I have a decently tight budget ($2k-3k / mo in NYC), and invest the rest automatically, in line with "pay yourself first" but man, it is nothing like being poor. Shit, I buy the expensive free range eggs now hahaha. I can remember being mind blown when I saw $4.99/dozen eggs.
Too broke to eat, in search of free food everyday. Living around a schedule of what churches to go to when for free meals, what food banks are open on what days of the month, what bagel shops throw out their food when, when is the blood bank open for plasma donations, when do the food stamps get reloaded, buying a cell phone at the gas station that only lasts a month and then not having a phone for another couple months, stealing sandwiches from the grocery store, living in a car, living in a tent, couch surfing for months. Only eating when you are at work, skipping meals to save money, looking like a skeleton, not having health insurance, getting sick and staying sick for months even years, chronically ill with something that could have been prevented. Throw in a healthy amount of cigarettes, weed, and cheap booze to really screw things up. Get $20 bill in a birthday card and its like hitting the damn lottery, you could give me $5,000 right now it wouldn't be as good.
That is broke - That is what my early 20's were like on and off. Sometimes things were good too, but you're always one bad decision from being down and out. When I was in my early 20's I made a lot of bad decisions.
And the budget back then? Something like, my first paycheck of the month I'll buy the biggest bag of weed I can, I need to sell enough bags so I can buy food and smoke for free for the month - second paycheck goes to rent. Otherwise my budget would have been negative.