> If expenses weren't actually determined by paycheck, the number of people living paycheck to paycheck would be a really small number. Everyone else would eith

> If expenses weren't actually determined by paycheck, the number of people living paycheck to paycheck would be a really small number. Everyone else would either be building a surplus each month or going further into debt. These people are going further into debt. It's just that this debt is usually not in the form of cash. Need an oil change? Well, I can put that off for a while. Need to go to the doctor? Well, I can put that off for a while. Need to renew my license? Well, I probably won't get pulled over for it this month. It's amazing what necessities you can postpone, if you're willing to take on personal technical debt, in the form of risk. This is how people at the lower end live "paycheck to paycheck". It's not just that they're dumb and spend every penny as soon as they get it. It's that they bend as many of the rules as they can, in order to maximize the cash they have on hand for the rules that can't be bent.