scrape by

(phrasal verb) to only make enough money to pay one’s bills

Example Sentence:

The newly-married couple scraped by, saving as much money as they could, so they could afford to buy a house.

Sharon scraped by for years until she got a better paying job.

Similar idioms:

1. scrape
2. stop in
3. stop by
4. kick someone out
5. squeak by
6. make ends meet
7. money doesn’t buy happiness
8. put up with
9. level-headed
10. pay off
11. come across 2
12. run across (2)
13. scrape by
14. break down
15. fall on hard times