Car dies after being jumped?

I was driving across town last night and the lights inside the car ( gas gauge, speedometer, radio lights) got really dim. I came start home and pulled in the driveway and turned the car off. When I went to start it again it wouldn't start. The headlights and inside lights still worked but the radio reset itself. I waited until the next morning and got a jump. It's started right away I let it run for a few mins and when I went to put it in drive it died again. It's a 1996 ford escort lx. When I go to rev up the engine while it's park the RPM is not working. I put another battery in it and its still not working correctly. Could this be the alternator, battery, ignition coil. Any idea's? I'm a single mom with three kids so I'm hoping it's not an expensive fix.

Car drives fine but when I slow down to stop it ideals weird and dies?

Car drives fine but when I slow down to stop it ideals weird and dies?

Added (1). It is a 1999 Ford Escort. About 117,000 miles. Check Engine light is on and just came on due to this problem.

Car drives great, transmission shifts smoothly but every time I come to a stop the car will idle erratically and die most of the time. If I put it in neutral and hold the peddle at 500 RPM the car does not die. Any help would be appreciated since I do a lot of work on cars by myself. I'm thinking MAP sensor or O2 sensor maybe.

Do I need a new car radiator?

I have a 2001 Ford Escort with 71,000 miles. A few weeks ago the car overheated on the highway. I had the thermostat replaced and since then the car had been running just fine, however, this has only been for local local trips of no more than a few miles at a time. Two days ago I had to take a long drive (just over an hour on the highway). I watched the temperature gauge carefully the whole time. There were no issues until the end of the trip when the gauge went up very high, about three quarters of the way, (a little too close for comfort). Fortunately we had just about reached our destination when that happened and we were then able to park and let the car cool for about an hour before the drive back home. On the way back, there were again no issues with the temperature gauge right up until the very end when it began to go up to the three-quarter mark. I did use the air conditioner for both drives.

This weekend I have to make a two and a half hour drive and am wondering if I should replace my radiator, or if I should just plan to drive moderately and not use the air conditioner at all. All sincere answers appreciated.