Negotiating pay when I have been out of work - 9 months and counting

I have been out of work for 18 weeks and feel pressure to accept less. I would rather hear the honest version than the polite one. I looked up ranges in Tulsa and they vary a lot. What did you say?

I gave a range based on local postings and said I was flexible depending on the whole package. They did not push back.

Asking about the range for the role first worked for me. Some recruiters share it.