scrape by
Verb
1. manage one's existence barely; "I guess I can squeeze by on this lousy salary"
(synonym) scrape along, scratch along, squeak by, squeeze by, rub along
(hypernym) cope, get by, make out, make do, contend, grapple, deal, manage
scrape by
have just enough to live, get by We can scrape by if we sell the car and the TV.