As a Noun: 1. The spending of as little money as possible by living cheaply, mainly because of difficult economic circumstances. English = frugality, sparingness, scrimping, economising. 2. A plan showing how much money a person or organisation has available and how it should be spent. English = budget. As a Verb or Adjective: 1. To live cheaply and spend as little money as possible; to use severe economy; to manage under difficult economic circumstances. English = scrimp, scrimp and save, (be) frugal, (be) sparing, make ends meet. 2. To plan carefully how much you are going to spend on each thing you want. English = budget.