Many people get trapped in a cycle of poverty by saying "This is what I can afford to do today.".

If you say, "I don't want to spend $30 on the big bag of cat food. I'll get the $5 bag of cat food.", you spend $60 on the same amount of cat food in the end.

If you say, "I don't want to pay too much for a brake job.", the mechanic will bill you $150 an hour or more anyway for however long the book says to do the brakes, but you'll save a few dollars on parts now, that will only last half as long. If you say, "I don't have the money to replace spark plugs in my engine.", you eventually pay 20% more for gasoline.

If you say "I'll grab the little package of trash bags.", then you save money today, when you could have bought three years worth of the damned things and saved 10 cents a week for 3 years just on trash bags.

A lot of it isn't actual poverty. It's poor life decisions. People want their cigarettes or Starbucks or trips to Disney World or a new TV set every year, or airpods, and so they make choices that are a false economy to get instant gratification. Then that instant gratification costs a lot of money in the end.

When your car breaks down and you have bad credit because you screw all of your bill collectors, and nobody will talk to you except Fast Eddie's Motors, you get a piece of junk car with rust all over it and high mileage that he probably picked up for a thousand bucks (if that) and all of a sudden it's on his lot for $14,000 plus 20% interest.

And since Fast Eddie has unreliable customers, he puts in ignition switch disablement devices so you have to come see Eddie every week to get a code to make your car continue to start after he gets your paycheck, which is why you needed the car.

Many people who are not poor. Who individually make 2 or even 3 times as much money as we do live like this.

I just bought a car, cash, and it works well and I don't have to go drop in on Eddie and pay $28,000 for an $8,000 car.
I can't for the life of me figure out how people "barely make it" on six figure incomes.