Agree... There are plenty of items to cut from the budget first: tattoos, cigarettes, fast food, soda, energy drinks, Netflix, iPhones, or... Just moving to a cheaper area to live that's not an expensive coastal city.
I think you're confused. This article is about people on very low incomes in places like Tucson and Detroit, not hipsters.
Entirely regardless of any cuts made to the expenses side of things, can we agree that having to spend 4% of household income on water in a developed country is absolutely bonkers?