Cutting back even severely only works so far. There is no replacement for having a job and income.
The fact is cutting back and taking any job avaiable does work.....you take ‘whatever job you can get’...and you work it until you can change the equation to something more favorable.
I even sold my furniture in the front yard to meet my obligations....you do what you have to do...that’s just the bottom line.
My adult son lost his job, third tier in a national organization....never saw it coming....within a short time he decided ‘time to go to work’....’pumped gas at a local gas station’...and hated it! But he did it until he found suitable employment for his skills.
I never said you only cut back, you do that AND take whatever job you can find.