I won't say that today is too late to change our lifestyle and start saving, but all those who didn't realize that they needed to take some of the steps from OP at least one or even two years ago are facing a very difficult challenge. Given the inflation that has realistically increased the price of many basic products by at least 20% (and much more), how will someone manage to save anything when there is not enough even for basic living expenses?
Immediately after the Covid-19 pandemic, it was glaring that this would never be the same again. My income was no longer enough to take care of the family. I discussed it with my family and we agreed that we needed o make some costly adjustments. We had to move from our house which was located in an expensive area to a cheaper one.
When we compared my wife's salary as a teacher and the amount we spend on children's school fees, we discovered our children can get quality homeschool education if my wife resigns from her job and we would save more money. We had to get the necessary permission from the government and today we are homeschooling them.
The family has also substituted expensive imported products with cheaper local food. We are also planting vegetables on our land and raising some local birds, just to cut expenses.