As others have pointed out, the picture is nowhere near dire.
That said, if you don't like the math you see above, I'd say that focusing on additional income is they way to go. Can you find a better paying job? Ask your boss for a raise (even a couple thousand a year will make a real difference)? Find a side gig (tutoring, repaid, selling something you make, teaching a class of some kind, consulting)?
And it seems like you are rejecting additional cuts because you aren't going to see tens of thousand of dollars a year. That one or two thousand dollars a year, over the next 10 years is ~$15,000, and that's before growth. After growth, it would be roughly one year of retirement covered. Well worthwhile. You think you are turning your back on "only a thousand or two", but really, you are turning your back on about $25,000 by the time you reach retirement, about a decade from now.