shoestring

It means to manage one’s financial affairs on a very tight budget.

e.g. "When we were students, we lived on a shoestring"

shoestring [ˈʃuːstrɪŋ]

A. N (US) → cordón m, lazo m
to do sth on a shoestring → hacer algo con muy poco dinero
to live on a shoestring → vivir muy justo

B. CPD shoestring budget N → presupuesto m muy limitado

SOURCE: www.thefreedictionary.com

How to Buy Food on a Shoestring Budget thumbnail

2.- Reading practice: How to Buy Food on a Shoestring Budget

A lot of people, myself included, have lived for long, or for short, periods of time with an extremely small food/grocery budget.
I did it without living on Top Ramen, and you can too. Here are some bare-bones food budget ideas for anyone that needs to survive and thrive on very little money.

Instructions

- 1
  
  Make a plan. Preparation and planning is extremely important when you have a super-small food budget. There's no way to avoid this step. Once you're clear on what you'll be buying for groceries this month, make your own plan and your own grocery list, and follow them to the letter.
- 2
  
  Decide on the absolute highest amount you can afford to spend on food this month. I have lived on as little as $20.00 a month, though those same foods would probably cost me $50.00 or more a month at today's prices. Whatever amount you decide on, know that it is possible to live on it.