Frugal Lessons from The Amishby Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 05 Apr 2007 11:32 AM
Here in Pennsylvania, we are settling into to our new home. We are so thrilled with the house and grounds, because we wake up to the sounds of birds instead of the sound of the trolley. Another benefit of our new home is that it is located only 40 minutes away from Amish country, in the heart of Lancaster, Pa. I love to visit Lancaster for all of the wonderful furniture, crafts and food items that can be found there. But here is a little secret, I also get some great frugal tips from watching our Amish neighbors in action. They practice frugality automatically in their everyday lives. The Amish live without electricity or automobiles, which is itself frugal, but there are many practices they they perform that can be easily adapted to a more modern type of frugal living. For example, the Amish hang their own laundry, letting the sun and the wind do the work, rather than relying on an automatic dryer. The Amish also very rarely throw anything away. On a recent trip to Lancaster, I came across a roadside stand that was offering old books for sale. I got to talking with the woman running the stand who told me about a couple of thrift type stores that she, and other members of the Amish community frequented. Among the items you can purchase or trade were empty margarine tubs, used clothespins, and lots of new fabric scraps. The woman I spoke with at the roadside stand was named Amy. She and her husband Levi were just starting out with their household. They have one small child, a boy. We talked about how my goal was to live below my means, and she agreed to share some of the ordinary and extraordinary ways that she, and her mother and aunts, save money in their daily living. So with her advice, I will be posting some future articles on these practices and how we, the non amish, can utilize the ideas in our everyday lives. Related Articles: Frugal Lessons from the Amish: Living It for Real! Frugal Lessons from The Amish: Mowing the Lawn Frugal Lessons from the Amish: Going Goodwilling Frugal Lessons from The Amish: Cooling Food Frugal lessons from The Amish: Growing Food Frugal Lessons from The Amish: Giving Up Your Vacuum Energy Hogs: Where Does Most of Your Electricity Go? Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantfrugal tags User Comments ajphebus (20) 05 Apr 2007 06:32 PMI'm looking forward to the tips from the Amish! Great resource! ajphebus (20) 06 Apr 2007 05:49 AMI have a friend who grew up in Lancaster, PA. She's Mennonite & I love all the little tips she passed along to me!  Mary Ann Romans (26876) 06 Apr 2007 06:58 AMThat is great! Do you have a favorite tip you can share? ajphebus (20) 06 Apr 2007 04:26 PMShe got me into canning and berry picking. I was ecstatic to get a 5 gallon bucket of strawberries for a fraction of the cost of what I'd pay at the supermarket. She taught me how to shop the orchards for apples for applesauce & how to can them without adding any sugar. I know that these are some pretty simple ideas, but this was before I became the thrift-hound, dollar-saver that I am today! It was a very enlightening experience... Mary Ann Romans (26876) 07 Apr 2007 05:17 AMWhat a real gift that must have been! I may be seeing Amy today, and she promised to tell me the basics about canning. I can't wait to find out! jonesx6 (1606) 13 Apr 2007 06:57 AMI think the Amish are so smart in this area. Me and the kids have been studying the Amish this past week or so and they are so resourceful. Thanks for the great tips. Blessings, Laura Mary Ann Romans (26876) 13 Apr 2007 08:45 AMGreat Laura, I would love to hear about some of the more interesting things about the local Amish that you have found. Community Tags Amish, frugal, Lancaster Discuss this article
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Want to get down and dirty with your frugality? There is no better place to find new ideas than Amish country.
