This is absolutely it. So many people simply were dealt a shitty hand and are struggling in this capitalist hellscape because of it. But the flip side is that there’s also many people who are struggling because they are choosing not to live within their means. Through my friend group and family, I can see examples of individuals and families that are struggling because of bad luck, struggling because they choose to spend more on stuff they don’t need than they can, and struggling because they choose not to pursue better jobs (or in a couple of cases, any job at all).

But as someone who is careful to live within my means, as my career has taken off, I’m now finding myself in a financial position I never thought I’d be in. But I’m also at the financial point where I could absolutely very easily spend everything I make on things that dont actually make me happy, like eating out or buying crap I don’t actually want, or subscriptions I don’t use. Spending within your means definitely can get crazy because one might simply not realize just how wealthy they truly are (or could be with better choices)