# cut one's cloth to suit one's purse

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/cut-ones-cloth-to-suit-ones-purse
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To settle for less when money or resources are limited.

## Examples

- We must cut our cloth to suit our purse this month.
- Since the company budget was reduced, we had to cut our cloth to suit our purse and cancel the event.
- Faced with a sudden decline in their family fortune, they were forced to cut their cloth to suit their purse and move into a much smaller home.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.