Added an extra rule/option to help out gameplay: (full rules here)
If your Sims are unable to pay their bills, they must first wait until their electricity is cut off before selling 1 household item to try to pay the bill. This item must be something of high value, such a TV, couch, dishwasher, etc. If they are still unable to pay their bill, they may sell up to 2 valuable household items after their water has been shut off.
If your Sims have their electricity and water shut offandhave sold 3 items to try to pay the bills, the Sim government will provide a 1-time bailout to the Sim, granting them exactly the amount needed to pay the bill to restore services.
I added this rule because I ran into a bit of an excessive struggle, and I'm sure others may find the same frustration. My Sim was working from home as a Conservationist and got fired. She couldn't pay her bills, so electricity got shut off. I tried to roll for a hobby job, but she could not afford a song-writing item. On the 3rd day, she got a job in the Education track, but of course her work-from-home task involved electricity. I tried to wait it out but her water got shut off, too. I could have waited for my Sim to get fired from that job to see if she would roll an affordable hobby job, but I decided to include a new rule to help anyone out in this situation, if they would like.