3 ms·

I think she made a valid point though. Selling a used luxury vehicle isn't going to make you a ton of money, especially if you have to replace it. In a lot of c

by hacknat 12y ago

I think she made a valid point though. Selling a used luxury vehicle isn't going to make you a ton of money, especially if you have to replace it. In a lot of circumstances it makes a lot more sense to keep a paid off and reliable vehicle. The time and energy it takes to sell a used high-end vehicle in a recession is probably considerable as well. Also, you are being callous, two unemployed people on food stamps, with children, probably need two cars just as much as anybody. They were probably busting ass, continuously, to get a new job, that usually means driving around, a lot.

ntakasaki 12y ago
I am interested what the answer would be to the below question. Would she have sold the Mercedes and made do with the Honda they had, to feed their babies, if there were no WIC or food stamps programs? >> In just two months, we’d gone from making a combined $120,000 a year to making just $25,000 and leeching out funds to a mortgage we couldn’t afford. There are many of us who settle for a cheap car instead of a Mercedes and put that saved money in a savings account for a sudden emergency like this. If you don't have atleast 1 year or more of emergency funds, you shouldn't be buying luxury cars and homes and then expect to pass off the burden on taxpayers(many of whom are suffering themselves to make ends meet, renting instead of buying and not going for luxuries) when hard times fall on you.
- silencio 12y ago
  I don't begrudge them at all. The reality is, no matter how big your emergency fund is, Shit Happens. They weren't expecting a pregnancy, let alone with expensive, high-maintenance twins. They weren't expecting to lose their jobs. They weren't expecting to be stuck for more than one year looking for a job ("The days of unemployment turned into weeks, months, and, eventually, years."). Everyone has a guilty pleasure or two, and it's not always as obvious as a cheapo Mercedes (which is not a bad choice at all if you're looking at long term costs vs a cheap car). A $240k house is hardly "luxury" and may make more sense than renting in that area. Even if they had a 1 year emergency fund (a fairly rare thing to do in itself), they likely would have been back on food stamps anyway. Sure, she could have sold both cars and possibly lose a job as a result. Sure, she could be homeless. Sure, she could do a lot of other really shitty things. I'm glad WIC helped her so she didn't have to give up everything. I only wish SNAP (food stamps) and WIC and other programs could help more people before they feel like they gave up everything they had and then some. My husband and I both make six figures, we manage to save most of it with cheap rent and very little spent on necessities let alone luxuries, and we have Oh Shit savings for more than one year. But this kind of doomsday scenario is why we have yet to buy a house or a car (thankfully half decent public transit in the bay area) and having children requires us to make a leap of faith, assuming that most people like us do it all the time. The "pay rent and bills, food, and other necessities for a few years" fund doesn't look big enough even for one person accidents, let alone anything else... If you find yourself in a situation where you blew through your emergency fund and you're still having problems making ends meet, I sincerely hope that you can find the help you need without judgment.
  - ntakasaki 12y ago
    >Everyone has a guilty pleasure or two, and it's not always as obvious as a cheapo Mercedes Even the person in the OP's Imgur picture? Everytime someone is given money, it's coming from someone else and not going to someone else who could be more deserving.
  - genwin 12y ago
    A vehicle worth less than $10K, Mercedes or not, fine, keep it. The root beer, no sympathy! Don't buy it with food stamps.

by hacknat 12y ago

ntakasaki 12y ago

I am interested what the answer would be to the below question. Would she have sold the Mercedes and made do with the Honda they had, to feed their babies, if there were no WIC or food stamps programs? >> In just two months, we’d gone from making a combined $120,000 a year to making just $25,000 and leeching out funds to a mortgage we couldn’t afford. There are many of us who settle for a cheap car instead of a Mercedes and put that saved money in a savings account for a sudden emergency like this. If you don't have atleast 1 year or more of emergency funds, you shouldn't be buying luxury cars and homes and then expect to pass off the burden on taxpayers(many of whom are suffering themselves to make ends meet, renting instead of buying and not going for luxuries) when hard times fall on you.

silencio 12y ago
I don't begrudge them at all. The reality is, no matter how big your emergency fund is, Shit Happens. They weren't expecting a pregnancy, let alone with expensive, high-maintenance twins. They weren't expecting to lose their jobs. They weren't expecting to be stuck for more than one year looking for a job ("The days of unemployment turned into weeks, months, and, eventually, years."). Everyone has a guilty pleasure or two, and it's not always as obvious as a cheapo Mercedes (which is not a bad choice at all if you're looking at long term costs vs a cheap car). A $240k house is hardly "luxury" and may make more sense than renting in that area. Even if they had a 1 year emergency fund (a fairly rare thing to do in itself), they likely would have been back on food stamps anyway. Sure, she could have sold both cars and possibly lose a job as a result. Sure, she could be homeless. Sure, she could do a lot of other really shitty things. I'm glad WIC helped her so she didn't have to give up everything. I only wish SNAP (food stamps) and WIC and other programs could help more people before they feel like they gave up everything they had and then some. My husband and I both make six figures, we manage to save most of it with cheap rent and very little spent on necessities let alone luxuries, and we have Oh Shit savings for more than one year. But this kind of doomsday scenario is why we have yet to buy a house or a car (thankfully half decent public transit in the bay area) and having children requires us to make a leap of faith, assuming that most people like us do it all the time. The "pay rent and bills, food, and other necessities for a few years" fund doesn't look big enough even for one person accidents, let alone anything else... If you find yourself in a situation where you blew through your emergency fund and you're still having problems making ends meet, I sincerely hope that you can find the help you need without judgment.
- ntakasaki 12y ago
  >Everyone has a guilty pleasure or two, and it's not always as obvious as a cheapo Mercedes Even the person in the OP's Imgur picture? Everytime someone is given money, it's coming from someone else and not going to someone else who could be more deserving.
- genwin 12y ago
  A vehicle worth less than $10K, Mercedes or not, fine, keep it. The root beer, no sympathy! Don't buy it with food stamps.