NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The number of Nashville Electric Service customers behind on their electric bills has gone up dramatically, and so have the number of cutoffs due to nonpayment.

Video: NES Cuts Current From Rising Number Of Homes

Stretching a paycheck is becoming more of a challenge as gas prices approach $4 a gallon and food prices have increased.

Many families are finding that there is not much left over at the end of the month and resort to paying what’s most urgent first. And since NES gives people two notices before a cutoff, the electric bill is sometimes left for last.

Chris Fleming said that’s what he’s doing to keep the power on for his family.

"That’s what happens, you know. It’s either pay the car note and keep driving now and get the lights shut off or pay the light and just keep driving and pay the car note in another week and just have another late fee there," he said.

The number of NES customers 60 days behind on their bill is up 47 percent from March 2007, and 500 to 800 customers a day are having service cut off.

Many people are living paycheck to paycheck.

"People are having to take and juggle bills, and sometimes their willing to take that bill where they normally would pay on time and pay a penalty to carry it another week until they get their paycheck again," said said NES spokesman Tim Hill.

But there is one day of the week in which NES doesn’t disconnect customers.

"Because we're not open on the weekends here and our office in north Nashville, there’s no way for our customers to pay bills on the weekend. We just do not cut off on Fridays," Hill said.

Fleming paid his electric bill at NES headquarters on Friday only days before his current was to be cut.

"Wait on the car note to pay the electricity," he said.

An NES bill is not considered late until a meter is read 30 days after it was originally read the month before.