Necessities
50%
Make sure when you are spending money on necessities, they are really necessary. If you're really tight on money, try getting something delivered. Yes, yes, delivery fees, but if you are an impulse buyer like oh those cheese doodles look delicious, it's worth it. Take inventory and stick to what you eat. You don't need 6 boxes of pasta in this pandemic. Keep in mind other people need to eat so the only way to keep stock up is to not buy everything. Don't hoard toilet paper. Corona Virus does not make you suddenly have to go to the bathroom 10 times a day. You don't need 5 months of toilet paper. Adapt since a lot of things are out of stock and many prices are shifting constantly.
First and foremost, set aside bills you have that are consistant. Such as rent or mortgage, car payments, typical residential fines etc. Then with the sum of money you have left from your most recent paycheck, see how much you have and divide it as needed for the week until next pay. If you don't know how long that is just ration it as much as possible. So absolutely NO impulse shopping. We don't care how nice that shirt looks. No.
Say after all your bills you have $300 for the next two weeks. Set aside some money for your gas and then decide what you need. As in you actually will die if you do not get. Like food and water. If you have a water subscription such as poland spring put that aside too. Decide how much money can be put towards each shopping trip and make it last. Don't get just name brand food. Like see a cereal you eat everyday? Don't get just kellogs or something. Store brand is often cheaper and has little difference in actual quality. Money builds up over time so even small dollar changes can affect you. a $10 change in a monthly bill accumulates to $120 every year.