My experience is pretty similar to yours but I think what you need to try to understand is that everyone has a different level of what is an acceptable "minimal" lifestyle. For a lot of people, these are habits/behaviors that they grew up with as well. It's complicated.
Lack of financial literacy is another problem that, I think, exacerbates the above.
Lack of financial literacy is another problem that, I think, exacerbates the above.