1
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Economize severely, spend as little as possible, as in For years we had to scrimp and save, but now we can enjoy life more. [Mid-1800s]
American Heritage Idioms
2
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Phrase(s): scrimp and save [and] pinch and scrape
to be very thrifty; to live on very little money, often in order to save up for something. • We had to scrimp and save in order to send the children to college. • The Smiths pinched and scraped all year in order to go on a Caribbean cruise.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs