keep one's head above water
Just getting by
To keep one's head above water is to manage to survive or stay solvent, especially financially, often with difficulty and without much margin for error.
The image is of someone struggling in deep water, barely avoiding drowning.
Between the mortgage and medical bills, we're barely keeping our heads above water.
The phrase implies ongoing effort rather than comfortable stability—you're coping, but just barely.
- budgetingAllocating funds systematically
- perseveranceSustained resolve despite obstacles
- frugalityEconomical resource management
- savingReserving for future use
- living leanSubsisting on little
resilience · endurance · tenacity · treading water · sink or swim · adaptability · solvency · self-reliance · coping mechanisms · stress management · resourcefulness · financial planning · grit · debt · mental toughness · paycheck to paycheck · hand to mouth · tight budget