Idioms for cheap are fun phrases that mean something different from the literal words you see on the page. People use them every day to add color to their conversations and share feelings quickly. In this article, you will learn many helpful idioms related to being cheap, saving money, and spending very little.
In this lesson, we’ll look at Idioms that mean saving coins, avoiding high costs, and being stingy. Let’s get started and explore some of these helpful expressions.
Idioms for Cheap
1. Penny-wise and pound-foolish
Meaning: Being overly careful with small amounts of money while wasting large amounts.
For Example: Walking three miles to save a single penny on candy while losing a dollar bill is being penny-wise and pound-foolish. / Try not to be penny-wise and pound-foolish when buying important school supplies.
Other Ways to Say: Careless with big money / Frugal on small things
2. Tightwad
Meaning: A person who hates spending money and is extremely stingy.
For Example: He refused to spend a single quarter at the arcade, acting like a total tightwad. / Don’t be a tightwad when your friends want to buy shared pizza.
Other Ways to Say: Stingy person / Miser
3. Skinflint
Meaning: Someone who tries to spend as little money as possible on everything.
For Example: The old shopkeeper was known as a skinflint who never gave discounts. / Being a skinflint means you miss out on fun treats.
Other Ways to Say: Cheapskate / Stingy individual
4. Cheapskate
Meaning: A derogatory term for someone who avoids spending their own money.
For Example: He always forgot his wallet when it was time to buy ice cream, earning him the name of a cheapskate. / Don’t be a cheapskate on your sister’s birthday present.
Other Ways to Say: Stingy person / Miserly individual
5. Penny pincher
Meaning: Someone who manages and saves every single coin very carefully.
For Example: Grandma was a smart penny pincher who saved enough for our vacation. / Being a penny pincher helps you buy toys later.
Other Ways to Say: Frugal person / Careful saver
6. Keep costs down
Meaning: Finding ways to spend less money on a project or purchase.
For Example: Using old cardboard boxes helped us keep costs down for the science project. / Buying store brand snacks helps keep costs down for parties.
Other Ways to Say: Save money / Reduce expenses
7. Dirt cheap
Meaning: Something that costs an extremely small amount of money.
For Example: We found these colorful notebooks on sale for dirt cheap at the store. / Secondhand comic books are often sold dirt cheap.
Other Ways to Say: Very inexpensive / Extremely low price
8. Bargain basement price
Meaning: An exceptionally low and affordable cost for an item.
For Example: The winter coats were marked down to a bargain basement price. / He bought his bicycle at a bargain basement price during the clearance.
Other Ways to Say: Super low cost / Great discount
9. For a song
Meaning: Buying something at an amazingly cheap and low price.
For Example: She bought the vintage guitar at the yard sale for a song. / Finding old books for a song makes reading fun.
Other Ways to Say: Very cheap / Inexpensive purchase
10. Dime a dozen
Meaning: Things that are extremely common, cheap, and easy to find everywhere.
For Example: Plastic hair clips like those are a dime a dozen at the market. / Old pencils at the bottom of the backpack are a dime a dozen.
Other Ways to Say: Very common / Inexpensive and plentiful
11. Robbing Peter to pay Paul
Meaning: Borrowing money or taking funds from one place to pay another cheap debt.
For Example: Using lunch money to buy a toy and then skipping snacks is like robbing Peter to pay Paul. / Moving money around like that is just robbing Peter to pay Paul.
Other Ways to Say: Shift debts / Borrow to pay
12. Cut corners
Meaning: Doing things cheaply and quickly, often sacrificing quality.
For Example: Building the birdhouse with thin glue meant they tried to cut corners. / Don’t cut corners on your homework if you want good grades.
Other Ways to Say: Do things cheaply / Rush work
13. Pinch pennies
Meaning: Being extremely careful and frugal with every single coin.
For Example: Saving up for a new bicycle meant he had to pinch pennies all summer. / Families often pinch pennies during slow work months.
Other Ways to Say: Save money / Be frugal
14. Watch your pennies
Meaning: Being mindful and careful about how much money you spend.
For Example: Shopping with a strict allowance means you have to watch your pennies. / Watch your pennies at the amusement park gift shop.
Other Ways to Say: Be careful with money / Budget
15. Count every penny
Meaning: Tracking and monitoring all expenses so you don’t spend too much.
For Example: Running a small lemonade stand requires you to count every penny. / She had to count every penny to afford her art supplies.
Other Ways to Say: Track expenses / Be thrifty
16. Living on a shoestring
Meaning: Living very cheaply with a tiny amount of money.
For Example: College students often start out living on a shoestring budget. / Traveling across the country living on a shoestring takes planning.
Other Ways to Say: Live frugally / Spend very little
17. Bare bones budget
Meaning: A financial plan that covers only the absolute cheapest necessities.
For Example: The club operated on a bare bones budget for the semester. / When money was tight, they switched to a bare bones budget.
Other Ways to Say: Minimum spending / Strict budget
18. Tighten your belt
Meaning: Spending less money and living more cheaply during hard times.
For Example: After buying the new computer, the family had to tighten their belts. / Saving for a trip means we need to tighten our belts.
Other Ways to Say: Spend less / Cut expenses
19. Bottom dollar
Meaning: Your last remaining coin or piece of money.
For Example: He spent his bottom dollar on a comic book at the fair. / Saving your bottom dollar is better than wasting it on candy.
Other Ways to Say: Last coin / Final cent
20. Not worth a plugged nickel
Meaning: Something that is completely cheap, broken, and worthless.
For Example: That old plastic toy broke instantly and was not worth a plugged nickel. / Without batteries, the gadget is not worth a plugged nickel.
Other Ways to Say: Worthless / Completely cheap
21. Two cents worth
Meaning: A cheap, minor opinion that you share in a conversation.
For Example: He offered his two cents worth on which game they should play. / Thanks for your two cents worth, but we decided on soccer.
Other Ways to Say: Minor opinion / Small input
22. Cheap thrill
Meaning: An inexpensive activity that brings quick excitement or fun.
For Example: Riding the playground slide was a cheap thrill for the toddlers. / Collecting shiny rocks provided a cheap thrill during walks.
Other Ways to Say: Inexpensive fun / Simple joy
23. Bargain hunter
Meaning: Someone who loves searching for the cheapest possible prices.
For Example: Mom was a skilled bargain hunter at the weekend flea market. / Being a bargain hunter helps you find cool toys on sale.
Other Ways to Say: Discount seeker / Thrift shopper
24. Thrift store find
Meaning: A surprisingly good and cheap item bought at a second-hand shop.
For Example: Finding a rare jacket for two dollars was a great thrift store find. / His vintage board game was a lucky thrift store find.
Other Ways to Say: Secondhand bargain / Cheap discovery
25. Secondhand savings
Meaning: Saving money by buying pre-owned, cheaper items.
For Example: Buying pre-owned textbooks gave them great secondhand savings. / Using secondhand savings let him buy a skateboard.
Other Ways to Say: Pre-owned discount / Cheap buying
26. Pound-wise
Meaning: Being careful and sensible with major financial expenses.
For Example: Buying a durable backpack made her pound-wise in the long run. / Smart shoppers are pound-wise when choosing appliances.
Other Ways to Say: Financially smart / Sensible spender
27. Freebie
Meaning: Something given away without costing any money at all.
For Example: Getting a free sticker with my magazine made me happy about the freebie. / The bookstore handed out bookmarks as a nice freebie.
Other Ways to Say: Free item / Zero cost gift
28. On the house
Meaning: Food or items provided cheaply or for free by a business.
For Example: The baker gave us an extra cookie on the house. / Getting a refill of juice on the house was a pleasant surprise.
Other Ways to Say: Free of charge / Compliments of the store
29. Cut-rate
Meaning: Goods sold at much cheaper prices than usual.
For Example: They bought cut-rate art supplies for the school craft fair. / Cut-rate tickets made the museum visit affordable.
Other Ways to Say: Discounted / Low-price
30. Rock-bottom price
Meaning: The absolute lowest, cheapest price an item can be sold for.
For Example: Waiting for the end-of-season sale got us a rock-bottom price. / He refused to buy until the bicycle hit rock-bottom price.
Other Ways to Say: Lowest cost / Minimum price
31. Budget-friendly
Meaning: An item or plan that is inexpensive and fits cheap limits.
For Example: Making sandwiches for the picnic is a budget-friendly choice. / We looked for budget-friendly recipes for our party snacks.
Other Ways to Say: Inexpensive / Cheap option
32. Pocket change
Meaning: A tiny amount of money, so cheap it barely matters.
For Example: Buying the sticker cost only pocket change from his piggy bank. / Ten cents is just pocket change for an arcade game.
Other Ways to Say: Small coins / Tiny sum
33. Cheap skate rider
Meaning: Someone who tries to avoid paying their share of costs.
For Example: Paying for movie tickets while he hid his wallet made him look like a cheap skate rider. / Don’t be a cheap skate rider when sharing taxi fares.
Other Ways to Say: Unfair spender / Stingy person
34. Miserly ways
Meaning: Habits of hoarding money and refusing to spend anything cheap or not.
For Example: His miserly ways meant he never bought snacks at the park. / Her miserly ways kept her piggy bank full of coins.
Other Ways to Say: Stingy habits / Greediness
35. Stingy spender
Meaning: Someone who hates parting with their coins even for cheap items.
For Example: He was such a stingy spender he wouldn’t buy a pencil. / Being a stingy spender stops you from sharing treats.
Other Ways to Say: Frugal person / Tightwad
36. Frugal living
Meaning: Choosing to live simply and spend as little money as possible.
For Example: Growing their own vegetables was part of their frugal living routine. / Frugal living helps families save coins for big trips.
Other Ways to Say: Thrifty life / Cheap lifestyle
37. Thrifty shopper
Meaning: Someone who cleverly finds cheap and useful items.
For Example: Being a thrifty shopper helped her buy three books for five dollars. / Thrifty shoppers always check clearance racks first.
Other Ways to Say: Smart buyer / Discount finder
38. Economical choice
Meaning: A wise, cheap option that saves money.
For Example: Walking to school instead of taking a cab is an economical choice. / Buying bulk paper is an economical choice for classrooms.
Other Ways to Say: Cheap option / Money-saving decision
39. Cost-effective
Meaning: Giving good value for a relatively cheap price.
For Example: Reusing old jars for art storage is very cost-effective. / Buying durable shoes is more cost-effective than cheap ones breaking fast.
Other Ways to Say: Good value / Efficient spending
40. Worth every penny
Meaning: An item that justifies its price, even if not the absolute cheapest.
For Example: The helpful dictionary was expensive, but it was worth every penny. / That museum tour proved to be worth every penny.
Other Ways to Say: Good value / Deserving cost
41. Pay peanuts
Meaning: Paying someone an extremely cheap and low wage.
For Example: Working at the snack stand felt like they were paying peanuts. / Doing chores for pocket change is like getting paid peanuts.
Other Ways to Say: Low pay / Cheap wages
42. Work for a pittance
Meaning: Doing hard labor for very cheap, minimal money.
For Example: He agreed to weed the large garden to work for a pittance. / Doing tasks for a pittance taught him the value of coins.
Other Ways to Say: Cheap labor / Small wage
43. Cheap substitute
Meaning: A low-quality, inexpensive replacement for a good item.
For Example: The paper plate was a cheap substitute for a ceramic bowl. / Plastic toys are a cheap substitute for wooden blocks.
Other Ways to Say: Inexpensive replacement / Low-cost backup
44. Knock-off item
Meaning: A cheap copy of an expensive brand-name product.
For Example: His backpack was a knock-off item bought at a discount store. / Be careful buying knock-off items because they break easily.
Other Ways to Say: Fake product / Cheap copy
45. Dime store quality
Meaning: Items that are poorly made, cheap, and fragile.
For Example: The plastic toy broke after one day because of its dime store quality. / Avoid dime store quality if you want durable shoes.
Other Ways to Say: Cheaply made / Low quality
46. Shabby bargain
Meaning: A cheap purchase that looks worn out or poorly made.
For Example: Buying the broken chair at the yard sale turned out to be a shabby bargain. / That coat looked like a shabby bargain.
Other Ways to Say: Poor discount / Worn-out deal
47. Flea market find
Meaning: A very cheap treasure bought at an outdoor market.
For Example: Finding an antique compass at a flea market made his day. / Flea market finds are great for cheap decorations.
Other Ways to Say: Market bargain / Cheap treasure
48. Yard sale score
Meaning: Getting a surprisingly cheap item at a neighborhood sale.
For Example: Buying five comic books for a dollar was an amazing yard sale score. / Yard sale scores help you save pocket change.
Other Ways to Say: Garage sale bargain / Cheap purchase
49. Clearance rack discovery
Meaning: Finding a cheap item hidden on a store discount shelf.
For Example: The winter sweater was a clearance rack discovery for half price. / Checking clearance rack discoveries saves money.
Other Ways to Say: Discount find / Cheap sale item
50. Markdown special
Meaning: An item marked down to a much cheaper price.
For Example: The blue markers were a markdown special at the stationery shop. / She bought her art paints as a markdown special.
Other Ways to Say: Discount item / Cheap sale
51. Penny ante
Meaning: Something so cheap, small, or unimportant that it doesn’t matter.
For Example: Arguing over a nickel felt like penny ante business to them. / They played penny ante card games with buttons for coins.
Other Ways to Say: Trivial / Very cheap
52. Cheap shot
Meaning: An unfair, cheap remark or action directed at someone.
For Example: Teasing him about his drawing error was an unnecessary cheap shot. / Ignore his cheap shot and keep playing nicely.
Other Ways to Say: Unfair comment / Mean remark
53. Cheap talk
Meaning: Words that sound easy to say but cost nothing and mean little.
For Example: Promising to clean the whole room without helping is just cheap talk. / Show your help with actions instead of cheap talk.
Other Ways to Say: Empty promises / Idle words
54. Talk is cheap
Meaning: It is easy to make promises, but hard work costs effort.
For Example: He said he would build a treehouse, but talk is cheap until wood arrives. / Remember that talk is cheap when planning chores.
Other Ways to Say: Promises are easy / Actions matter
55. Cheap grace
Meaning: Accepting forgiveness or rewards without putting in any effort.
For Example: Expecting a prize without doing homework is like expecting cheap grace. / Earning grades takes work, not cheap grace.
Other Ways to Say: Easy reward / Unearned perk
56. Cheap date
Meaning: An outing or restaurant visit that costs very little money.
For Example: Grabbing ice cream cones at the park made for a cheap date. / Walking through the museum with free entry was a cheap date.
Other Ways to Say: Inexpensive outing / Low-cost trip
57. Off-brand choice
Meaning: Buying a cheaper, less famous version of a product.
For Example: Choosing the off-brand cereal saved us two dollars at checkout. / Off-brand choices are often just as good as name brands.
Other Ways to Say: Store brand / Generic item
58. Generic bargain
Meaning: An unbranded, cheap product that costs less money.
For Example: Buying generic bargain soap kept our bathroom supplied cheaply. / Generic bargain snacks taste great at parties.
Other Ways to Say: Store brand / Cheap product
59. Barely anything
Meaning: Paying a price so low it feels like you spent zero coins.
For Example: The old magazines cost barely anything at the book fair sale. / He bought the stickers for barely anything.
Other Ways to Say: Almost free / Very cheap
60. Ultimate cheap find
Meaning: The absolute lowest, best bargain you could ever discover.
For Example: Finding a bicycle for five dollars was his ultimate cheap find. / That free board game was her ultimate cheap find.
Other Ways to Say: Greatest bargain / Best cheap deal
Exercise to Practice
- Walking three miles to save a single penny on candy while losing a dollar bill is being ________.
- He refused to spend a single quarter at the arcade, acting like a total ________.
- We found these colorful notebooks on sale for ________ cheap at the store.
- She bought the vintage guitar at the yard sale for a ________.
- Using old cardboard boxes helped us ________ costs down for the science project.
- Saving up for a new bicycle meant he had to ________ pennies all summer.
- He spent his ________ dollar on a comic book at the fair.
- Buying pre-owned textbooks gave them great ________ savings.
- Waiting for the end-of-season sale got us a ________ price.
- Making sandwiches for the picnic is a ________ choice.
- Buying the sticker cost only ________ change from his piggy bank.
- Buying five comic books for a dollar was an amazing ________ score.
- Teasing him about his drawing error was an unnecessary ________ shot.
- He said he would build a treehouse, but ________ is cheap until wood arrives.
- Grabbing ice cream cones at the park made for a ________ date.
Answer Key
- penny-wise and pound-foolish
- tightwad
- dirt
- song
- keep
- pinch
- bottom
- secondhand
- rock-bottom
- budget-friendly
- yard sale
- cheap
- talk
- cheap
Conclusion
Learning idioms related to cheap helps us describe low costs, saving money, and frugal habits with fun, colorful language. These helpful expressions bring humor and wisdom to our everyday conversations about spending and budgeting. Try using a few of these new idioms when talking about shopping or saving your coins today. You will make your language more expressive while mastering wonderful English vocabulary.
