tighten your belt

Meaning

This idiom means to spend less money than usual and live more frugally because times are tough financially. It is a casual way to talk about budgeting and cutting back on unnecessary expenses.

Examples

• With prices rising so fast, we'll all have to tighten our belts this winter.

  With prices rising so fast, we'll all have to tighten our belts this winter.

• Since he lost his job, they've had to tighten their belts and stop eating out.

  Since he lost his job, they've had to tighten their belts and stop eating out.

• The company is tightening its belt by reducing the travel budget.

  The company is tightening its belt by reducing the travel budget.

• I need to tighten my belt if I want to save enough money for a new car.

  I need to tighten my belt if I want to save enough money for a new car.

• We survived the recession by tightening our belts and making smart choices.

  We survived the recession by tightening our belts and making smart choices.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ We need to close our belts because we spent too much.

  ✓ We need to tighten our belts because we spent too much.

  The correct verb is 'tighten'. You cannot say 'close' or 'shut' your belt in this figurative context.

• ✗ I must tighten my belt's size.

  ✓ I must tighten my belt.

  The expression is figurative. You tighten the belt itself, not the 'belt's size'.

Related Expressions

Practice

• If we want to afford a holiday, we'll have to ___ for a few months.

  💡 spend less money

  Show answer

  tighten our belts

• The university is having to ___ due to government funding cuts.

  💡 reduce spending

  Show answer

  tighten its belt