scraping by
Just getting along
Scraping by means barely managing to survive or meet basic needs, usually financially.
The image is of someone who has so little margin that they must scrape together every last resource: We were scraping by on one income.
The phrase suggests persistent difficulty rather than a single crisis—a state of chronic insufficiency where you get through, but just barely.
- survivingRemaining alive or intact
- barelyOnly just, almost not
- strugglingExperiencing serious difficulty
- living paycheck to paycheckEarning only enough for immediate expenses
- paycheckCompensation for labor
tight · hustle · scrounging · meager · bare minimum · stretch · frugal · cutting corners · bills · rent · keeping the lights on · lean · pinching pennies · dollar store · hardship · making do · hand-to-mouth · robbing Peter to pay Paul
- hardshipshardship, adversity, struggle, misfortune, difficulties
- money troublesdebt relief, bad debt, bankruptcy filing, paycheck to paycheck, struggling
- life skillsreading, writing, cooking, cleaning, laundry
- povertypoverty line, poor, poverty rate, impoverished, generational poverty
- Running Lowrunning low, in short supply, running out, dried up, at a premium
- subsistencefood, hunger, starvation, basic needs, sustenance
scraping bywealthy
Having abundant financial resources
affluent · rich · prosperous · well-off · living large
scraping bythriving
Succeeding vigorously
flourishing · prospering · excelling · succeeding · booming
scraping byset for life
Permanently financially secure
comfortable · stable · cushioned · in the black · solvent