It's poverty and/or the lack of thinking things completely through.
You and I both know that spending $20 on a u-haul van and making two trips is worth it, but if you don't have $20 in your pocket and someone's offering you $100 to move all that crap, you just might do it - despite the likelihood of disaster on the trip, desperation keeps people from thinking of the whole picture.
Poverty is really really expensive. Many of us here spend a good chunk on a tractor because we know it's an investment that's going to pay off in the ability to get a lot more done. However, it takes up-front resources. Same with a good pair of leather boots - they cost twice as much and last five times as long, so it's a no-brainer to buy them - but what if literally all you can afford is the cheaper pair? You need boots, you buy what you can buy, even though you know it's going to cost more in the long run - if that's all the money you've got, it's all you can spend.
I see the overloaded cars and think it's ridiculous, but that's *and here's the word that's going to piss half of TBN off* privilege speaking. I remember growing up with the shitty car, getting stuck on the side of the road on any trip that takes us just too far out of town with either engine trouble or bad tires or what, but it's all we could afford, because we had to eat too and you can't eat a reliable car, and damn am I glad I've got that privilege now but I do remember what it was like to be that guy (though I was a kid so didn't have to make those terrible decisions of "do it the crappy way so i can eat, or ...???", I just got to live through it all)
