Right, as I type this I know I am going to be 'flamed' big time for doing so, but......
I read some time ago in SROs for an RAF base that was one of the first to try PAYD of problems of airman running out of money at the end of the month, and being unable to feed themselves. However, in the case of many single young airman it was a case of mismanaging their money, and failing to budget. Before PAYD, for a young airman living in the block he knew he would always have a roof over his head, and be fed 3 meals a day. So all his pay was spending money, to go on his XR3i, gadgets, DVDs, and of course beer and socializing. If he ran out of money 3 weeks into a month he just didn't go out, and stayed in the block watching DVDs, etc - but he still got fed!! Now, with PAYD, if an airman runs out of money after 3 weeks he doesn't eat!!
So, some, and I mean some, of the problem may be down to young airman/soldiers/sailors failing to budget properly over the month.
I must state at this point, that I am not saying for one second that junior ranks in the military are not badly paid - I happen to believe they are. Just that proper budgeting, which many young people are not very good at (my kids certainly aren't) is part of the problem at the moment - their culture needs to change.
Standing by for the incoming!!!