> Normal families have sofas, she says, and you’ll do what it takes to feel normal.
"Normal" families buy new things too. "Normal" families don't scrimp and save just so they can have chairs to sit on, and beds to sleep in.
Interestingly, I neither have chairs in my apartment nor a bed. Nobody thinks I'm "abnormal" in this respect because I live in Japan. It is a bit strange that I work from home, program on an end table I borrowed from my mother-in-law and I sit on a stool that I bought for about $15 (admittedly new). But I started using that 6 months ago thinking I would upgrade when I needed to. Surprisingly I haven't needed to.
The expectation of "normality" is what is killing the poor. This is based on your culture. You need a bed. You need a sofa. You need a kitchen table. You need an oven. You need a car. You need a sensible desk to work on. You need a special work chair. You need cable television.
None of these things are actually needed in most cases. Possibly a person needs one or two of these things in specific cases, just like I need a computer to do my job. I don't have any of the things listed above and I'm not poor by any stretch of the imagination. My life seems perfectly "normal" to me.
Without trying to sound superior (which is really difficult because probably I am unconsciously feeling that way), the skills you need to live happily on a very, very low income are probably the same skills you need to have to make (and keep) a lot of money.