My pay rate was high no job will hire me?

i worked for a company that paid me well 14.43 an hr. they laid me off cause business was slow and havent called me back cause they still are slow. now i go 2 other companies and they either call me 2 the interview, find out how much i made and turn me down or not even call me. these places are hiring but cant pay the wage i was making,even though i tell them i will take less they still turn me away cause they say i will not be happy with the pay and are worried i will leave when something better calls. i try 2 ure them i wont and tell them i am desperate for a job they still turn me away. should i lie about my pay rate, what can i do if i dont lie about my rate, how can i ure them i wont leave cause i really need a job. has any1 else had this prob,how did they solve this sort of prob. im qualified for alot of jobs my interviews go well, and ppl like my work history but pay rate is a big prob. it never accured 2 me until my last few interviews and it was brought up. so hlp plz