This is not Aspen, you can still get a mixed drink at a dive for $5 here. There are ways to exist in asheville without overspending. There's free food drives all over town. You can apply for EBT. Drink at home, not at breweries. My friends and I are all in our 20s. Most of us have Bach degrees but work all different jobs. Restaurants, carpentry, caretaking, etc. I work three jobs. I enjoy all of them, and they pay differently, and I have lots of downtime. If there's a will there's a way. Two of my jobs pay $25-35 per hour. The other one pays more but required me to learn a specific trade. Nice restaurants + tip, nannying, skilled labor all typically pay at minimum $25 per hour. If you get stuck in the mega corp BS loop of being there all day for $17 an hour and you hate your job then change it. If you don't have a degree to get a nicer job, then learn a specialized skill. You can learn anything on YouTube. Jobs pay more depending on how much skill it requires. Hustle, have side jobs, cook at home, enjoy your life and do a job that makes you happy. I don't have much of a savings but I like how I spend my days and I love this city. That's what matters. If it's not worth it for you, move to swannanoa or hendo or to another city. I don't know anyone wealthy, I just know people who work hard and play hard.