Simple budget for a tight month - what worked for you?

My income is now a fraction of what it was as an accounts payable clerk and I am trying to cover the essentials. It has been a long 17 weeks. The rent is fixed and the car payment is high.

Check for energy assistance programmes. I got a credit that covered two bills.

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it 7 months ago, and it settled down once I kept a simple log of every call and form.