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budget

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champagne taste on a beer budget

Expensive or extravagant tastes or preferences that are beyond one's economic means. I only earn minimum wage, but I can't stop buying designer clothes and eating at the best restaurants—I guess I've got champagne taste on a beer budget!

See also: beer, budget, on, taste

shoestring budget

A budget or allotment of resources that is very meager, sparse, or just enough to suit its purpose. Unfortunately, due to government cutbacks following the recession, our department has had to produce the same levels of work on a shoestring budget. I did all sorts of traveling with just a shoestring budget when I was in college. You learn very quickly how to make the most of what you have!

See also: budget, shoestring

budget something for someone or something

to set aside a certain amount of money for someone or something. Did you budget some money for the holiday party? I budgeted a few hundred a month for Andrew's college expenses.

See also: budget

budget for

v.

To set aside some amount of money for something or someone: For the party, we budgeted $1,000 for musicians and food.

See also: budget

budget

mod. [of something] of low quality or cheap. Don’t you dare bring back any of that budget pizza!

budget dust

n. a minor amount of money considering the size of the entire budget; money left over at the end of the budget year. The amount is just budget dust, chump change! What’s the big deal?

See also: budget, dust

budget squeeze

and budget crunch

n. a situation where there is not enough money in the budget. Facing another budget squeeze, the legislators were forced to put off their pay increase. If it wasn’t for the budget crunch, I’d get a good raise this year.

See also: budget, squeeze

budget crunch

verb

See budget squeeze

See also: budget, crunch