I would drop cable, but there are people who need the Internet for a variety of profession related things...I can’t recommend dropping internet out of hand.
But cell phone data plans..yep. I also don’t think a family should have five cell phones in that situation either.
People get crazy when you suggest that, but people lived for centuries without their kids having cell phones.
A person can do the prepaid cellular for around $7 per month or less. They just have to eliminate the chatty phone calls and restrict the use of the phone to job hunting, etc.
A person can also find food bargains at the dollar type stores: Family Dollar, Dollar General, Dollar Tree. And if available, the sack-your-own type grocery stores can be bucks cheaper than the regular grocery stores.
If available, a person can check out temporary agencies. They may have long term and short term positions. Many companies use them as screeners for prospective permanent hires.