2001 Ford Escort rough idling

The last time I brought my car into the shop to have the oil changed, they had mentioned that it also needed a transmission and power steering flush. My check engine light was also on, which I knew about. They showed me the fluids that were dirty. Since money is an issue right now, I opted to wait a little while to address this. Shortly afterward, about 2 or 3 days, the car started idling roughly. It surges forward off and on and then dies. It will do this about 2 or 3 times on just a short trip to the store. Im definitely afraid of the consequences of leaving it this way but I wanted to find out if there is something I can do, personally, to solve the issue, so that I dont have to pay through the nose for something that I can easily do myself. Thanks in advance.