a bit of) a hypocrisy. I’ll keep these tips in mind a bit easier now!
Excellent “secret” tips. If more of us followed these helpful ways of living, we would be more content.