From the article: And even if we had wanted to do that, here’s what people don’t understand: The reality of poverty can spring quickly while the psychological effects take longer to surface. When you lose a job, your first thought isn’t, “Oh my God, I’m poor. I’d better sell all my nice stuff!” It’s “I need another job. Now.” When you’re scrambling, you hang on to the things that work, that bring you some comfort. That Mercedes was the one reliable, trustworthy thing in our lives.But it wasn’t a toy — it was paid off. My husband bought that car in full long before we met. Were we supposed to trade it in for a crappier car we’d have to make payments on? Only to have that less reliable car break down on us?
Perhaps i'm crazy, but can't you get a car for about 3-5K and not make payments on it? I have a car that runs... fairly well.... my friend has a car that is pretty nice, and wasn't much at all. No payments required. If I were scrambling for money, and wasn't able to find a job, my first thoughts would be "what can I get more money out of", and i'd probably sell the car and get the food stamps.
I have a car that runs... fairly well....
When you have two infants "fairly well" doesn't cut it when you have "reliably well" already in hand, with no car payments. As she mentions, there is certainly a psychological component to her decision, but I wouldn't discount the knowledge of knowing, "well at least our car won't break down."