Idioms for spending money are fun phrases that mean something different from what the actual words say by themselves. People use them to make talking and writing more colorful and exciting. Today you are going to learn many interesting expressions related to spending money.
In this lesson, we’ll look at idioms that mean buying things and using cash. Let’s get started and explore some of these helpful expressions.
Idioms for Spending Money
1. Cost an arm and a leg
Meaning: This means something is extremely expensive and costs a lot of money.
For Example: The new bicycle in the store window costs an arm and a leg. / Buying tickets for the whole family to the amusement park cost an arm and a leg.
Other Ways to Say: Very expensive / Super costly
2. Burn a hole in your pocket
Meaning: This describes having money that you want to spend right away instead of saving it.
For Example: The ten dollar bill from my birthday was burning a hole in my pocket. / He wanted to visit the toy store because the cash was burning a hole in his pocket.
Other Ways to Say: Eager to spend / Fast spending
3. Pay through the nose
Meaning: This means paying way too much money for something than it is actually worth.
For Example: We had to pay through the nose for snacks at the movie theater. / He paid through the nose to get the rare video game.
Other Ways to Say: Overpay / Cost too much
4. Splash out
Meaning: This means spending a large amount of money on a special treat or fun item.
For Example: Grandma decided to splash out and buy us all giant ice cream sundaes. / We splashed out on new comic books at the fair.
Other Ways to Say: Splurge / Spend big
5. Break the bank
Meaning: This means costing so much money that it empties all your savings.
For Example: Buying a small notebook will not break the bank. / We wanted a vacation that would not break the bank.
Other Ways to Say: Cost too much / Empty wallet
6. Shell out
Meaning: This means handing over money to pay for something, often reluctantly.
For Example: I had to shell out my allowance to fix my broken bicycle chain. / Dad had to shell out cash for the new parking meter.
Other Ways to Say: Pay up / Fork over
7. Fork over
Meaning: This means giving money or items to someone else because you have to.
For Example: I had to fork over five dollars for the class field trip ticket. / He forked over his allowance to pay for the lost book.
Other Ways to Say: Hand over / Pay money
8. Pay top dollar
Meaning: This means paying the highest possible price for something of great quality.
For Example: She paid top dollar for the genuine leather art sketchbook. / We did not want to pay top dollar for simple plastic toys.
Other Ways to Say: Pay the maximum / Costly purchase
9. Chip in
Meaning: This means contributing a small amount of money together with others to buy a gift.
For Example: We all decided to chip in to buy our teacher a nice farewell present. / My friends and I chipped in to buy a large pizza.
Other Ways to Say: Share the cost / Contribute money
10. Pass the hat
Meaning: This means collecting small amounts of money from a group for a shared cause.
For Example: The club members passed the hat to buy new supplies for the art room. / We passed the hat to collect donations for the animal shelter.
Other Ways to Say: Collect money / Gather donations
11. Go for a song
Meaning: This means buying something at a very cheap and bargain price.
For Example: We found an old wooden desk at the garage sale going for a song. / She bought the comic books for a song at the fair.
Other Ways to Say: Very cheap / Low cost
12. Penny wise and pound foolish
Meaning: This means saving small amounts of money while wasting large amounts elsewhere.
For Example: Buying cheap shoes that break right away is being penny wise and pound foolish. / Trying to save pennies on gas while wasting food is penny wise and pound foolish.
Other Ways to Say: Bad money sense / Poor budgeting
13. Spend money like water
Meaning: This means spending money very fast without thinking about how much is left.
For Example: He went to the arcade and spent money like water on video games. / Do not spend money like water when you go shopping.
Other Ways to Say: Waste cash / Spend wildly
14. Throw money down the drain
Meaning: This means wasting money on something useless that has no lasting value.
For Example: Buying toys that break instantly is just throwing money down the drain. / I felt like I threw money down the drain on that boring movie.
Other Ways to Say: Waste money / Foolish purchase
15. Money to burn
Meaning: This describes having so much extra cash that you can spend it freely on fun things.
For Example: After doing extra chores, my brother felt like he had money to burn at the fair. / Winning the contest made him feel like he had money to burn.
Other Ways to Say: Extra cash / Wealthy feel
16. Born with a silver spoon in your mouth
Meaning: This describes someone who is born into a very rich family with lots of money.
For Example: The character in the story lived in a giant mansion because he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. / Not everyone is born with a silver spoon in their mouth.
Other Ways to Say: Rich background / Wealthy family
17. Hit the jackpot
Meaning: This means winning or finding a large unexpected amount of money or prize.
For Example: Finding a twenty dollar bill in my old winter coat felt like I hit the jackpot. / Our school raffle ticket hit the jackpot for the charity fund.
Other Ways to Say: Win big / Great luck
18. Tighten your belt
Meaning: This means spending less money and being very careful with your budget.
For Example: We had to tighten our belt after buying new school supplies. / Saving for a bicycle means you need to tighten your belt on treats.
Other Ways toSay: Save money / Budget strictly
19. Live beyond your means
Meaning: This means spending more money than you actually earn or have saved.
For Example: Buying too many video games means you are living beyond your means. / We learned in finance class not to live beyond our means.
Other Ways to Say: Overspend / Spend too much
20. Make ends meet
Meaning: This means earning just enough money to pay for basic needs like food and rent.
For Example: Working two jobs helped the family make ends meet during winter. / Budgeting carefully helps us make ends meet each month.
Other Ways to Say: Pay bills / Balance budget
21. Live hand to mouth
Meaning: This describes spending every bit of money you earn right away just to survive.
For Example: Saving nothing means living hand to mouth when unexpected bills arrive. / They tried hard not to live hand to mouth anymore.
Other Ways to Say: Spend all earnings / Barely survive
22. Dime a dozen
Meaning: This describes something that is very common, cheap, and easy to find everywhere.
For Example: Plastic toy rings at the arcade are a dime a dozen. / Old comic books from that series are a dime a dozen at the shop.
Other Ways to Say: Very common / Cheap and plentiful
23. Not worth a plugged nickel
Meaning: This means something has absolutely no financial value or use at all.
For Example: The broken plastic toy was not worth a plugged nickel. / That old rusty bicycle wheel is not worth a plugged nickel.
Other Ways to Say: Worthless / No value
24. Two cents worth
Meaning: This means sharing your opinion, which is like offering a small coin’s value.
For Example: I added my two cents worth to the group project discussion. / Everyone in the class gave their two cents worth on the game rules.
Other Ways to Say: Share opinion / Offer thoughts
25. Put your money where your mouth is
Meaning: This means backing up your words with actual financial support or action.
For Example: If you care about the animal shelter, put your money where your mouth is and donate. / He put his money where his mouth is to sponsor the school team.
Other Ways to Say: Back talk with cash / Support action
26. Bet your bottom dollar
Meaning: This means being so certain about something that you would risk your last coin.
For Example: You can bet your bottom dollar that our team will practice hard. / I would bet my bottom dollar that my dog loves treats.
Other Ways to Say: Be completely sure / Risk all
27. Clean someone out
Meaning: This means taking all the money someone has through a purchase or game.
For Example: Buying the giant LEGO set cleaned me out of my birthday money. / The fun board game completely cleaned out my play coins.
Other Ways to Say: Take all cash / Empty funds
28. Paid in full
Meaning: This means a bill or item has been completely paid for with no money owed.
For Example: We saved our allowance until the new skateboard was paid in full. / The receipt showed the library book fine was paid in full.
Other Ways to Say: Fully settled / Debt cleared
29. Foot the bill
Meaning: This means paying the cost for something that a group of people enjoyed.
For Example: Uncle decided to foot the bill for our ice cream treats after the game. / The class president offered to foot the bill for the poster board.
Other Ways to Say: Pay for all / Cover costs
30. Pick up the tab
Meaning: This means paying for everyone’s food or items during an outing.
For Example: Mom agreed to pick up the tab for our lunch at the diner. / Dad picked up the tab for the movie snacks.
Other Ways to Say: Pay the bill / Treat others
31. Cash cow
Meaning: This describes a project or business that constantly brings in a lot of money.
For Example: The school bake sale turned out to be a cash cow for our club. / The lemonade stand was a cash cow on a hot summer day.
Other Ways to Say: Money maker / Profit source
32. Nest egg
Meaning: This means money that you save up over a long time for the future.
For Example: I put half of my allowance into a piggy bank as a nest egg. / Saving coins helps build a nice nest egg for college.
Other Ways to Say: Savings fund / Stash of cash
33. Penny pincher
Meaning: This describes someone who is very careful and tries not to spend any money.
For Example: My grandpa is a penny pincher who looks for every coupon before shopping. / Do not be a penny pincher when buying treats for your friends.
Other Ways to Say: Frugal person / Miser
34. Flush with cash
Meaning: This means having plenty of money in your wallet after earning or saving.
For Example: After doing extra neighborhood chores, I felt flush with cash. / Winning the contest left him flush with cash for the book fair.
Other Ways to Say: Full of money / Rich temporarily
35. Hard up
Meaning: This means having very little money left and struggling to buy things.
For Example: I was feeling a bit hard up until my birthday allowance arrived. / The club treasury was hard up before the fundraiser.
Other Ways to Say: Short of cash / Low on funds
36. Strapped for cash
Meaning: This means needing money urgently because your wallet is nearly empty.
For Example: We were strapped for cash before our weekly allowance was paid. / He could not buy the toy because he was strapped for cash.
Other Ways to Say: Low on money / Short funds
37. On a shoestring
Meaning: This describes doing an activity or project with a very tiny budget.
For Example: We decorated the gymnasium for the dance on a shoestring budget. / Our art project was created completely on a shoestring.
Other Ways to Say: Tiny budget / Cheaply made
38. Rob Peter to Paul
Meaning: This means borrowing money from one source to pay off a debt somewhere else.
For Example: Using my lunch money to buy a toy and then asking for more is robbing Peter to pay Paul. / Moving savings to pay game fees felt like robbing Peter to pay Paul.
Other Ways to Say: Shift debt / Borrow to pay
39. Golden handshake
Meaning: This describes a large sum of money given to someone when they leave a job.
For Example: The retiring principal received a lovely golden handshake from the school board. / Stories often feature characters receiving a golden handshake.
Other Ways to Say: Departure bonus / Exit pay
40. Money talks
Meaning: This means having financial power helps you get things done faster.
For Example: People say money talks when large donations fund new park equipment quickly. / Having a big budget makes projects easy because money talks.
Other Ways to Say: Wealth rules / Cash power
41. Put your two cents in
Meaning: This means offering your opinion or thoughts on how to spend money or time.
For Example: I put my two cents in about which game our club should buy. / Everyone put their two cents in during the budget meeting.
Other Ways to Say: Share thoughts / Give opinion
42. Pinch pennies
Meaning: This means being very careful with every single coin you spend.
For Example: We had to pinch pennies to save enough money for the school trip. / My sister loves to pinch pennies instead of buying toys right away.
Other Ways to Say: Save carefully / Spend little
43. Clean up
Meaning: This means making a large profit or winning lots of money in a game.
For Example: Our class cleaned up by selling all the cookies at the bake sale. / The team cleaned up at the school raffle fundraiser.
Other Ways to Say: Make a profit / Earn big
44. Make a killing
Meaning: This means earning a huge amount of money very quickly.
For Example: The lemonade stand made a killing on a hot Saturday afternoon. / Selling handmade bookmarks helped us make a killing at the fair.
Other Ways toSay: Earn a fortune / Make big money
45. Worth every penny
Meaning: This means something cost money, but it was completely valuable and satisfying.
For Example: The exciting amusement park ticket was worth every penny. / That helpful dictionary book was worth every penny.
Other Ways to Say: Great value / Worth the cost
46. Price tag
Meaning: This means the printed label showing how much money an item costs.
For Example: I checked the price tag before putting the toy in my shopping basket. / The price tag on the bicycle was higher than expected.
Other Ways to Say: Cost label / Price amount
47. Top dollar
Meaning: This means the highest possible price paid for a special item.
For Example: Collectors are willing to pay top dollar for vintage comic books. / We did not want to spend top dollar on plain notebooks.
Other Ways to Say: Maximum price / Expensive cost
48. Pay your way
Meaning: This means paying for your own expenses and not relying on others.
For Example: When I grow up, I want to work hard and pay my way through college. / He offered to pay his way on the class trip.
Other Ways to Say: Cover expenses / Pay yourself
49. Free ride
Meaning: This means getting something valuable or traveling without paying any money.
For Example: Winning the contest gave us a free ride on the amusement park train. / Nobody gets a free ride when collecting supplies.
Other Ways to Say: Free passage / No cost trip
50. Easy come, easy go
Meaning: This means money that is earned quickly is often spent just as fast.
For Example: I spent my prize money right away, thinking easy come, easy go. / Winning cash in a game made him say easy come, easy go.
Other Ways to Say: Spend fast / Quick money leaves
51. Money doesn’t grow on trees
Meaning: This means money is limited and hard to earn, so you should not waste it.
For Example: Mom reminded me that money doesn’t grow on trees when I asked for another toy. / Remember that money doesn’t grow on trees before buying candy.
Other Ways to Say: Cash is limited / Hard-earned money
52. Paid in advance
Meaning: This means giving money for a service or item before you receive it.
For Example: We paid in advance for our school lunch tickets on Monday morning. / The field trip bus was paid in advance.
Other Ways to Say: Pre-paid / Early payment
53. Break even
Meaning: This means making enough money to cover your costs without making a profit or loss.
For Example: Our bake sale raised just enough money to break even on ingredients. / The craft club managed to break even on supplies.
Other Ways to Say: Cover costs / No profit loss
54. Bottom line
Meaning: This means the final total amount of money spent or earned.
For Example: The bottom line for our fundraiser was fifty dollars raised for charity. / Check the bottom line on the receipt before leaving the store.
Other Ways to Say: Final cost / Total amount
55. In the red
Meaning: This means owing money or having a negative balance on your account.
For Example: Buying too many supplies put our club treasury in the red. / We worked hard to get our budget out of the red.
Other Ways to Say: In debt / Negative balance
56. In the black
Meaning: This means having a positive balance of money and making a profit.
For Example: Selling all our crafts put our classroom club budget in the black. / Earning extra donations kept our account in the black.
Other Ways to Say: Profitable / Positive balance
57. Rainy day fund
Meaning: This means money you save in a jar or bank for future emergencies.
For Example: Grandma taught me to keep a rainy day fund for broken toys. / Saving a few coins each week builds a great rainy day fund.
Other Ways to Say: Emergency savings / Future stash
58. Stash of cash
Meaning: This means a hidden collection of saved money kept in a safe place.
For Example: I found my stash of cash inside my piggy bank under the bed. / He kept a small stash of cash for the school fair.
Other Ways to Say: Saved money / Hidden funds
59. Pay day
Meaning: This means the specific day when workers receive their earned money.
For Example: Dad said Friday is pay day at his office. / We looked forward to allowance day like a mini pay day.
Other Ways to Say: Wage day / Paycheck time
60. Cost a fortune
Meaning: This means an item or trip is exceptionally expensive to buy.
For Example: The large remote control helicopter would cost a fortune. / Visiting the space museum admission tickets cost a fortune.
Other Ways to Say: Extremely costly / Very expensive
Exercise to Practice
- The new bicycle in the toy store window costs ________.
- The ten dollar bill from my birthday was ________ in my pocket.
- We had to ________ for snacks at the busy movie theater.
- Grandma decided to ________ and buy us all giant ice cream sundaes.
- Buying a small notebook for school will not ________.
- I had to ________ my allowance to fix my broken bicycle chain.
- Finding a twenty dollar bill in my old winter coat felt like I ________.
- We had to ________ after buying all our new school supplies.
- Working two jobs helped my parents ________ during the winter months.
- If you care about the animal shelter, ________ and donate.
- Buying the giant LEGO set ________ of my birthday money.
- Mom reminded me that ________ when I asked for another expensive toy.
- Saving a few coins each week builds a great ________ for emergencies.
- The large remote control helicopter would ________.
- Selling all our handmade crafts put our classroom club budget ________.
Answer Key
- an arm and a leg
- burning a hole
- pay through the nose
- splash out
- break the bank
- shell out
- hit the jackpot
- tighten our belt
- make ends meet
- put your money where your mouth is
- cleaned me out
- money doesn’t grow on trees
- rainy day fund
- cost a fortune
- in the black
Conclusion
Learning idioms about spending money helps you talk about budgets, shopping, and savings in fun and creative ways. When you understand these expressions, reading stories and discussing everyday choices becomes much more engaging.
Try using a few of these fun phrases the next time you talk about saving your allowance or shopping with your family. You will see how easily they make your language pop and bring your ideas to life!
