live paycheck to paycheck
idiom
US
: to spend all of the money from one paycheck before receiving the next paycheck
Examples of live paycheck to paycheck in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But the real moneymaker for banks are the overdraft fees that banks charge on people who live paycheck to paycheck.
—
Aaron Klein, The Atlantic, 2 Jan. 2026
More than half of that money goes toward his rent and the school fees for all five of his children, forcing his family to live paycheck to paycheck.
—Esha Mitra, CNN Money, 2 Jan. 2026
Housing costs have outstripped incomes; student debt remains heavy; and too many Americans live paycheck to paycheck.
—Bobby Turner, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
The reduction in benefits will end in hunger for SNAP families who live paycheck to paycheck and, in some cases, hand to mouth, said Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach, an economist at Georgetown University.
—JosÉ Luis Villegas, Sacbee.com, 15 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for live paycheck to paycheck
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Aaron Klein, The Atlantic, 2 Jan. 2026
More than half of that money goes toward his rent and the school fees for all five of his children, forcing his family to live paycheck to paycheck.
—Esha Mitra, CNN Money, 2 Jan. 2026
Housing costs have outstripped incomes; student debt remains heavy; and too many Americans live paycheck to paycheck.
—Bobby Turner, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
The reduction in benefits will end in hunger for SNAP families who live paycheck to paycheck and, in some cases, hand to mouth, said Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach, an economist at Georgetown University.
—JosÉ Luis Villegas, Sacbee.com, 15 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for live paycheck to paycheck
Cite this Entry
“Live paycheck to paycheck.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/live%20paycheck%20to%20paycheck. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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