Amish and inflation

[jeffd]

Hi again, just a quick thought I have had for quite some time. I have had a
respect/ fascination with the Amish lifestyle and there thumbing of their noses
at a lot of what we think is so important. But I just wondered how they have faired through the housing/ inflation epidemics the rest of the country has gone through. Just a mild curiosity

 

[jollystomper]

For one thing, the price of gas is likely much less of an issue .

Edited to add:

Here is an interesting article from 2020 about the Amish economy. It highlights 5 aspects (do it yourself/barter; voluntary work; no insurance; education thru work and church, not schools; small businesses). From that one could extrapolate where the impact is:

https://www.mutualinterest.coop/2020/08/the-amish-economy-5-fascinating-characteristics

 

[MichaelB]

For one thing, the price of gas is likely much less of an issue .

 

[daylatedollarshort]

I don't know about the Amish but urban homesteading and sustainable living have been my retirement hobbies. They sure have helped blunt the impact of inflation on our expenses.

 

[braumeister]

Hi again, just a quick thought I have had for quite some time. I have had a
respect/ fascination with the Amish lifestyle and there thumbing of their noses
at a lot of what we think is so important. But I just wondered how they have faired through the housing/ inflation epidemics the rest of the country has gone through. Just a mild curiosity

Being largely self-sufficient, they are able to weather the volatility better than most. From my conversations with Amish folk, the biggest problem is this:

They tend to have large families, and while some will inherit the family farm, when the other kids get old enough to go out on their own they have to go pretty far out to find affordable farmland of their own. That relatively low priced land is getting difficult to find nowadays.

 

[CaptTom]

I have relatives who live near Amish Country, and they buy lots of products from the Amish. Lumber is one which comes to mind at the moment. Apparently it's cheaper, better quality, and they can negotiate for exactly what they want. Pretty much the opposite of the big-box home improvement store experience.

I have a lot of respect for their way of life. Not my first choice, but there are far worse societies to live in.

 

[JoeWras]

It impacts them like it does us when they have to use cash. For example, property taxes.

Although they don't routinely travel, they do occasionally travel, and energy prices will impact them in those cases. It is infrequent enough to probably not matter.

Example:Amish love to help with disaster relief. Yes, they volunteer outside their community. They almost always hitch a ride with the Mennonites. I would guess they pitch in for gas money. Fun aside: they love to use power tools on these trips. Nothing they own, of course . They are expert carpenters and pick up the power tools just fine. Their beliefs just don't allow them to rely on this at home. But away and volunteering in God's service? Well, hand them a power tool and they'll use it. It's really fascinating.

 

[pjm-7]

Haven't checked prices lately, but I am in Ohio I enjoy stopping at Lehman's to check out all of the interesting things for self-sufficiency. See lehmans.com.

 

[zinger1457]

I purchased a very nice Amish made bedroom set about 5 years ago, out of curiosity I went and priced the exact same set today, it cost about 80% more now. Cost of lumber has obviously gone up but not sure how their costs increases are affecting their sales.

 

[street]

Not that familiar with the Amish but I have lived around Hutterites colonies all my life. They are the most reliable, sustainable, creative, efficient, hardworking and adaptable group of people I have known.
Inflation I'm sure has impacted their operations and business to some degree. If there is any group of people that can make it in tough times, it would be them. They are so efficient and creative they will make high inflation their friend somehow to benefit. If more people would take a lesson from them about running a business, there would a lot of successful operations. IMO

 

[Koolau]

Because they depend upon those within their sect, they don't need the outside world for the most part. Therefore, their inflation rate is likely smaller. Loved jollystomper's comment - they don't need gas! It's my opinion that the single most important lever in the inflation issue is fuel. So Amish inflation may be virtually nonexistent. YMMV

 

[MichaelB]

The Amish do interact with the rest of the world by selling agricultural and manufactured goods. If the market prices for those goods rise, as seems to be the case, they would receive more cash, but if the total output of goods and services they produce doesn’t increase that extra cash might spark some inflation.

One way they could use it without generating internal inflation would be to buy more land.

 

[JoeWras]

Because they depend upon those within their sect, they don't need the outside world for the most part. Therefore, their inflation rate is likely smaller. Loved jollystomper's comment - they don't need gas! It's my opinion that the single most important lever in the inflation issue is fuel. So Amish inflation may be virtually nonexistent. YMMV

And this inflationary episode is a great example of why the Amish have this belief of self reliance. It is one world-worry they don't have to get involved in... to a point.

I think their biggest inflation issue has always been taxes. They are not exempt from property tax, or school tax as PA tends to have. As property values soar, and states raise their budgets, this will impact them.

Because they are in the system, they make some money some way (sell furniture, food) to pay with cash, so they also pay income tax, although I would bet that is very minimal or completely exempt.

 

[Alan]

Thanks for the interesting discussion.