That explanation doesn't pass the sniff test, as what budget lumps groceries, fuel, clothing and entertainment into 'spending money'? Those are the sorts of th

That explanation doesn't pass the sniff test, as what budget lumps groceries, fuel, clothing and entertainment into 'spending money'? Those are the sorts of things that get an explicit line-item, and don't get blurred into discretionary spending, lest you establish a 'budget' that completely collapses the moment the ostensible subject of the budget fails at living as a monk. Further, the intent of the outline is rather orthogonal to the stark math that it illuminates. Even with the most ridiculously optimistic assumptions[1], the budget throws a spotlight on the fact that one person effectively can't live on a full-time minimum-wage job. The closest they could aspire to, is to have a bunch of roommates and tread water until an unexpected expense throws them into debt. [1] two jobs, single person (making low rent plausible), a car from 'somewhere' that's only costing $150 a month in combined payments/repairs/maintenance, farcical insurance costs, etc. Does anyone expect there's a family/kid/own vs rent answer that results in a more-plausibly-livable budget for a full-time, minimum-wage worker? Absent "live with parents" at which point the job is, as stated elsewhere, essentially an unpaid internship.