Beyond buying food, clothing, and basic shelter, and maybe paying to correct health issues, all other spending is "discretionary", so it really doesn't make any difference if your hobby is playing golf or paying down your mortgage. 

Housing, food (no tax on food and if you go across the border to PA, there's no tax on clothing), taxes, etc.

I drive a service van and most days I am wearing my grubby work clothes.

For those cut of our cloth, we first will take the time to help correct a person in nice PC manner.

I was a renter for about 9 years I lived in the Napa Valley and commuted to Portland for my Timber/land business.I spent 9 nights a month in my Portland/Beaverton apartment  I liked not having to pack clothes so the apartment was a better fit for me than going in and out of a motel / hotel all the time and pre air bnb. so these were larger garden apartments 200 to 300 units corporate owned..

need 3 times rent to qualify someone living on 1500 a month  take out 500 for rent  100 for utls  car if they have one etc.. leaves about 700 bucks a month to buy your food  clothes etc.. how would you do on 700 a month ? 

One house I got at an auction, was literately an episode of hoarders--- there were clothes/stuff, piled roughly 3ft high throughout the 1000 sq ft house. 

They are seasoned experts in their niche, all older and mostly retired, have owned RE so long they don't even remember what year they paid it off and wear work clothes.

To have the luxury of not worrying about how we'll afford food, clothes, gas, or other essential items. 

My family came to America with virtually nothing, and I really mean nothing as in 1-2 changes of clothes and enough money for food for about a week and that's all, and we are white.