Budgeting is very important. some people like the 20% of income for saving, 30% for living expenses and the other 50% for everything else. Pre or post tax is up to you as this is a rule of thumb. Important part is that it should be easy for you to build up your savings to cover important expenses. spending 50% of income on housing may be really bad since having back to back years of badluck can screw over your savings, and not give you enough time to save up in between.
This is a general rule that applies when you make enough to do so. If you're struggling to pay rent, do what you can to remove risk and cut down on costs. One thing that helps is aiming to have savings. Often times, its cheaper to have money up front to resolve emergencies rather than later.
Car is one of those things that can make sense to remove. If you're commuting one hour already by car, and there's no public transit option then a car is a necessity. If you can take public transit, that could save you money on car insurance, car payments, car maintenance, and possible accidents.
Social events like bars and raves are an option. You'll find people who just want to get shit faced, but also social people. Volunteer work has a lot of people you can interact with and eventually become friends with. Game places are another option as mentioned. Video games as well. If you have a dog, parks are a way to start conversations and meet people.