(fwiw those weren&#x27;t necessarily mutually-exclusive &quot;options&quot;, but different ways of decomposing the problem)<p>I don&#x27;t really buy it. The capital costs of dwelling amenities aren&#x27;t what has driven up the price of housing so much, and the interest on that price is what drives monthly rent, dominating monthly expenses.<p>The variable expenses end up so high because the alternative doesn&#x27;t get one ahead much. Why live that frugal lifestyle when doing so nets comparatively little? When you&#x27;re caught in the time==money trap, it&#x27;s worth it to pay $20&#x2F;day to have dinner taken care of. When you don&#x27;t spend the time picking out and customizing a decent computer&#x2F;phone, fixing its problems by getting a new one every year seems reasonable. That&#x27;s the treadmill.<p>Obviously I&#x27;m fine with people explicitly choosing this. I just see many people defaulting into this lifestyle due to economic trends, which are really hidden policy decisions masquerading as inevitabilities.