adjl posted... If you want to claim that it's not true that it's rare for there to genuinely be no low-cost options available, you're going to need to cite a decent number of examples in which that's the case. Just saying "gas money" as though the mere existence of a price on gas means it's impossible to do anything affordably isn't going to cut it.
A library?
And yes, factoring in gas money is a real thing.
It's not relatable if yourself claim there to be lots of low cost options to get about if it doesn't pertain to most people's experiences.
It's the same with saying "If you really want Switch 2, it's possible, on a salary of 30k with three kids and a mortgage, to still budget for one and balance all books perfectly".
Even if that is true, it creates anxiety and tension. It's a luxury that people 'feel' they should be frugal with, and the same goes for your 'low cost meal + tips + gas + parking + other arbitrary costs' example. Oh! You'll reply "but but u can get free parking! You can walk! Get the bus! Why u complain???"
Missing the point entirely.