I totally agree, and while a good % of HN readers probably are making a lot, the vast majority of people (at least in the US) are living month to month.
This is one of those crazy cases where parts of American population were seemingly hypnotised by advertising and are spending insane amounts of money on a commodity item. Here in Poland, the most I've paid for a mattress was an equivalent of $130. I've never had problems with them.
We ended up buy a model that was about $2000 just because we could tell the difference between the $700 model. But yeah, why is it $2000? What value is there actually in the mattress that justifies it? And if a cheaper option exists that would allow one to exist within one's needs, why not get that instead?
I live month to month, as should everybody. Financially secure people just have their savings plans in order, so what is left over after all their savings is what they live on. Financially insecure people don't keep money going into savings.
You can't take it with you, and you don't know how long you have to live. So there is no point in saving money for the sake of saving money. There are few religions that disagree, if you belong to such a religion I guess saving for the next life makes sense.
There's some comfort to that which people don't realise, living month to month means you are more in the moment, while you can always dream and strive for a more easy life, that toil gives you purpose, and you can clearly see the happy times when they come. Not to say I would want that or encourage it, but ignoring that side to it denies the happiness that could be found. It sounds like such a middle class problem, and it is. Though suffering exists no matter your income.