You know people who have children and live well on less than 1K per month? What do they do for a living?
Various things. And they get to work by walking or mass transit or in a used car they've paid cash for. Work close to home.
Anyone can look at their own budget and calculate what it would be without a mortgage, a car payment, cable tv, or the extra expense of commuting a distance.
What are the unavoidable living expenses of a civilized life? Food, electric, water, taxes, car insurance, trash removal, internet connection, gasoline, telephone, heat. If you're trying you even go without some of that. For sure you don't have to live in an area where the taxes are high and the a/c needs to run. Look around. Go to realtor.com and find a rural happily-ever-after. We did it. Our property taxes are now $40/mo instead of $1000/mo. (Yes, we were paying one THOUSAND a month for the main residence, in property taxes. For the privilege of living in a high crime area. Financially it was no sweat so we figured we could afford it...until somebody got killed. That is one of those hidden expenses you sometimes run into.)
I tell this to people all the time: use your imagination, that's all that is limiting you. You think you can't move, can't afford to change jobs, can't this, can't that...but you've never really thought it through. People are creatures of habit, and they hate to pull up roots, explore new things and make big changes. Fine. Spend $5k/mo, or ten, or more. But don't call it unavoidable.