Idiom
live paycheck to paycheck
Meaning
To have the entirety of one's earnings consumed by living expenses, thus having nothing left over to save; to make just enough (money, etc.) to survive; to scratch by.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“Many families live paycheck to paycheck these days.”
“You live paycheck to paycheck when you spend all your money on bills.”
“Because rent is so expensive, she has to live paycheck to paycheck to cover her basic needs.”
“If my car breaks down, I will be in trouble because I live paycheck to paycheck and have no emergency fund.”
“Despite working two jobs, the rising cost of living forces the couple to live paycheck to paycheck, leaving them with no savings for emergencies.”
Examples
simple
“Many families live paycheck to paycheck these days.”
“You live paycheck to paycheck when you spend all your money on bills.”
contextual
“Because rent is so expensive, she has to live paycheck to paycheck to cover her basic needs.”
“If my car breaks down, I will be in trouble because I live paycheck to paycheck and have no emergency fund.”
complex
“Despite working two jobs, the rising cost of living forces the couple to live paycheck to paycheck, leaving them with no savings for emergencies.”
Origin
First appearing in the mid-20th century, the phrase describes a cycle of consumption in which an individual’s earnings are fully expended before the arrival of the subsequent payment. The construction is a literal reference to the timing of industrial and clerical wages, marking the precise point at which a lack of savings meets the necessity of the next scheduled deposit.
Key words
Related idioms
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