The minimum wage gives a full time worker about $2775 a month. The average 1 bedroom apartment is around $1750 a month. Then add in food, transportation, gas at $6 a gallon, electricity, natural gas, water, clothing, etc. for the remaining $1000 and you are homeless if you try it. A minimum wage worker can't afford to live in California, let alone buy D&D books.
Things get marginally better if you are a fast food worker. They get about $3500 a month. Still can't afford to live, but they don't fail quite as quickly.
Edit: Oh, and that's the California average for a 1 bedroom. Go to the population centers like San Francisco or Los Angeles and it gets much worse. The average 1 bedroom apartment in Los Angeles is about $2400. The vast majority of people and D&D players don't live in the middle of nowhere to get the lower rent that they still can't afford.