It's more that we need people to live in such a way that they're not paycheck to paycheck. If everyone spends up to their limit on rent/food/cars/etc then you

It's more that we need people to live in such a way that they're not paycheck to paycheck. If everyone spends up to their limit on rent/food/cars/etc then you end up with whole swathes of individuals who "need" concessions from their employer because they have no leverage. It's not solely an individual decision, of course, because if other people outbid you for housing then your choices can be limited. The American model seems to be that most people just work for 40 years with a few weeks off per year and that's their entire adult life. The above is completely stark raving bonkers to me. Economic cogs.