informalSPEND MONEY to try to spend less money than you used to 勒紧裤带,设法更节俭地过日子
Businesses were tightening their belts and cutting jobs.
企业都在勒紧裤带,削减工作岗位。
Examples from the Corpus
tighten your belt• The harsh years of the Depression were causing everyone to tighten their belts.• Most people have to tighten their belts a little when they retire.• Colleges have tightened their belts and are giving fewer scholarships than before.• Others will tighten their belts, downscale their programs, sell more t-shirts and look for local sources of revenue.• Governments and companies are forced to tighten their belts during a recession.• Let them tighten their belts like we have to.