Tighten one's belt; use resources carefully.

Roget 38: subduct, subtract; deduct, deduce; bate, retrench; remove, withdraw, take from, take away; detract.    garble, mutilate, amputate, detruncate^†; cut off, cut away, cut out; abscind^†, excise; pare, thin, prune, decimate; abrade, scrape, file; geld, castrate; eliminate.    diminish etc. 36; curtail etc. (shorten) 201; deprive of etc. (take) 789; weaken.    ... show more

Roget 817: be economical etc. adj.; practice economy; economize, save; retrench, cut back expenses, cut expenses; cut one's coat according to one's cloth, make both ends meet, keep within compass, meet one's expenses, pay one's way, pay as you go; husband etc. (lay by) 636.    save money, invest money; put out to interest; provide for a rainy day, save for a rainy day, provide against a rainy day, save against a rainy day; feather one's nest; look after the main chance.    cut costs.    ... show more

Roget 789: take, catch, hook, nab, bag, sack, pocket, put into one's pocket; receive; accept.    reap, crop, cull, pluck; gather etc. (get) 775; draw.    appropriate, expropriate, impropriate^†; assume, possess oneself of; take possession of; commandeer; lay one's hands on, clap one's hands on; help oneself to; make free with, dip one's hands into, lay under contribution; intercept; scramble for; deprive of.    take away, carry away, bear away, take off, carry off, bear off; adeem^†; abstract; hurry off with, run away with; abduct; steal etc. 791; ravish; seize; pounce upon, spring upon; swoop to, swoop down upon; take by storm, take by assault; snatch, reave^†.    snap up, nip up, whip up, catch up; kidnap, crimp, capture, lay violent hands on.    get hold of, lay hold of, take hold of, catch hold of, lay fast hold of, take firm hold of; lay by the heels, take prisoner; fasten upon, grip, grapple, embrace, gripe, clasp, grab, clutch, collar, throttle, take by the throat, claw, clinch, clench, make sure of.    catch at, jump at, make a grab at, snap at, snatch at; reach, make a long arm, stretch forth one's hand.    take from, take away from; disseize^†; deduct etc. 38; retrench etc. (curtail) 201; dispossess, ease one of, snatch from one's grasp; tear from, tear away from, wrench from, wrest from, wring from; extort; deprive of, bereave; disinherit, cut off with a shilling.    oust etc. (eject) 297; divest; levy, distrain, confiscate; sequester, sequestrate; accroach^†; usurp; despoil, strip, fleece, shear, displume^†, impoverish, eat out of house and home; drain, drain to the dregs; gut, dry, exhaust, swallow up; absorb etc. (suck in) 296; draw off; suck the blood of, suck like a leech.    retake, resume; recover etc. 775.    ... show more

Roget 201: be short etc. adj.; render short etc. adj.; shorten, curtail, abridge, abbreviate, take in, reduce; compress etc. (contract) 195; epitomize etc. 596.    retrench, cut short, obtruncate^†; scrimp, cut, chop up, hack, hew; cut down, pare down; clip, dock, lop, prune, shear, shave, mow, reap, crop; snub; truncate, pollard, stunt, nip, check the growth of; foreshorten (in drawing). ... show more

Make a reduction, as in one's workforce.