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Glite Dictionary
to stretch one's budget

to stretch one's budget

1 3.7
Make your money last longer by spending carefully
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : estirar el presupuesto
  • With that in mind, here are five ideas that you can implement today to help stretch your budget and increase your savings.
  • stretch my food budget
  • stretch your budget far
  • ways to stretch budgets

Examples

  • With that in mind, here are five ideas that you can implement today to help stretch your budget and increase your savings.

    Blog text (7)

  • To stretch your budget, consider meal planning to avoid unnecessary grocery expenses.

  • To stretch your budget money even further, be sure to take advantage of the special preregistration pricing.

    Academic text (2008)

  • Setting your budget will lessen the pressure on your pocket and prevent you from stretching your budget by sticking to what you can afford.

    Blog text (2)

  • It will be a sad day when I can't manage to stretch our budget to help others.

    Blog text (5)

  • My sister-in-law works with a woman who took a long time to understand that grocery shopping at a gas station is not the way to stretch your budget.

    Blog text (31)

  • Families often look for discounts to stretch their budget when planning for a vacation.

  • Using coupons can help you stretch your budget and save more for important expenses.

Synonyms

to save money
vsto stretch one's budget
257 1.3

To put money aside instead of spending it now

focuses on careful daily spending to make funds last longer
to economize
vsto stretch one's budget
  • US
7 5.0

Use money or resources carefully to avoid waste

aims to make limited funds last longer by careful spending
to tighten one's belt
vsto stretch one's budget
  • Informal
5 5.8

Spend less and live more simply because you have less money

is about careful spending to make funds last without hardship
to save a buck
vsto stretch one's budget
  • Informal
2 6.4

Spend less money than usual when you buy something

focuses on careful ongoing spending to make limited funds last
to penny-pinch
vsto stretch one's budget
  • Informal
1 7.7

Spend very little money and avoid buying things you do not need

keeps spending careful but less extreme or severe
to prune the budget
vsto stretch one's budget
4.9

To cut spending by removing unnecessary costs from a budget

focuses on careful daily spending to make funds last longer

Antonyms

to squander
67 6.5

To use money, time, or chances in a foolish way

to overspend
7 4.4

To use more money than you can afford or planned to use

How Economical

on a shoestring
  • Informal
8 5.6
to tighten one's belt
  • Informal
5 5.8
to stretch one's budget
1 3.7
to cut back
169 2.9

Surface Forms

stretch one's budget infinitive
stretched one's budget past
stretched one's budget past participle
stretching one's budget present participle
stretches one's budget third person singular

Morphology

stretch + one + budget

The meaning 'to make financial resources last longer' is directly derivable from combining 'stretch' (to extend or make longer) with 'budget' (a plan of money), so a learner who knows both words can infer the intended sense. The metaphorical use of 'stretch' to mean 'extend/use carefully' is common and cross-linguistically transparent, making the phrase predictable for a B1 learner.

Etymology

Stretch one's budget comes from the picture of a small piece of cloth or a rubber band being pulled to make it reach farther; to stretch something is to pull it longer and a budget is your plan for money. So, it means 'to make money last longer by spending carefully'.