No, no, no.
NO.
For many people, it is NOT about just living within their means. They already shop at Aldi. They don’t have $25 to put back. They’re already working as many hours as they can.
And people who pay off huge amounts quickly don’t impress me — those are just well- off people who stopped wasting money. They have nothung in common with people whose problem is having too little money.
I was all set to agree with you because income inequality and thrifty, simple living are my jam. I write about that exclusively on Substack. But you and I see this fundamentally differently. I’d be shocked to learn you’d ever experienced poverty. You offer colorblind solutions that middle class and upperclass people always offer to the poor. “Pay yourself first” applies only to people who have plenty of money but don’t know how to save it. It doesn’t work for people who don’t have any money. You can’t “pay yourself first” if you lack enough money to cover your basic expenses.