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
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
- Bring home the bacon
- Meaning: To earn money to support your family.
- Example: Sarah works two jobs to bring home the bacon for her kids.
- Cash cow
- Meaning: A business or product that makes a lot of money.
- Example: The company’s new app has become a real cash cow.
- Money doesn’t grow on trees
- Meaning: Money is hard to earn and should not be wasted.
- Example: My parents always said, “Be careful with your spending. Money doesn’t grow on trees.
- Make a killing
- Meaning: To earn a large amount of money quickly.
- Example: John made a killing in the stock market last year.
- Rake in the cash
- Meaning: To earn a lot of money easily.
- Example: The new bakery is raking in the cash since it opened.
- Strike it rich
- Meaning: To suddenly become wealthy.
- Example: Many people dream of striking it rich by winning the lottery.
- Rolling in money
- Meaning: To have a lot of money.
- Example: After selling his company, he’s now rolling in money.
- Money spinner
- Meaning: Something that makes a lot of money.
- Example: Their online course turned out to be a real money spinner.
- Mint money
- Meaning: To make a lot of money.
- Example: She’s minting money with her new clothing line.
- Feather your nest
- Meaning: To make money, especially for personal benefit.
- Example: He used his political position to feather his nest.
Losing Money Idioms
- Burn a hole in your pocket
- Meaning: To spend money quickly.
- Example: His bonus was burning a hole in his pocket, so he bought a new phone.
- Throw money down the drain
- Meaning: To waste money.
- Example: Buying cheap tools is like throwing money down the drain.
- In the red
- Meaning: To owe more money than you have.
- Example: The company has been in the red for three years now.
- Pay through the nose
- Meaning: To pay too much for something.
- Example: We had to pay through the nose for parking at the concert.
- Go broke
- Meaning: To lose all your money.
- Example: If the business doesn’t pick up soon, we’ll go broke.
- Blow your money
- Meaning: To spend money carelessly.
- Example: He blew his money on gambling and now regrets it.
- Tighten your belt
- Meaning: To spend less money because of financial difficulties.
- Example: We had to tighten our belts after Dad lost his job.
- Fritter away
- Meaning: To waste money on unimportant things.
- Example: She fritters away her salary on shopping every month.
- Live hand to mouth
- Meaning: To live with just enough money for basic needs.
- Example: After the rent increase, they are living hand to mouth.
- Break the bank
- Meaning: To spend all your money or more than you can afford.
- Example: The vacation broke the bank, but it was worth it.
Spending Money Idioms
- Foot the bill
- Meaning: To pay the total cost of something.
- Example: The company will foot the bill for your hotel stay.
- Splash out
- Meaning: To spend a lot of money on something luxurious.
- Example: They splashed out on a five-star vacation for their anniversary.
- Live beyond your means
- Meaning: To spend more money than you can afford.
- Example: He’s been living beyond his means, which led to financial trouble.
- Blow your money
- Meaning: To waste money on unnecessary things.
- Example: She blew her money on expensive clothes she didn’t need.
- Pick up the tab
- Meaning: To pay the bill for a group.
- Example: Don’t worry about dinner; I’ll pick up the tab this time.
- Burn through money
- Meaning: To spend money very quickly.
- Example: They’ve been burning through money renovating their house.
- Drop a bundle
- Meaning: To spend a large amount of money on something.
- Example: He dropped a bundle on a brand-new car.
- Go on a spending spree
- Meaning: To buy many things in a short period.
- Example: She went on a spending spree after getting her bonus.
- Shell out
- Meaning: To pay for something, often reluctantly.
- Example: We had to shell out a lot of money for the repairs.
- Live it up
- Meaning: To spend money freely and enjoy life.
- Example: They decided to live it up while on vacation.
Saving Money Idioms
- Save for a rainy day
- Meaning: To save money for emergencies.
- Example: It’s wise to save for a rainy day in case of unexpected expenses.
- Cut corners
- Meaning: To save money by doing things cheaply.
- Example: They had to cut corners to stay within their budget.
- Nest egg
- Meaning: Money saved for the future, often for retirement.
- Example: She has been building a nest egg for her retirement.
- Tighten your belt
- Meaning: To reduce spending due to financial difficulties.
- Example: During the recession, everyone had to tighten their belts.
- A penny saved is a penny earned
- Meaning: Saving money is as important as earning it.
- Example: My grandfather always says, “A penny saved is a penny earned.”
- Put something aside
- Meaning: To save money for a specific purpose.
- Example: They’re putting money aside for their child’s education.
- Live on a shoestring
- Meaning: To live with very little money.
- Example: During college, I had to live on a shoestring budget.
- Pinch pennies
- Meaning: To spend money very carefully.
- Example: Since losing his job, he’s been pinching pennies to get by.
- On the cheap
- Meaning: Spending as little money as possible.
- Example: They managed to renovate their kitchen on the cheap.
- Make ends meet
- Meaning: To manage financially with the money you have.
- Example: It’s hard to make ends meet with the rising cost of living.
Wasting Money Idioms
- Throw money out the window
- Meaning: To waste money on unnecessary things.
- Example: Buying that expensive gadget was like throwing money out the window.
- Money down the drain
- Meaning: Money wasted on something useless.
- Example: The faulty repairs were just money down the drain.
- Pour money into something
- Meaning: To spend too much money on something, often with little return.
- Example: They keep pouring money into that old car, but it’s not worth it.
- Buy a lemon
- Meaning: To waste money on a faulty or poor-quality product.
- Example: I bought a lemon when I chose that used car—it keeps breaking down.
- Blow money on
- Meaning: To spend money foolishly.
- Example: He blew money on luxury items he didn’t need.
- Flush money away
- Meaning: To waste money carelessly.
- Example: Spending so much on subscriptions you don’t use is like flushing money away.
- Sink money into something
- Meaning: To invest money in something unlikely to succeed.
- Example: They sank money into a failing business idea.
- Pay over the odds
- Meaning: To pay much more than something is worth.
- Example: Tourists often pay over the odds for souvenirs.
- Throw good money after bad
- Meaning: To keep spending money on something unprofitable.
- Example: Continuing to fix that old car is like throwing good money after bad.
- Burn money
- Meaning: To spend money recklessly.
- Example: He’s been burning money on designer clothes lately.
Funny Idioms About Money
- Have deep pockets and short arms
- Meaning: To be rich but unwilling to spend money.
- Example: He’s known for having deep pockets and short arms when it comes to tipping.
- Money burns a hole in your pocket
- Meaning: To feel the urge to spend money as soon as you get it.
- Example: Every payday, his salary burns a hole in his pocket.
- Champagne tastes on a beer budget
- Meaning: To desire expensive things but only afford cheap ones.
- Example: She has champagne tastes on a beer budget, always dreaming of luxury.
- Penny wise and pound foolish
- Meaning: To save small amounts but waste larger ones.
- Example: Buying cheap tires is penny wise and pound foolish if they don’t last.
- Go Dutch
- Meaning: To split the cost of something, like a meal.
- Example: We decided to go Dutch on dinner to save money.
- Not worth a dime
- Meaning: To have no value.
- Example: That advice he gave me was not worth a dime.
- As sound as a dollar
- Meaning: To be reliable or dependable (though the humor comes from the irony of fluctuating currency values).
- Example: His business idea seemed as sound as a dollar, but it didn’t work out.
- Another day, another dollar
- Meaning: A humorous way to refer to earning money daily, often in a mundane way.
- Example: “How’s work?” “Oh, you know, another day, another dollar.”
- Money talks, but all mine says is goodbye
- Meaning: A funny way to describe losing money quickly.
- Example: I got my paycheck yesterday, but money talks, and all mine says is goodbye.
- Born with a silver spoon in your mouth
- Meaning: To be born into a wealthy family.
- Example: He never had to worry about money; he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
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