Amish weather recession
Frugality, industry are ways-to deal with tough timesBy AMANDA SMITH-TEUTSCH Tribune Chronicle
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Fact Box
Saving money Amish style
- Buy in bulk:
Sharon Grover, who owns Ridgeview Farms with her husband, Steve, relies on bulk foods to feed her family.
"I buy the oatmeal for 65 cents a pound," she said. "I go through it like crazy. My kids love oatmeal."
She also buys sugar and rice in bulk.
By buying in bulk, she gets more food for her grocery money, she said.
At The Fig Tree in Middlefield, owner Tony Montana sells bulk spices, baking needs, noodles and dry soup mixes. There are also several different types of flour: rice, rye and whole wheat are just a few.
- Buy from discount or salvage groceries:
The food sold by many salvage grocers are namebrand products the same as sold in mainstream grocery stores. Some items may be out-of-date, but Bill Gingrich, owner of B & K Salvage Groceries, said he tries to stock only in-date or close-to-date products on his shelves.
Sometimes a container of food is damaged in shipping, he said, and the entire lot is sent to salvage. Perhaps only one or two cans in the lot are damaged, and the rest can be sold. Sometimes a grocer can't sell an entire lot of a particular item, and sends the excess to salvage as well.
Gingrich estimates people can save 60 to 80 percent over retail price by shopping at salvage stores.
- Buy local produce:
Many farmers set up local farm stands or send their produce to farmer's markets. The Grovers' farm market opens May 1. They sell local produce whenever possible, and Ohio produce when local items aren't available.
Farm market prices are often better than retail groceries.
- Share with your neighbors:
At the Middlefield Cheese Original Co-op, the cheesemakers use milk from local farmers in the dozen or so types of cheeses they make.
The cheeses they make usually sell for about half of the price a similar product would garner in a retail grocers.
"Many Amish families will buy a 40-pound block together, and then split it equally," said Rebecca Hostetler, who works for the co-op.
The same goes for meats. At Byler's Freezer Meats, owner Andy Byler buys entire sides of beef from Mahan's Packing in Bristolville. People can buy quarters of beef to freeze for themselves or share among families. A front quarter gives 8 pot roasts, 15 rib steaks, short ribs, soup and stew meat, briskets and shank meat, along with tens of pounds of ground beef.
A quarter side can feed a family for nearly a year.
MESOPOTAMIA - The Amish faith advocates living apart from the world.
The Amish still must live in the world, however. And as the recession deepens, many of the conservative Christian community are drawing on their traditions to weather the storm.
''Not many families can rely completely on their farms for income,'' said Freeman Miller, who owns Millers Holz Haus in Middlefield with his wife. They sell small furniture pieces, children's toys and furniture, decorative objects, quilts and other goods made by the Amish. "As a result, many men went into building or construction.''
He estimates at least half of the Amish community is involved in some way in building and construction. When the housing market crashed last year, so did job prospects for many of the companies. With the resulting economic decline and layoffs of thousands around the area, the remodeling businesses also slowed.
''Many people think that because the Amish don't have things like cars or electric, that the economic crisis hasn't impacted them,'' said Miller. ''I would say 75 or 80 percent of them work in wood in some fashion, and many of them are out of work. Many of the younger men work in construction, and there hasn't been work for them all winter.''
There are other things those men can do, Miller said. But the loss or cutback of a livelihood is an adjustment for anyone, he said.
Bill Gingrich opened his store - B & K Salvage Groceries - nine years ago to help save people money. He originally ran a construction business and was looking for something to supplement his income. The second year of operation he stopped the construction work and concentrated entirely on the store. It now employs his family and six other people.
''When gasoline was $4 a gallon, people didn't want to drive this far,'' he said. The Gingrichs' store is on state Route 87 in Mesopotamia. ''But now that gas is down, more people will come.''
When he opened B & K, it was the only salvage grocery in that part of Trumbull County. Now there are several in the upper regions of the county.
''It is a new industry in our county, but it is one that is needed,'' he said. ''It makes it easier for people to make their budgets reach.''
At the salvage grocery, Gingrich sells name-brand groceries at a discount. He also sells fresh produce and fresh bread. He said he thinks as more people need to trim their budgets, they'll look for ways to save money and may look to salvage groceries.
''We all tend to live right up to our means,'' Gingrich said. ''It's when those means are gone that we have to make an adjustment.''
In the end, Freeman Miller said he's confident people will find their way through the economic crisis. It may mean realizing that things once thought essential are actually luxuries, or that people will spend more time with their loved ones. There may be a silver lining to the storm clouds, too, he said.
"It's been good to see everyone step back," Miller said.
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Karrilyn
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03-23-09 11:29 PM
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Bruskii, what the*****do you think they eat that is so awful, they aren't running out to collect chipmunks, rats and skunks to feed their families, they eat the same things that most other people eat including fish from our local lakes, and wild game is nothing new.
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pahootaman
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03-23-09 4:39 PM
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I like them, and miss them. You don't see too many Amish in DC. Here's an Amish story. I was at the Smithsonian Museum of American History the other weekend, and there's this new area devoted to presidents that either died, or were killed in office. I make my way over to Kennedy's spot, and what do you know, about 20 Amish people huddled around a television watching Kennedy's funeral procession. I didn't know what to think of it, and was a little shy to ask. Maybe some of you know out there, what's the Amish's fascination with Kennedy?
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AllSeriousnessAsside
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03-23-09 12:27 PM
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I do agree with OGI812! I don't understand the ignorance of some people though and why certain people come down so hard on the amish communities? I work for a local bank and deal with alot of the amish community. These people are hard working individuals with a passion to take care of their own, which can't be said for some of our own relatives, neighbors or even friends. Who are we to judge?? Are you quick to make asumptions because you might not understand their culture or way of life? It's just sad in times like these that all of us should be sticking together to help each other but instead choose to bicker and fight and point fingers because we might not all be of the same religion or be of the same nationality.... Come on people!
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ohiojohn2
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03-23-09 12:25 PM
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Ain't it a bit odd? I bet most around the area have no clue as to what a full day of work consists of for the Amish. I admire their work ethic and devotion to family. We as a community would suffer without such good examples of honest living.
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OGI812
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03-23-09 12:03 PM
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beachbaby - I do agree that not all amish builders do quality work - but the same can be said of non-amish. I bet you'll find displaced autoworker "builders" out there undercutting your prices too. To label all amish the same is condesending. Well, at least you still have your repair work. passintime - no you don't need a license to drive a buggy.....at 5-10mph. Your comment about amish being antiamerican is just plain asinine. Their beliefs may not include going to war but they do belive in an honest day's work - which is more than I can say for many non-amish.
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passintime
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03-23-09 8:11 AM
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really, let's not go there with the amish, please!! they use and tear up the pavement of the roads and get away with so much. i think you can be ten and drive a horse and buggy down the road without a license. thier always an accident waiting to happen. i know people that live around that area, and say that thier really not all that great! even, maybe, antiAmerican.
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beachbaby
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03-23-09 7:24 AM
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While I feel for all of us in this tough economy, the Amish have had no problem underbidding prices on construction for the rest of us. Since their money stays in the family, they have no problem putting in a bid of 1/2 the going price, then contractors like us are paid to go back and fix their shoddy work.
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