Lets not forget extra expenses that you can&#x27;t opt out of.  You can technically opt out of cell phone and internet, but for me I wouldn&#x27;t be able to be on call for work so no job.  Not to mention how much modern society has shifted to assume everyone has these luxuries.  Then there is various forms of insurance.  It used to be, if car insurance was too high people could opt out, now your only choice is to opt out of driving (not possible except in some cities).  Oh, and that 30 year mortgage you took out?  Requires house insurance.  Which was $300 a year (on a $180K house) just a few years ago -- now it is over $1600 on the same house (with a market value of $130K).  But I can&#x27;t cancel it, because mortgage requires it.  Now the place you work at (which was a 5 minute drive) decided to consolidate to corporate headquarters 30 miles away.  Let&#x27;s not even mention what happens if you need surgery (even with good insurance).