Was it wrong for her to demand that she sell something so sentimental?

Being financially stable often comes down to avoiding the dumbest possible decisions with your money. It can be difficult to know what counts as a dumb financial decision because such decisions are so normalized. The population at large is addicted to buying cars they can’t afford, renting apartments that cost them more than half their paycheck, and putting everything on a credit card they aren’t planning to pay off anytime soon. Are you bad with your money if you do all three of those things? I would say so. Is committing one of those sins enough to ruin you financially? It all depends on the person and how much debt they’re comfortable with accruing. 

The family in this story has gotten themselves into a huge financial pickle. They have three kids under three years old, and their business is struggling so badly that the rest of their family has been giving them money to keep it afloat. A financially responsible person might advise them to cut their losses, sell the business while they can still get something for it, and get normal jobs so they can keep an income coming into their household, but that might not be the best advice for them in their situation. They might have a plan to make the business profitable within the next year, and if they can swing that, then selling it might not be the solution. But if there’s no plan and no signs the business will become profitable, it’s probably best to cut your losses and take jobs that can sustain your lifestyle, even if it means cutting back on said lifestyle. 

How far should you have to cut back? Should you sell everything you own if you’re in debt? That’s the question the family in this story has to answer.