SJSinNYC,
I agree that people should trim what expenses they can before turning to organizations such as Tomchei Shabbos, but I don’t agree with all of your ideas. Of course people should try to trim expenses as much as possible and not buy clothes or shoes unless they’re necessary. I agree that people should try to trim their food bills by looking for cheaper sources of nutrients such as beans, eggs, or tuna for protein instead of meat or fresh fish.
However, selling an expensive car may not yield much money, especially if it needs to be replaced with another. And I don’t think it’s necessarily a good idea for kids to get jobs to help their families, especially if they already have a lot of schoolwork.
It’s possible to save a lot of money on groceries and other household goods by paying careful attention to sales, using coupons, and stocking up on items you know you’ll use; there are websites devoted to this. I’ve saved a lot of money this way.