76% of Americans Are Living Paycheck-To-Paycheck

[Orrex]

72. Yeah, just about anyone could stand to be a bit more frugal

If we start nickel-diming people's spending at the microscopic level, of course we'll find places to tighten the budget. However, I'm reluctant to scold people who just scraping by, because if a cup of coffee helps to lift their spirits after a 10-hour shift of minimum wage drudgery, then I say they're welcome to it.

We also have no idea of that hypothetical person's circumstances outside of the Starbucks. Maybe they bought rice instead of chicken this week specifically so that they could reward themselves with that cup of coffee after a long week. In short, we don't know what budget concessions they've made prior to stepping into our line of sight, and without having access to that information, we should really just mind our own business.

Someone downthread suggested that employers could simply raise wages by $0.50 per hour, which would give the person the same $20 per week. Why do we forgive the employer for paying shit wages while criticizing the employee, in short, for not having more money?