idiom · neutral
tighten one's belt
/ˈtaɪtən wʌnz bɛlt/TIGHT·en·ONE'S·BELT
to spend less money, especially because there is less money available
Examples
“When the factory closed, many families had to tighten their belts and cut non‑essential expenses.”
“The government announced measures to tighten its belt in response to the budget shortfall.”
“We will need to tighten our belts if we want to save for a deposit on a house.”
Band 8 sentence
“Faced with stagnant wages and rising living costs, many households have had to tighten their belts, delaying discretionary purchases and focusing on essentials.”
Collocations
- tighten one's belt during a recession
- forced to tighten their belts
- tighten the belt on spending
Word family
Common mistakes
Dịch sát: "thắt dây lưng của ai đó"→thắt chặt chi tiêu / cắt giảm chi phí
tighten the belt→tighten one's belt
Say it for a higher band
5spend less→6cut back on spending→7+tighten one's belt
Synonyms
cut back on spending
be frugal
Easily confused
cut back on spending
“We need to cut back on spending to save more each month.”
make do with less
“During the crisis, people had to make do with less.”
Related words
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In Money
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