Idioms for poverty are special phrases that mean something different from what the words say on their own. People use them to make their speaking and writing more colorful, descriptive, and fun. In this guide, you will learn many popular expressions that describe financial hardship, living with very little money, and experiencing tough economic times.
In this lesson, we’ll look at idioms that mean facing money shortages, living frugally, and experiencing financial struggle. Let’s get started and explore some of these helpful expressions.
Idioms for Poverty
1. Hard up
Meaning: Having very little money available to buy necessities or enjoy treats.
For Example: After buying his new bicycle, he felt a bit hard up for cash. / Do not spend all your allowance at once or you will be hard up by Friday.
Other Ways to Say: Short of money / Financially strapped
2. Flat broke
Meaning: Having literally zero money left in your pockets or bank account.
For Example: Buying those expensive video games left him completely flat broke. / I cannot go to the movie theater tonight because I am flat broke.
Other Ways to Say: Penniless / Out of cash
3. Skint
Meaning: A British expression meaning having no money left at all.
For Example: He could not buy an ice cream cone because he was completely skint. / Saving your pocket money prevents you from being skint at the end of the month.
Other Ways to Say: Broke / Penniless
4. Living hand to mouth
Meaning: Spending every earned coin immediately on basic survival with nothing left over.
For Example: During the difficult winter months, the family was living hand to mouth. / Earning just enough for food meant they were living hand to mouth.
Other Ways to Say: Struggling financially / Surviving day-to-day
5. On the breadline
Meaning: Living in extreme poverty right on the edge of not having enough food.
For Example: Many families during the historical hardship era lived right on the breadline. / Social programs aim to help people who are living on the breadline.
Other Ways to Say: Destitute / Extremely poor
6. Penny-less
Meaning: Having absolutely no money or coins remaining to your name.
For Example: After paying for his school supplies, he was left penny-less. / The story character lost all his treasure and became penny-less.
Other Ways to Say: Broke / Destitute
7. Down and out
Meaning: Someone who has lost all their money, success, and good fortune in life.
For Example: The story character felt down and out after losing his job. / Helping people who are down and out is an important community value.
Other Ways to Say: Destitute / Unlucky and broke
8. Stone broke
Meaning: Having absolutely zero money remaining, like a stone has nothing inside.
For Example: Buying snacks every day at school left him stone broke by Wednesday. / Check your piggy bank before planning a trip so you don’t go stone broke.
Other Ways to Say: Completely flat broke / Penniless
9. Out at elbows
Meaning: Wearing old, worn-out clothing with holes at the sleeves due to poverty.
For Example: The old coat looked out at elbows after years of hard wear. / He wore out at elbows sweaters during the cold winter.
Other Ways to Say: Wearing ragged clothes / Shabby appearance
10. In the red
Meaning: Owing more money than you possess, resulting in a negative bank balance.
For Example: Overspending on holiday gifts put the family budget deep in the red. / Businesses try hard to avoid staying in the red for too long.
Other Ways to Say: In debt / Owing money
11. Burdened with debt
Meaning: Owing large sums of money that cause heavy financial stress.
For Example: Paying off college loans left him burdened with debt for years. / Avoid buying unnecessary items so you don’t get burdened with debt.
Other Ways to Say: Owing money / Financially stressed
12. Tighten your belt
Meaning: Spending less money and living more frugally during tough financial times.
For Example: When allowance was reduced, we had to tighten our belts on buying toys. / The family tightened their belts to save up for a new refrigerator.
Other Ways to Say: Cut expenses / Live frugally
13. Scrape by
Meaning: Managing to survive or finish a task with barely enough resources.
For Example: With only five dollars left, we had to scrape by until payday. / He managed to scrape by on his math test with a passing grade.
Other Ways to Say: Barely survive / Manage with little
14. Make ends meet
Meaning: Earning just enough money to pay for basic food and housing expenses.
For Example: Working two jobs helped the parents make ends meet for their family. / Rising prices made it difficult for some households to make ends meet.
Other Ways to Say: Pay bills / Balance budget
15. Pauper
Meaning: A very poor person who owns almost nothing of value.
For Example: In the story, the prince traded clothes with a poor pauper in the street. / Do not spend recklessly or you might end up like a pauper.
Other Ways to Say: Destitute person / Poor individual
16. Destitute
Meaning: Extremely poor and lacking the basic necessities of life like food and shelter.
For Example: The storm left many families destitute and needing community food aid. / Charities work hard to support people who are destitute.
Other Ways to Say: Impoverished / Extremely poor
17. Impoverished
Meaning: Made poor through economic hardship, lacking wealth and resources.
For Example: The charity organization sent school books to impoverished children overseas. / Donations helped build houses in impoverished neighborhoods.
Other Ways to Say: Poor / Needy
18. Needy
Meaning: Lacking enough money, food, and basic supplies to live comfortably.
For Example: Our class collected canned goods to donate to needy families during winter. / Helping needy people is a wonderful way to show kindness.
Other Ways to Say: Impoverished / Poor
19. Destitute state NOT
Meaning: Having plenty of money, savings, and financial security.
For Example: With a full savings account, a destitute state not worried them. / Having secure employment meant a destitute state not occurred.
Other Ways to Say: Wealthy / Financially secure
20. Penniless condition NOT
Meaning: Enjoying financial stability and plenty of resources.
For Example: Earning a good salary meant living a penniless condition not. / They had a secure budget, penniless condition not in sight.
Other Ways to Say: Financially stable / Secure
21. Bare bones budget
Meaning: Spending money only on absolute survival basics with zero extras.
For Example: During the slow month, we lived on a bare bones budget of rice and beans. / Setting up a bare bones budget helps you save coins quickly.
Other Ways to Say: Minimal budget / Strict spending
22. Watch every penny
Meaning: Being extremely careful and frugal about how money is spent.
For Example: When saving for a bicycle, you have to watch every penny you earn. / She watched every penny while shopping at the grocery store.
Other Ways to Say: Be frugal / Spend carefully
23. Pinch pennies
Meaning: Being very stingy and careful with spending even tiny amounts of money.
For Example: Grandfather learned to pinch pennies growing up on a farm. / Saving up for college requires you to pinch pennies daily.
Other Ways to Say: Be stingy / Save carefully
24. On its last legs
Meaning: Financial resources or worn-out items that are about to fail completely.
For Example: Our family car was on its last legs before we finally bought a new one. / The old refrigerator was on its last legs and needed replacing.
Other Ways to Say: Failing / Worn out
25. Out of pocket
Meaning: Losing personal money to pay for expenses unexpectedly.
For Example: Buying the art supplies left me out of pocket by ten dollars. / The school trip cost was out of pocket for parents.
Other Ways to Say: Losing money / Out of expense
26. Barely keeping afloat
Meaning: Struggling to pay bills and survive financial stress without sinking.
For Example: With unexpected medical bills, the family was barely keeping afloat. / He worked extra hours to keep his budget barely keeping afloat.
Other Ways to Say: Struggling financially / Surviving bills
27. Hit rock bottom
Meaning: Reaching the absolute lowest point of financial or personal trouble.
For Example: Losing his job and savings felt like hitting rock bottom for him. / After hitting rock bottom, he started working hard to rebuild his life.
Other Ways to Say: Lowest point / Total failure
28. In debt up to your eyeballs
Meaning: Owning an overwhelming and massive amount of unpaid money.
For Example: Buying too many luxury items left him in debt up to his eyeballs. / Avoid borrowing money so you don’t get in debt up to your eyeballs.
Other Ways to Say: Massively in debt / Overburdened
29. Borrowing from Peter to pay Paul
Meaning: Taking money from one person or loan to pay off another debt.
For Example: Using credit cards to pay other bills is just borrowing from Peter to pay Paul. / Managing money poorly leads to borrowing from Peter to pay Paul.
Other Ways to Say: Shifting debt / Paying loans with loans
30. Empty pockets
Meaning: Having no money left inside your clothing when checking for coins.
For Example: He checked his winter coat and found only empty pockets. / Walking home with empty pockets meant he couldn’t buy a bus ticket.
Other Ways to Say: No money / Broke
31. Beggar
Meaning: Someone who has no home or money and asks people on the street for coins.
For Example: The kind woman shared her sandwich with a beggar outside the station. / Stories often feature a kind traveler helping a poor beggar.
Other Ways to Say: Homeless person / Street pleader
32. Destitute lifestyle
Meaning: Living a life completely devoid of modern comforts and wealth.
For Example: The novel described the characters’ destitute lifestyle in the old city. / Escaping a destitute lifestyle required years of hard work and school.
Other Ways to Say: Impoverished life / Poor living
33. Financial ruin
Meaning: Total loss of all money, property, and economic stability.
For Example: Making bad business choices brought the store to financial ruin. / Saving money protects families from sudden financial ruin.
Other Ways to Say: Bankruptcy / Economic collapse
34. Broke as a joke
Meaning: A humorous rhyming slang phrase meaning having zero money.
For Example: After buying tickets to the concert, he was broke as a joke. / Do not lend him money because he is broke as a joke.
Other Ways to Say: Completely broke / Penniless
35. Without a pot to piss in
Meaning: A crude old idiom describing someone who is extremely poor and destitute.
For Example: The old saying described a man so poor he was without a pot to piss in. / Starting his business with nothing made him feel without a pot to piss in.
Other Ways to Say: Extremely poor / Totally destitute
36. Not a red cent
Meaning: Having zero money, not even the smallest coin.
For Example: He checked his wallet and found not a red cent inside. / I cannot buy a snack because I have not a red cent.
Other Ways to Say: Zero money / Not a penny
37. Not a penny to your name
Meaning: Possessing no money, property, or valuable items whatsoever.
For Example: He arrived in the big city with not a penny to his name. / Working hard helps you avoid having not a penny to your name.
Other Ways to Say: Completely broke / Destitute
38. Scratching for pennies
Meaning: Working extremely hard for very little money just to survive.
For Example: The laborers spent all day scratching for pennies in the field. / Earning a living wage is better than scratching for pennies.
Other Ways to Say: Working for little / Earning scraps
39. Living on the edge
Meaning: Having finances so fragile that one emergency causes poverty.
For Example: Spending every paycheck immediately means living on the edge of debt. / Saving money stops families from living on the edge.
Other Ways to Say: Financially fragile / Risky budget
40. Bread and water diet
Meaning: Eating only the cheapest, most basic food due to extreme poverty.
For Example: Sailors in old adventure stories survived on a bread and water diet. / Budgeting strictly sometimes feels like living on a bread and water diet.
Other Ways to Say: Basic food / Minimal diet
41. Rags to riches
Meaning: A journey of starting poor in poverty and growing wealthy.
For Example: The biography told a classic rags to riches story of an inventor. / Working hard can turn a rags to riches tale into reality.
Other Ways to Say: Poor to wealthy / Humble start to success
42. Rags
Meaning: Wearing old, torn, and tattered clothing because you cannot afford new ones.
For Example: The story character went from wearing rags to wearing royal silk. / Do not judge people who dress in rags.
Other Ways to Say: Tattered clothes / Old garments
43. Poorhouse
Meaning: An old historical public institution where destitute people lived and worked.
For Example: Historical novels often mention poor families being sent to the poorhouse. / Modern welfare programs replaced the old poorhouse system.
Other Ways to Say: Workhouse / Charity home
44. Breadwinner struggling
Meaning: The family income earner having trouble paying household expenses.
For Example: When factory jobs closed, every breadwinner struggling found life hard. / Supporting children made the breadwinner struggling feel stressed.
Other Ways to Say: Struggling earner / Hardworking provider
45. Empty purse
Meaning: A wallet or coin bag containing zero money.
For Example: She opened her leather handbag to find an empty purse inside. / Shopping without checking an empty purse leads to embarrassment.
Other Ways to Say: No money / Broke wallet
46. Living in a box
Meaning: Having no permanent home and experiencing extreme homelessness.
For Example: Some unfortunate people end up living in a box in city alleys. / Communities build shelters so people avoid living in a box.
Other Ways to Say: Homelessness / Living on streets
47. Handout
Meaning: Free food or money given to poor people by charities or government.
For Example: Rather than relying on a handout, he wanted to earn a steady job. / Soup kitchens provide food handouts for needy individuals.
Other Ways to Say: Charity / Free assistance
48. Soup kitchen
Meaning: A place that serves free meals to poor and homeless people.
For Example: Volunteers spent their Sunday cooking meals at the local soup kitchen. / The charity soup kitchen fed hundreds of hungry people.
Other Ways to Say: Free food center / Charity dining hall
49. Shelter for the homeless
Meaning: A safe building providing beds for destitute people without housing.
For Example: The city opened a shelter for the homeless during the freezing winter. / Donations of blankets helped the shelter for the homeless.
Other Ways to Say: Homeless refuge / Housing charity
50. Hard times
Meaning: A difficult period of economic struggle and poverty.
For Example: The family faced hard times when the farm crops did not grow. / Helping neighbors gets everyone through hard times.
Other Ways to Say: Difficult era / Economic struggle
51. Economic depression
Meaning: A severe nationwide period of business failure, job loss, and poverty.
For Example: History books teach students about the Great Economic Depression. / Finding work was very difficult during the economic depression.
Other Ways to Say: Financial crash / Hard economic era
52. Out of work
Meaning: Being unemployed and lacking a steady source of income.
For Example: Being out of work for months made paying rent very stressful. / He searched local bulletin boards because he was out of work.
Other Ways to Say: Unemployed / Jobless
53. Jobless
Meaning: Having no employment or paycheck to support your household.
For Example: The factory closure left hundreds of workers jobless and worried. / Government programs offer training for jobless citizens.
Other Ways to Say: Unemployed / Out of work
54. Living on charity
Meaning: Relying entirely on donations from others to survive.
For Example: They lost their home in the fire and spent weeks living on charity. / Working hard helps people avoid living on charity.
Other Ways to Say: Depending on aid / Relying on donations
55. Beggars can’t be choosers
Meaning: Poor people receiving free help must accept whatever they are given.
For Example: When offered hand-me-down shoes that were slightly large, he remembered beggars can’t be choosers. / Take what help is offered because beggars can’t be choosers.
Other Ways to Say: Accept what you get / Take free help gracefully
56. Living on a shoestring
Meaning: Operating a household or project on an extremely small budget.
For Example: College students often find themselves living on a shoestring budget. / Running the small club on a shoestring taught us resourcefulness.
Other Ways to Say: Tiny budget / Frugal living
57. Penniless wanderer
Meaning: A homeless traveler with no money moving from place to place.
For Example: Folk tales often tell stories of a mysterious penniless wanderer. / The kind innkeeper gave food to the penniless wanderer.
Other Ways to Say: Poor traveler / Homeless nomad
58. Skint to the bone
Meaning: Having absolutely no financial resources left remaining.
For Example: After paying all monthly bills, she was skint to the bone. / Avoid impulse buying so you don’t get skint to the bone.
Other Ways to Say: Completely broke / Out of cash
59. Dire poverty
Meaning: The most severe and dangerous level of economic hardship.
For Example: International organizations work to lift communities out of dire poverty. / Families in rural villages sometimes suffer in dire poverty.
Other Ways to Say: Extreme poverty / Destitution
60. Ultimate penniless state
Meaning: Having zero money, property, or resources left in life.
For Example: Losing his entire fortune brought him to the ultimate penniless state. / Working smart prevents falling into an ultimate penniless state.
Other Ways to Say: Total destitution / Absolute poverty
Exercise to Practice
- After buying his new bicycle, he felt a bit hard ________ for cash.
- Buying those expensive video games left him completely flat ________.
- He could not buy an ice cream cone because he was completely ________.
- During the difficult winter months, the family was living hand to ________.
- Buying too many luxury items left him in debt up to his ________.
- Using credit cards to pay other bills is just borrowing from Peter to pay ________.
- He checked his winter coat and found only empty ________.
- The kind woman shared her sandwich with a ________ outside the station.
- He checked his wallet and found not a red ________ inside.
- The factory closure left hundreds of workers jobless and ________.
- Volunteers spent their Sunday cooking meals at the local soup ________.
- The family faced hard ________ when the farm crops did not grow.
- Being out of ________ for months made paying rent very stressful.
- College students often find themselves living on a ________ budget.
- International organizations work to lift communities out of dire ________.
Answer Key
- up
- broke
- skint
- mouth
- eyeballs
- Paul
- pockets
- beggar
- cent
- worried
- kitchen
- times
- work
- shoestring
- poverty
Conclusion
Learning idioms for poverty is a helpful way to expand your vocabulary and describe economic hardship in expressive ways. These phrases help make your speaking, storytelling, and writing more descriptive, empathetic, and engaging.
Try using a few of these helpful idioms the next time you write a story about a character overcoming financial challenges or talk about budgeting. Incorporating these expressions into your daily language will boost your communication skills and help your writing shine!
