Spending or Saving Money: English Vocabulary List

to lessen the amount of money or resources one uses compared to before, particularly due to having less available

"When I lost my job, I had to tighten my belt."

"We will have to tighten our belts this month because our electricity bill was much higher than expected."

to avoid spending more money than what one earns

"We must stretch our legs according to the coverlet."

"With our current budget, we must stretch our legs according to the coverlet to avoid debt."

The origin of this idiom is not clear, but it likely developed from the idea of being cautious and not overreaching or attempting more than one can handle.

"Stretch your arm no further than your sleeve will reach."

"He learned to stretch his arm no further than his sleeve will reach to avoid overcommitting himself."

to continue to waste a lot of money on something that is not worth it

"He threw good money after bad."

"She kept throwing good money after bad, investing more in a failing business that never made any profit."

to possess a significant amount of wealth but lack good judgment or wisdom in managing it

"He has more money than sense."

"She has more money than sense, spending thousands on things she never uses or needs."

to spend in a way that exceeds one's income

"He lives beyond his means."

"She lives beyond her means and spends more money than she earns every single month."

to spend no more money than one has

"It is important to live within your means."

"After struggling with debt we learned to live within our means and save money."

to have a strong desire to spend money quickly or impulsively, often resulting in reckless spending habits

"The money is burning a hole in my pocket."

"The birthday money was burning a hole in his pocket so he went straight to the toy store."

to wastefully and recklessly spend money

"He threw money out the window."

"They threw money out the window on a vacation that was far too expensive."

to carelessly spend a great sum of money

"He spends money like water."

"She spends money like water, buying new clothes every single week."

to use or handle something in a wasteful and careless manner

"He plays ducks and drakes with money."

"She plays ducks and drakes with her inheritance, wasting it all on silly things."

money that is put aside as savings for the future or special occasions

"They built a nice nest egg for retirement."

"They built a nice nest egg for retirement and can now afford to travel the world."

to live in a way that does not exceed one's financial limitations

"We must cut our coat according to our cloth."

"You need to cut your coat according to your cloth and not spend more than you earn."

to have more money than one needs and waste it on unnecessary things

"She has money to burn."

"The tech millionaire has money to burn and buys whatever he wants without looking at prices."

used to refer to something on which one keeps spending more and more money

"The old house became a money pit."

"The old house became a money pit and every repair revealed another expensive problem."

to try to spend as little money as possible

"They scrimped and saved for a down payment."

"The young couple scrimped and saved for five years to afford a down payment on a small house."

a project, activity, business, etc. that uses a lot of money or resources without providing any results or profit

"It is a black hole."

"The failed research project became a financial black hole for the company."

someone that spends money in an extravagant way

"He is a high roller."

"The casino caters to the high roller, offering them exclusive suites and services."