Budgeting tips when income drops (update)

My income is now a fraction of what it was as a school bus driver and I am trying to cover the essentials. I would rather hear the honest version than the polite one. 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 2 months ago, and it got easier once I kept a simple log of every call and form.