March 29, 2024

Less is more

Dec. 21, 2008
Times are about as tough as they have ever been for the folks in Northern Michigan. Yet some people are looking at the hard times as an opportunity to profoundly shift their lives. Is it possible to live a richer life on less?
Our “Less is More” series will showcase families who do just that. Their shopping habits reflect their fundamental beliefs about money, consumption, and taking it easy on the planet Earth. The series is meant to inspire thought—not guilt or judgement—so enjoy.



Rick and Heather Shumaker don’t like to shop. Particularly in malls. Maybe it’s genetic, maybe it’s upbringing, but shopping gives them symptoms that sound like the flu. Nausea. Headaches. An urge to quickly run to the nearest door.
In fact, the Traverse City couple finds little joy in spending money. They go out on a dinner date maybe once a year. On the rare occasion they hire a babysitter for their two young sons so they can hike or bike or cross-country ski. They own their house; they don’t own a TV. With so little shopping, they save on their trash bill, producing a single bag of garbage every two weeks. The clothes budget is near zero (and, so jokes Heather, is her fashion sense). They and their children wear hand-me-downs, and those clothes, in turn, get handed down to friends.
“Most of Alex’s toys are from our own childhood,” said Heather, lifting up a wooden Huffy Puffy Train. She opens her favorite tin of colored pencils that must be 30 years old.
The Shumakers live in a 750 square-foot house near downtown Traverse City, which they paid for in-full two years ago. Their philosophy is this: no matter if they’re having a good year or a bad year, they spend only $35,000 (not including taxes) and set aside the rest for college, retirement, and lean years like this one.
What has all this frugality gained them? Bottom line, they are suffering lower anxiety in this terrible economy. They have to draw on savings this year, but they have savings to draw on.
But Heather said their lifestyle isn’t so much about being miserly, as it is about making a smaller demand on the Earth’s resources. Why use a new piece of paper when a scrap piece of paper will do?
“It starts with not buying stuff in the first place,” she said.
A trip to Indonesia in 1995 reinforced Heather’s rejection of thoughtless buying. Nearly all of the Indonesians she met lived in extreme poverty.
“A lot of places I was in were built with concrete brick walls and people slept on the floor, body to body. If someone had something to eat, they shared it. Not because they love to share, but because it was a necessity.
“A friend I made in Indonesia had pretty much nothing, but he didn’t hesitate to give it away to someone in need. When I came home, it opened my heart to more generosity.”
So each year, the couple donates five percent of their spending budget to a range of causes—wildlife land conservation, human rights, population control, and local causes.

GROWING UP FRUGAL
As a child, Heather watched her parents save every rubber band and every plastic bag. Very little was thrown away, much of it ending up in the basement.
Although Heather’s mom didn’t like shopping all that much, she still, on occasion, dragged her daughter to the store. “I had a very strong reaction to consumerism, and it was one of the few times I was ever mean to my mom and dad. My mom had to take me aside and tell me that just because I was angry with the consumerism of our country didn’t mean I could be mean to them.”
Rick remembers the torture, as a child, of shopping each weekend with his two sisters and mother. He never saw the magic in it.
Somehow this couple found each other. They remember the day. Rick was floating down the river in a wooden kayak he had made himself. When he climbed into his rusty 1984 Tercel to drive home, Heather was smitten.
“We hate cars,” they said, almost in unison, although Rick said he needs his car to haul tools and lumber for his job.
Not surprisingly, Heather grew up to work in the environmental field. Rick earned a mechanical engineering degree, but works as a timber framer. Early in their marriage of 2003, they were earning great salaries, but instead of buying a bigger house (a big temptation when children are planned), they paid off their house and built an office barn for Rick.
Their debt-free approach made it possible for Heather to quit her full-time job with the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy in 2006 to spend more time with her son. She writes grants and magazine articles now, but the money isn’t as good or as consistent. Rick has worked this year, but not nearly as much with the building market down. So now he’s turning his efforts toward a wind and energy engineering project. Both are looking toward better days.

BUDGETING
Saving money has become so routine for the little family, it feels pretty much automatic. Each December, they make an annual budget and track their spending over the next months. To make sure they’re on track, they take time throughout the day to write down every dollar they spend in a spiral notebook.
There’s not too much to write.
They bring lunches to work instead of eating out. That’s $10 a day (at least), five days a week, or $200 a month. They don’t buy coffee to go. They buy wine or beer only for special occasions.
By saying no to the “piddly” things every day, they have money for the big things. A couple of years ago, the family went to Mexico to visit friends and watch the Monarch butterfly migration.
“When I was little, and my mother took me shopping, she never bought anything. If I was thirsty, we’d find a drinking fountain,” Heather said. “But we’d always have money for trips. And I still do that. My philosophy is, if you don’t spend the money on little things, you have it for the big things—whatever it is that you really want. For me it’s travel. For Rick, it’s buying a good bike. Saving is nothing more than delayed spending. When I spend, I spend big. I just don’t spend very often.”
They save a lot of money on utilities with an automatic turn-off of their hot water heater each day—it’s on for one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening. They wash their dishes by hand, which saves on water consumption and electricity. They keep the heat in their small home in the low 60s and wear sweaters.
In the summertime, Heather rides her bike to her office on Garfield Avenue, and puts the kids, her laptop, her lunch, and her briefcase in a trailer—she estimates that she’s hauling at least 90 pounds. A great work-out—for free.

THE BIGGEST BILL
The Shumaker’s biggest expense of their $35,000 spending budget is health care. After Heather quit her full-time job, the couple had to start paying their own health premiums. Those premiums, along with dentist bills, eye exams, and uninsured doctor visits, total $10,000 each year.
They don’t own a pet—for one, their house is too small. They like the idea of a dog someday, but are aware that money spent to care for a pet would be less they could donate to wildlife conservation.
When it comes to food, they buy mostly organic fruits and vegetables because it’s better for the planet and for them. But the couple buys consciously—why buy fruit juice when water is free?

RETHINKING GROWTH
Quite frankly, if we had to count on people like the Shumakers, our economy would really be in the pits right now.
They acknowledge the irony. The very thing people should be doing—living within their means—is the very thing that would drive this country into the economic dregs of disaster. When no one buys stuff, no one makes stuff. In fact, the GNP (gross national product) must grow by 3.5 percent just in order for the country to stay in the same economic place.
But the couple’s lifestyle has always been quite separate from the mainstream, and they don’t believe it’s “patriotic” to spend money.
“When did Americans become consumers instead of citizens,” said Rick, who was miffed when President Bush suggested the country go “shopping” to support the Iraq War.
“Our economy is built on the premise that we need constant, never-ending growth, which is not sustainable. That sort of system will fail sooner or later. We live on this little rock and it’s not possible.”
Rick is also annoyed that people have been swayed to think of their home as an investment, as opposed to a shelter. He doesn’t, and it’s one reason they prioritized the pay-off of their shelter—despite advice from the “experts.” The money saved on interest alone will save them tens of thousands of dollars.

CHRISTMASTIME
The single word driving the economy is the word “want,” and it’s one reason the Shumakers don’t watch television. They sidestep the niggling commercials. So what they “want” is true to their nature, and they freely admit they want to spend money at Christmas.
“Christmas is about joy so you do joyful things,” Heather said.
“We like presents and we do spend too much, although this year we’re spending less,” Rick added.
In addition to buying gifts, they think of free things to do. Last week, they hosted an afternoon party where their friends sang Christmas carols while another friend played piano.
“I’m giving my niece a teddy bear I made. I’m giving my father-in-law a written history of his growing up time. It’s practice for my new business. And I’m making pies and giving food. I like to give presents that are heartfelt—that show you really know the kind of person you’re giving them to,” Heather said.

SHOW ME THE FUN
This article has largely focused on what the Shumakers don’t do. That leaves out the best part of the equation—what do they do for fun?
Rick admits their home might be small, but it’s in TC’s Slabtown, which he considers one of the best neighborhoods, maybe in the country. They are within walking and biking distance to the public beach, two parks, the library, and the public elementary school. Their big backyard backs into the Olson field, where they can hike and ski.
After tucking the kids into bed at 7 p.m., Rick and Heather take turns cross country skiing out their backyard. They rent an occasional movie. Heather makes elaborate Halloween costumes for herself and Alex every year. They play piano. Heather spends a lot of playtime with her son, Alex. They attack their to-do list (a lot can get done when you’re not watching TV). On occasion, they host big potlucks. They walk to the nearby public beach or the woods at the end of the street. They camp a lot and make out-of-state visits to see family.
To celebrate special achievements or birthdays, the couple will put their kids in daycare and take a canoe trip.
“Sacrifice hurts,” Heather said. “If you’re feeling stuck—feeling like you’re not having a lot of fun—then you need to find something you really like to do. We like being home, we love the outdoors, so it never feels like we’re sacrificing.”


Trending

Mysterious Michigan Reads

We can’t think of a better way to spend spring break than with a great book. Northern Express asked local bookseller... Read More >>

Heirloom Recipes With Heritage, History, and Nostalgia

Before we begin to stash our coats and put winter behind us, let us remember what years past have taught us…fake sp... Read More >>

A Floral Family Affair

In the quaint downtown of Elk Rapids sits Golden Hill Farms, a shop where the artistry of floristry meets the rustic charm... Read More >>

A Look at Originalism

O Tempora O Mores! Oh the times, oh the culture. This Latin phrase relates to both the 18th century and our current times.... Read More >>