Just making ends meet

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "Just making ends meet" is correct and usable in written English.
It is typically used to describe a situation where someone is managing to cover their basic expenses but is not able to save or spend on non-essential items. Example: "With the rising cost of living, many families are just making ends meet each month."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

14 human-written examples

"We're just making ends meet.

The New York Times

"I'm just making ends meet," he said.

The New York Times

Enter Jack Till, a retired homicide detective just making ends meet as a private investigator.

The New York Times - Books

"We are not making money we are just making ends meet".

The Guardian

"I get the impression Nomura was just making ends meet," Mitsushige Akino, an investment manager in Tokyo, told Bloomberg News.

The New York Times

Spending time with family and friends over the Christmas holidays makes you realise that life is more than just making ends meet from month to month.

The Guardian

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

46 human-written examples

"At $550 a month, we could just make ends meet," said Guadalupe Flores, 50, a Guatemalan who supports three family members as a baker.

The New York Times

"I think the everyday gets between us and our voice," says Gates. "The need to just make ends meet, the constant hustle to maintain some adequate sense of normalcy keeps us from hearing ourselves.

Independent

I work very hard and just make ends meet, but i know in the end it will be woth [sic] every penny, my children will be given opportunities that I just couldnt [sic] have as a child".

The Guardian

By reducing individual tax rates across the board, doubling the standard deduction and expanding the child tax credit, our proposal would put real money in the pockets of working families to help them save for the future or just make ends meet.

The Washington Post

If I could just make ends meet and play my music, I could imagine being here forever".

Huffington Post

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "just making ends meet" to accurately portray a situation where income barely covers expenses, without implying extreme poverty or wealth. It suggests a precarious balance.

Common error

Avoid using "just making ends meet" when describing situations of significant financial comfort or extreme destitution. The phrase is most accurate when describing a delicate balance between income and expenses.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "just making ends meet" functions as a verbal phrase indicating a state of barely managing to cover expenses. Ludwig AI confirms that the phrase is correct and widely used.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

65%

Formal & Business

20%

Science

15%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "just making ends meet" is a common idiom used to describe a situation where one's income barely covers their expenses. As Ludwig AI confirms, the phrase is grammatically correct and appropriate for use in a variety of contexts, primarily in news and media, and formal business settings. While not extremely frequent, it effectively conveys the idea of a precarious balance between income and expenditure, distinguishing itself from descriptions of extreme poverty or significant wealth. Related phrases like "barely getting by" and "living paycheck to paycheck" offer similar but nuanced ways to express this financial state.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Barely getting by

Focuses on the difficulty of surviving with limited resources.

Living paycheck to paycheck

Highlights the reliance on each paycheck to cover immediate expenses.

Struggling to get by

Emphasizes the effort and difficulty involved in covering basic needs.

Scraping by

Suggests a minimal level of survival with very little to spare.

Eking out a living

Implies making a meager income with considerable effort.

Hand to mouth existence

Describes a state where resources are used almost as soon as they are obtained.

On the breadline

Suggests a position very close to poverty.

Having a hard time making ends meet

Adds emphasis on the difficulty

Barely surviving

Stresses the idea of struggling to stay afloat.

Tightening the belt

Highlights the actions taken to economize and reduce spending.

FAQs

How can I use "just making ends meet" in a sentence?

You can use "just making ends meet" to describe a situation where someone's income is barely enough to cover their basic expenses. For example: "With the rising cost of living, many families are "just making ends meet" each month."

What's a less common way to say "just making ends meet"?

Less common ways to express the same idea include "eking out a living" or "hand to mouth existence". These phrases can add emphasis to the struggle for financial survival.

Which is correct: "just making ends meet" or "just meeting ends"?

"Just making ends meet" is the correct and idiomatic phrase. "Just meeting ends" is not a common or grammatically standard expression.

What is the difference between "barely getting by" and "just making ends meet"?

While both phrases describe a difficult financial situation, "barely getting by" emphasizes the difficulty of survival, while "just making ends meet" focuses on the balance between income and expenses.