Want to get down and dirty with your frugality? There is no better place to find new ideas than Amish country.
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?