[fragmede]

What's controversial about that is that's simply not possible for low wage earners. I'd hazard a guess that it doesn't affect high wage readers here, but if you're making minimum wage in a HCOL area, not buying big screen TVs and not buying luxury cars and shoes isn't enough to make ends meet if you also want to save anything for retirement.

That or everyone else is an idiot, but I've found that mindset is only good for feeling smug about yourself and underestimating people, so let's assume it's not that and try to find something else.