tight budget
Limited spending allowance
A tight budget is one with little margin between income and expenses, leaving minimal room for unexpected costs or discretionary spending.
The phrase implies careful financial constraint: We're on a tight budget, so eating out isn't an option.
Someone watching their spending might say they're keeping to a tight budget.
- frugalSparing with resources
- stretchedPulled to lengthen
- pinchedStole or squeezed tightly
- leanLacking fat; incline
- cutting cornersReducing effort improperly
scraping · living paycheck to paycheck · paycheck · making ends meet · bills · cutbacks · savings · rainy day fund · side hustle · thrifty · economize · scrimp · sparse · bare-bones · no frills · shoestring · penny-pinching · counting pennies
- money troublesdebt relief, bad debt, bankruptcy filing, paycheck to paycheck, struggling
- budget limitsspending cap, spending caps, spending limits, spending freeze, borrowing limit
- frugal livingcoupons, thrift store, discount stores, bulk buying, meal prep
- thrift sayingspenny saved, penny wise, pinch pennies, penny pincher, live within means
- narrow marginsphoto finish, squeaker, cliff-hanger, razor thin, neck and neck
- povertypoverty line, poor, poverty rate, impoverished, generational poverty
tight budgetdeep pockets
Considerable financial reserves
big budget · money to burn · surplus funds · blank check · financial cushion
tight budgetdiscretionary spending
Non-obligatory personal expenditures
tight, budget, tighter, tightest, tightly, tighten, tightens, tightened, tightening