live paycheque to paycheque
No financial cushion
To live paycheque to paycheque (also paycheck to paycheck) is to have little or no money left after paying essential expenses, with each pay period's income entirely consumed before the next arrives.
The phrase suggests financial precariousness—an unexpected expense or missed payment could spell disaster.
Most of my twenties I was living paycheque to paycheque.
The expression often appears in discussions of wage stagnation, cost of living, and economic inequality.
Minimal means of living
- necessitiesWhat you cannot lack
- essentialsIndispensable items or elements
- rationingLimiting distribution during scarcity
- prioritizingOrdering by importance
trade-offs · stretching · scrimping · sacrificing · utilities · groceries · rent · medicine
Persistent apprehensive distress
- overwhelmedDefeated by sheer volume
- pressureForce upon contact
- exhaustionState of utter depletion
- burnoutChronic occupational depletion
fear · tension · struggle · juggling · worry · dread · panic · hypervigilance
Price of basic needs
- inflationSustained price level increase
- underemploymentInsufficient use of labor capacity
- structuralRelating to building framework
- exploitationSelfish use of others
Consuming resources immediately
- month-to-monthRenewable each period
- unstableProne to sudden change
- uncertainNot firmly known
- tightropeTaut cord for walking
strapped · cash-strapped · overextended · tight · knife-edge
Spending past zero
- creditorsThose owed payment
- collectionsGathered groups of items
- interestAttention, stake, or fee
- borrowingTemporary taking of another's
owing · behind · default · repossession · garnishment · loans · penalties
Tabular data organizer
- calculatorElectronic computation device
- trackingMonitoring location over time
- planningArranging for future events
- allocatingDistributing for specific purposes
zero-based · careful · counting · monitoring · forecasting · penny-pinching · bulk-buying · thrifting
subsistence
Minimal means of living
- necessitiesWhat you cannot lack
- essentialsIndispensable items or elements
- rationingLimiting distribution during scarcity
prioritizing · trade-offs · stretching · scrimping · sacrificing · utilities · groceries · rent · medicine
anxiety
Persistent apprehensive distress
- overwhelmedDefeated by sheer volume
- pressureForce upon contact
- exhaustionState of utter depletion
burnout · fear · tension · struggle · juggling · worry · dread · panic · hypervigilance · shame
cost-of-living
Price of basic needs
- inflationSustained price level increase
- underemploymentInsufficient use of labor capacity
- structuralRelating to building framework
hand-to-mouth
Consuming resources immediately
- month-to-monthRenewable each period
- unstableProne to sudden change
- uncertainNot firmly known
tightrope · strapped · cash-strapped · overextended · tight · knife-edge
overdraft
Spending past zero
- creditorsThose owed payment
- collectionsGathered groups of items
- interestAttention, stake, or fee
borrowing · owing · behind · default · repossession · garnishment · loans · penalties
spreadsheet
Tabular data organizer
- calculatorElectronic computation device
- trackingMonitoring location over time
- planningArranging for future events
allocating · zero-based · careful · counting · monitoring · forecasting · penny-pinching · bulk-buying · thrifting · secondhand
live paycheque to paychequewealthy
Having abundant financial resources
rich · affluent · prosperous · well-to-do · upper class
lively, livelihood, paycheque, paycheques, paycheck, paychecks, payment, payments, cheque