Budgeting tips when income drops (Boston)

My income is now a fraction of what it was as a dental hygienist and I am trying to cover the essentials. I have read a lot of threads here and could not find my exact situation. The rent is fixed and the car payment is high. What helped you?

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it 11 months ago, and it settled down once I kept a simple log of every call and form.