60 Money Idioms – Meanings & Examples

Money is a topic that affects everyone, and because of its importance, there are countless idioms in English to describe how we make, lose, spend, and save it. Idioms are a fun and creative way to express ideas, and they often reveal cultural attitudes toward money. Whether you’re talking about earning a fortune, cutting back on expenses, or wasting cash on something silly, idioms bring personality and color to the way we communicate.

In this lesson, we will explore six categories of money idioms: making money, losing money, spending money, saving money, wasting money, and funny money idioms. Each category highlights a different aspect of financial life, and the idioms are paired with their meanings and example sentences. These phrases are not only useful for understanding everyday conversations, but they can also make your English more natural and engaging.

List of Money Idioms – Meanings & Examples

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Whether you’re practicing for work, social conversations, or improving your fluency, these money idioms will help you connect with others and add flair to your vocabulary. Let’s dive in and discover how to talk about money like a native speaker!

Make Money Idioms

  1. Bring home the bacon
    • Meaning: To earn money to support your family.
  2. Cash cow
    • Meaning: A business or product that makes a lot of money.
  3. Money doesn’t grow on trees
    • Meaning: Money is hard to earn and should not be wasted.
  4. Make a killing
    • Meaning: To earn a large amount of money quickly.
    • Example: John made a killing in the stock market last year.
  5. Rake in the cash
    • Meaning: To earn a lot of money easily.
  6. Strike it rich
    • Meaning: To suddenly become wealthy.
  7. Rolling in money
    • Meaning: To have a lot of money.
  8. Money spinner
    • Meaning: Something that makes a lot of money.
  9. Mint money
    • Meaning: To make a lot of money.
  10. Feather your nest
    • Meaning: To make money, especially for personal benefit.

Losing Money Idioms

  1. Burn a hole in your pocket
    • Meaning: To spend money quickly.
  2. Throw money down the drain
    • Meaning: To waste money.
  3. In the red
    • Meaning: To owe more money than you have.
  4. Pay through the nose
    • Meaning: To pay too much for something.
  5. Go broke
    • Meaning: To lose all your money.
    • Example: If the business doesn’t pick up soon, we’ll go broke.
  6. Blow your money
    • Meaning: To spend money carelessly.
  7. Tighten your belt
    • Meaning: To spend less money because of financial difficulties.
  8. Fritter away
    • Meaning: To waste money on unimportant things.
  9. Live hand to mouth
    • Meaning: To live with just enough money for basic needs.
  10. Break the bank
    • Meaning: To spend all your money or more than you can afford.

Spending Money Idioms

  1. Foot the bill
    • Meaning: To pay the total cost of something.
  2. Splash out
    • Meaning: To spend a lot of money on something luxurious.
  3. Live beyond your means
    • Meaning: To spend more money than you can afford.
  4. Blow your money
    • Meaning: To waste money on unnecessary things.
  5. Pick up the tab
    • Meaning: To pay the bill for a group.
  6. Burn through money
    • Meaning: To spend money very quickly.
  7. Drop a bundle
    • Meaning: To spend a large amount of money on something.
  8. Go on a spending spree
    • Meaning: To buy many things in a short period.
  9. Shell out
    • Meaning: To pay for something, often reluctantly.
  10. Live it up
    • Meaning: To spend money freely and enjoy life.

Saving Money Idioms

  1. Save for a rainy day
    • Meaning: To save money for emergencies.
  2. Cut corners
    • Meaning: To save money by doing things cheaply.
  3. Nest egg
    • Meaning: Money saved for the future, often for retirement.
  4. Tighten your belt
    • Meaning: To reduce spending due to financial difficulties.
  5. A penny saved is a penny earned
    • Meaning: Saving money is as important as earning it.
  6. Put something aside
    • Meaning: To save money for a specific purpose.
  7. Live on a shoestring
    • Meaning: To live with very little money.
  8. Pinch pennies
    • Meaning: To spend money very carefully.
  9. On the cheap
    • Meaning: Spending as little money as possible.
  10. Make ends meet
    • Meaning: To manage financially with the money you have.

Wasting Money Idioms

  1. Throw money out the window
    • Meaning: To waste money on unnecessary things.
  2. Money down the drain
    • Meaning: Money wasted on something useless.
  3. Pour money into something
    • Meaning: To spend too much money on something, often with little return.
  4. Buy a lemon
    • Meaning: To waste money on a faulty or poor-quality product.
  5. Blow money on
    • Meaning: To spend money foolishly.
  6. Flush money away
    • Meaning: To waste money carelessly.
  7. Sink money into something
    • Meaning: To invest money in something unlikely to succeed.
  8. Pay over the odds
    • Meaning: To pay much more than something is worth.
  9. Throw good money after bad
    • Meaning: To keep spending money on something unprofitable.
  10. Burn money
    • Meaning: To spend money recklessly.

Funny Idioms About Money

  1. Have deep pockets and short arms
    • Meaning: To be rich but unwilling to spend money.
  2. Money burns a hole in your pocket
    • Meaning: To feel the urge to spend money as soon as you get it.
  3. Champagne tastes on a beer budget
    • Meaning: To desire expensive things but only afford cheap ones.
  4. Penny wise and pound foolish
    • Meaning: To save small amounts but waste larger ones.
  5. Go Dutch
    • Meaning: To split the cost of something, like a meal.
  6. Not worth a dime
    • Meaning: To have no value.
  7. As sound as a dollar
    • Meaning: To be reliable or dependable (though the humor comes from the irony of fluctuating currency values).
  8. Another day, another dollar
    • Meaning: A humorous way to refer to earning money daily, often in a mundane way.
  9. Money talks, but all mine says is goodbye
    • Meaning: A funny way to describe losing money quickly.
  10. Born with a silver spoon in your mouth
    • Meaning: To be born into a wealthy family.

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