It’s not remotely crazy, and I have lived there. I had times where I foraged for berries and plants for food, and was lucky enough to know how and where to do so. That was a long time ago, before wages stagnated and inflation went bananas. I’m surprised more people aren’t starving to death today, just looking at the numbers.
Look up prices for housing, food, etc. in your area and compare that to full time at minimum wage. Then consider a lot of companies only hire part-time and not full time. Then consider minimum wage is still the federal $7.25 in a lot of the country. See how that math looks.