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Work & Money - Spending or Saving Money

Explore English idioms that relate to spending or saving money with examples like "have more money than sense" and "play ducks and drakes with".

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English idioms related to Work & Money
to [tighten] {one's} belt

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

Ex: After losing his job, he had to tighten his belt. 
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to [stretch] {one's} legs according to the coverlet

to avoid spending more money than what one earns

Ex: After the pay cut, we had to stretch our legs according to the coverlet. 
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to [stretch] {one's} arm no further than {one's} [sleeve] (will reach|)

to limit one's spending or ambitions to what one can actually afford or achieve, avoiding any form of debt or overreach

Ex: After looking at our budget, we decided to stretch our arm no further than our sleeve would reach. 
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to [throw] good money after bad

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

Ex: Investing more in that broken machine is just throwing good money after bad. 
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black hole

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

Ex: The new stadium became a black hole for public money. 
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to [have] more money than sense

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

Ex: He spent a fortune on a gold-plated phone; he has more money than sense. 
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to [live] beyond {one's} means

to spend in a way that exceeds one's income

Ex: He bought a car he couldn't afford; he's living beyond his means. 
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to [live] within  {one's} means

to spend no more money than one has

Ex: She lives within her means and never carries debt. 
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to [burn] a hole in {one's} pocket

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

Ex: His bonus was burning a hole in his pocket, so he bought a new phone. 
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to [throw] money out (of|) the window

to wastefully and recklessly spend money

Ex: Buying another luxury watch felt like throwing money out the window. 
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to [spend] money like water

to carelessly spend a great sum of money

Ex: He spends money like water on clothes he never wears. 
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to [play] ducks and drakes with {sth}

to use or handle something in a wasteful and careless manner

Ex: He played ducks and drakes with his inheritance and lost most of it. 
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nest egg
nest egg
[noun]

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

Ex: She has a nest egg saved for her children's education. 
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high roller

someone that spends money in an extravagant way

Ex: He acts like a high roller whenever he goes out with friends. 
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to [cut] {one's} coat according to {one's} cloth

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

Ex: If you want to save money, you should cut your coat according to your cloth. 
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to [have] money to burn

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

Ex: He has money to burn, so he buys luxury cars just for fun. 
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money pit
money pit
[noun]

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

Ex: Their old house turned out to be a money pit. 
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to [scrimp] and [save|scrape]

to try to spend as little money as possible

Ex: They scrimped and saved for years to buy their first home. 
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