I think this is based on a misunderstanding of the kind of "economic choices" a person with little or no income will face. If a person can't afford to pay for h

I think this is based on a misunderstanding of the kind of "economic choices" a person with little or no income will face. If a person can't afford to pay for housing or food, it's probably not because they're blowing lots of cash on phones. If you buy a $100 smartphone instead of a new iPhone, you'll save maybe $650 over a period of years, which won't cover even a month of expenses in most cities. For many middle class and upper middle class people, being financially responsible is a matter of being thrifty with the adequate resources they have; for a person who is truly poor the issue is more likely to be a straight up lack of income, and no amount of pinching pennies is going to result in enough money to pay rent.