AEE 2664: Are You Just Getting By?

Summary

---

All Ears English Podcast – Episode 2664: Are You Just Getting By?

Date: August 5, 2026
Hosts: Lindsay McMahon & Michelle Kaplan

Episode Overview

In this episode, Lindsay and Michelle explore how to talk about financial struggle and “just getting by” in American English. They share personal stories, teach practical idioms and phrasal verbs that describe scraping by financially or enduring tough times, and emphasize how discussing such experiences can create authentic connections. The tone is conversational, supportive, and focused on real-life communication, not just perfect English.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introducing the Theme: Scraping By in Life

• Both hosts share personal experiences of times when they felt they were “just scraping by,” especially when living in New York City or after college.
  • Michelle: “New York is definitely a place where you can feel like you're just scraping by, right?” (01:50)
  • Lindsay: “When I first moved to New York… I was just scraping by a little bit at times.” (01:28)
• The conversation connects these feelings to universal experiences—most people, regardless of origin, go through challenging financial periods.
• Noted that “scraping by” can happen individually or collectively (e.g., during economic downturns).
  • Lindsay: “It’s not just about you... Everyone was just scraping by. People were losing their jobs left and right.” (03:49)

2. Core Idioms and Phrasal Verbs for Struggle

a. To Scrape By

• Meaning: To barely have enough money or resources to live; casual but can imply stress.
  • Examples:
    • “When I first moved to New York, I was just scraping by.” (05:27)
    • “We’re barely scraping by on one salary.” (05:34)
• Common situations: Students, starting a business, living in expensive cities, low-paying jobs.

b. To Get By

• Meaning: To manage with the minimum needed, not necessarily comfortably.
  • Michelle: “It's not quite as dramatic as to scrape by… we're getting by, but things are tight.” (07:32)
  • Can be used for skills or life in general:
    • “My Spanish isn’t great, but I can get by.” (07:50)
    • “Somehow we got by during those tough years.” (08:25)

c. To Make Ends Meet

• Meaning: To have just enough money to pay for basic expenses; practical and a bit serious.
  • Lindsay: “It’s hard to make ends meet in this city.” (09:38)
  • Michelle: “They work two jobs just to make ends meet.” (09:43)
• Almost always about financial situations.

d. To Get Through

• Meaning: To survive or finish a difficult situation; more general and versatile.
  • “Talking to friends helped me get through my breakup.” (10:01)
  • “I don’t know how we got through that stressful year.” (10:23)
  • Can refer to emotional, financial, or physical challenges.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Michelle: “Starting a business… it’s hard, man.” (06:23)
• Lindsay: “San Francisco… the hardest one to save money is San Francisco. So much of your money goes to your rent, you know, and taxes.” (06:28)
• On nuances:
  • Michelle: “If I said we’re scraping by, it makes the situation sound a little bit more dire, don’t you think?” (07:32)
• Lindsay: “All of these phrases indicate a challenge, a struggle.” (10:00)
• Reflecting on tough graduation years:
  • Lindsay: “You had graduated to the worst economy in decades, right?” (13:11)
  • Michelle: “Not, not, not ideal, but I got through it.” (13:15)
• On universality:
  • Michelle: “I think most people can relate to this… sharing these stories can be very raw and, you know, you can connect with people about them…” (13:49)
  • Lindsay: “This topic gets a pass… it’s about struggle, which is a very human thing, a universal human thing.” (14:24)

---

Key Timestamps

• 00:51: Episode intro—announcing today’s topic: talking about money struggles
• 01:20–03:17: Hosts share personal stories about scraping by, especially in NYC
• 05:07: Introduction and explanation of “to scrape by” and usage examples
• 07:16: “To get by”—differences from “scrape by” and broader applications
• 09:04: “To make ends meet”—definition and examples
• 10:00: “To get through”—versatile use for challenges of all kinds
• 10:59: Role play demonstrating phrases in context
• 12:49–14:24: Wrap-up discussion on the universality of the experience, connection through struggle, and cultural notes about talking about money

---

Role Play Highlight (10:59 – 12:29)

A mock conversation between someone starting a new job and a mentor/friend, illustrating all four idioms:

• “I’m barely scraping by right now.” (11:12)
• “I’m working overtime just to make ends meet.” (11:19)
• “I was barely getting by…” (11:22)
• “If you can get through this part…” (11:28)

---

Practical Takeaways

• Universality: Most people have experienced ‘just getting by’—sharing these stories can foster connection and empathy.
• Cultural Note: While money is often a taboo subject in the US, talking about financial struggle is generally acceptable and can be a doorway to authentic conversations.
  • Lindsay: “It gets a pass. It is a frame into money that you can talk about…” (14:24)

---

Conclusion

This episode offers listeners practical language tools and personal perspectives to talk honestly—and connect—about the challenge of scraping by, whether financially or otherwise. Michelle and Lindsay encourage embracing “connection, not perfection,” reminding listeners that struggle is a universal human experience, and discussing it openly in English can build genuine relationships.

---

Transcript

[Michelle Kaplan]

This is an All Ears English podcast. Episode 2664. Are you just getting by?

[Podcast Announcer]

Welcome to the All Ears English podcast, downloaded more than 200 million times. Are you feeling stuck with your English? We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection, with your American hosts, Lindsey McMahon, the English adventurer, and Michelle Kaplan, the New York radio girl, coming to you from Colorado and New York City, usa. And to get your transcripts delivered by email every week, go to allearsenglish.com subscribe.

[Lindsey McMahon]

We all go through years when money is tight today. Find out how to articulate this when you're struggling in English.

[Starbucks Frappuccino Advertiser]

Morning decisions. How about a creamy mocha Frappuccino drink? Or sweet vanilla smooth caramel maybe? Or a white chocolate mocha? Whichever you choose, delicious coffee awaits. Find Starbucks Frappuccino drinks wherever you buy your groceries.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Hey, Michelle, how you doing today? How's everything?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Hey, Lindsay. I'm good. Lindsay, was there ever a time in your life when you felt you were just scraping by?

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah, for sure. For sure. I think the first time I lived in New York, I, I mean, this is relative for everyone, right? Like, I, you know, my family was there. If I, if I needed them, they would have been there for me. But I think for me, I felt like I was scraping by a little bit at times, living in New York the first time I lived there and the second time after I came back from South America. Yeah, for sure.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Lindsey McMahon]

What about you?

[Michelle Kaplan]

New York is definitely a place where you can feel like you're just scraping by, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, sure. Like, I've definitely had moments where I felt that I was, you know, struggling a bit or. Yeah. Also, I would say when I first moved to New York, I mean, I was looking for a job if I didn't get one after the summer. Yeah. When I, when I moved there, I had basically a summer housing situation that I had saved up for by temping. And then if I didn't get a job past the summer, I was going to move home and.

[Lindsey McMahon]

What a buzz kill.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah. No, so, I mean, of course I'm, I was also fortunate if my, if I really needed my family would have helped me. But I, you know, I did feel in the beginning like I was just scraping by and then I did get a job, so that was good. But today we're going to talk about ways to describe when we're just barely managing. Right. We're struggling to have just enough to, to survive. Sounds a little bit dramatic, but it could be True. Lindsay, what is this usually about?

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah, this is usually financial. Right. Most of these phrases you're going to learn today, what we're going to talk about, this theme is financial. It could relate to other aspects of life, I guess, but generally about money. Like, do you have enough money to survive?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, exactly. And, you know, this is really important for connection. This. This is super relatable because we can all. Probably a time when we were struggling with something and Yeah. I mean, gosh, when you think about the world and finances and all the things that people go through, I mean, you know, there are generally times when people are just scraping by. So these phrases sum up that experience quickly. And when you use them, people know exactly what you mean. Right, Lindsay?

[Lindsey McMahon]

Well, yeah, and I think these are also really important for, like, market events, where it's not just you. Right. It's everyone. When I, the first time I lived in New York, two. It was. It was two. No, the second time, when I came back after a year in South America, it was 2008. It was the. I came back in August of 2008 and the world crashed down in September of 2008. Right. I mean, that was. That was the housing bubble. The housing crash. And everyone was just scraping by. People were losing their jobs left and right. Right. So it's not just about you. It's about. There could be market events, there could be larger events here.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right, right. And again, it could also be like, maybe at work, your company is just scraping by, so it doesn't have to be an individual thing, like, kind of like what Lindsay said. So we're going to be talking about this more in just a second, but before we get into it, we want to remind everyone, please hit the follow button wherever you are. Listening to the All Ears English podcast, so you never miss anything from.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah, guys, our theme, our whole reason for publishing is connection, not perfection. We want to show you how to connect around English, using English in any moment. Right. Regardless of mistakes, we're going to show you how to do it, how to connect. All right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

That's right. Yes. All right. So the first phrase is to scrape by, which was what we've been mentioning. So to barely have enough money or resources to live. So it. It sounds casual to scrape by. Right? The word sounds casual, but it, it signals these stressful circumstances. Oh, yeah.

[Lindsey McMahon]

So, for example, when I first moved to New York, I was just scraping by. Right. That's kind of both of us to some extent.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Or we're barely scraping by on one salary. So. Yeah. With your partner you might have to, you know, make some tough decisions about, you know, money or during college, I

[Lindsey McMahon]

was scraping by with two part time jobs. A lot of people in this country work two or three jobs. You know, that's just what they do. Right. In order to. And they're still just scraping by.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, right, yeah. So common situations when we'd use this phrase. Yeah. Being a student, certainly, you know, that I'm working at the dining hall, I'm working, you know, they have a, a job while in school or, or starting a business. I mean, that's, that's. I mean, I can certainly identify with that one. You know, I, my husband and I recently started a business and. It's hard, man.

[Podcast Announcer]

It's hard.

[Lindsey McMahon]

No, it's, it's not the easy way.

[Michelle Kaplan]

No, for sure.

[Lindsey McMahon]

But what is the easy way? I mean, you know, it's, it's rewarding too, at the same time. So yeah, there's a lot of risk there. Starting a business, living in an expensive city. I mean, oh man, I just saw something on Instagram that was ranking cities in terms of like, like how easy it is to save there. And the, the worst one is San Francisco. Of course, the hardest one to save money is San Francisco. It's just so much of your money goes to your rent, you know, and taxes in California. Oh my gosh.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, taxes, yes. So or, or you know, just if you have a job that doesn't pay well, you know, you're just gonna be scraping by. So again, like Lindsay said, some people might need to have another job or other job. So. But yeah, that's a, that's to scrape. There's another similar expression, Lindsay, what is this one?

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah, a little phrasal verb here. To get by. Right. To manage with the minimum amount of something needed. I can get by with X. Right. So it's sort of casual, neutral, kind of modest maybe. We're managing, but not comfortably. We're surviving.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right. It's not quite as dramatic as to scrape by, I think, but it's often used about things like money also. So we're getting by, but things are tight. So if I said we're scraping by, it makes the situation sound a little bit more dire, don't you think?

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yes, I do. I agree. Yeah. Getting by or with, with skills. It could apply to your skills. My Spanish isn't great, but I can get by. So it's not always about money. Right. It's about like abilities, whether that's ability to provide with money, ability to communicate.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, I would say that's Kind of a key difference. I mean, again, to scrape by. You can use it with other contexts, but I do think it's mostly for money.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

So whereas get by, it's a. It's a little bit more versatile or. I mean. Or with get by life in general. I mean.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Somehow we got by during those tough years. So this could mean anything. You know, maybe. Maybe it is about money, but maybe there was struggles in a relationship. Maybe someone was ill. You know, there's just some. Some hardship.

[Lindsey McMahon]

It's a little more mixed. It's a little less clear if. Whether we're talking about money alone or just difficulties, challenges that. That came up, right?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Exactly.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah.

[Starbucks Frappuccino Advertiser]

Tomorrow morning is knocking. Stock your fridge now. How about a creamy mocha frappuccino drink? Or a sweet vanilla smooth caramel, maybe? Or white chocolate mocha? Whichever you choose, delicious coffee awaits. Find Starbucks Frappuccino drinks wherever you buy your groceries.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Make ends meet. This one I always thought was interesting. Are we talking about make ends meet, like the meat? Like beef jerky, or.

[Michelle Kaplan]

No. Nope. M E E T. Right. Okay. So this one is to have just enough money to pay some basic expenses. Right. So you're. You're not saving, you're not doing much else. You're just making end meat. And this is almost always, I would say, about money, don't you think?

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah, I think so. I think so. It's common, it's practical, and it's a bit serious.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right.

[Lindsey McMahon]

When we say it, for example, it's hard to make ends meet in this city. Yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Or they work two jobs just to make ends meet.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Or when I was younger, I struggled to make ends meet. Yes, yes. And then get through. Michelle. Get through would be. All of these phrases indicate a challenge, a struggle.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yes.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yep. Yep. So this is to survive or finish a difficult situation. So this one is also a little bit more general. And this one refers to situations or experiences. So you could use it to talk about something like an emotional situation. So, for example, talking to friends helped me get through my breakup or stressful

[Lindsey McMahon]

periods of your life. I don't know how we got through that stressful year. Right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Or even something as simple as a busy work day. So coffee helps me get through the work day. So. Yes.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Or even something. I mean, I have a friend who's about to run a marathon in a few weeks, and that can be hard, too. That's another challenge. So it was a tough marathon, but I got through it.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah. This is. This one you're gonna hear a lot for sure. How did you get through it? How did you, you know, people. People use this. Yeah, it's very, very versatile. So I really like this one. So should we do a role play?

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah, Michelle, let's do it. So I just got a new job, and it's my first job out of college. I'm not being paid much, and you are asking me how it's going.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Okay. All right. So how's the new job going?

[Lindsey McMahon]

Honestly, I like the work, but I'm barely scraping by right now.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, that first year can be tough.

[Lindsey McMahon]

I'm working overtime just to make ends meet.

[Michelle Kaplan]

I remember that stage. I was barely getting by when I first started out.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Hopefully things improve soon.

[Michelle Kaplan]

They will. And if you can get through this part, you should definitely ask for a pay raise.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Nice. Yeah. So common conversation you might have with someone maybe like a little older. Older mentor, an aunt or uncle or something.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Who's already been through those kinds of things, but everyone sort of pays their dues in the beginning, kind of.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yes. Yeah. Yeah, exactly.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yep. So the first thing you said, you

[Michelle Kaplan]

said, honestly, I like the work, but I'm barely scraping by right now. So this means you're. You're not able to pay for much. Your. Your financial situation isn't ideal.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Exactly. And then you said, yeah, the first year can be tough. And I said, I'm working overtime just to make ends meet. Yes. I wonder where that comes from, that expression. I don't know. I don't know the etymology of that phrase, but. But I'm sure it goes way back, you guys. You could look it up and. And see where it comes from.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, it'd be interesting to find out. So. And then I said, I remember that stage. I was barely getting by when I first started out.

[Lindsey McMahon]

And then I. I said, I hope things improve soon. And you said, they will. And if you can get through this part, you should definitely ask for a pay raise. And there's that get through, which, again, could apply to more than just money situations. It's. It's. You're not just talking about money here, I guess. I guess you kind of are, but you're talking about your overall life being a little hard right now, right?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah. Yep.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, definitely. When you graduate, it's. It's tough. It's tough out there. But like you said, pay your dues. That's what. That's what happens. So it also depends on what kind

[Lindsey McMahon]

of economy you graduate into. Michelle, what year did you graduate from college?

[Michelle Kaplan]

College. Oh, nine.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Oh, yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Okay. So not great.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Sorry for that.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, that was.

[Podcast Announcer]

Yeah.

[Lindsey McMahon]

I mean, you had graduated to the worst economy in decades, right?

[Michelle Kaplan]

I mean. Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. So not, not, not ideal, but I got through it. And now it's been many, many years since.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yes, you got through it. Love it. Guys, go check out 2579. Don't fall into these conversation traps. Tricks and traps. Don't fall into them. Aubry and I recorded that episode. That was a really fun one. Kind of a what not to do episode, which we don't do very much. So that's why you should definitely check it out. Michelle, what's our takeaway today?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Takeaway for today is just, you know, people. I think this is just a very universal feeling. I don't. I mean, unless somebody was just totally born into wealth and they never had to, right, you know, have a hard moment, then I think most people can relate to this, of this kind of feeling of struggling to get by, whether it's financially or for some other reason. But sharing these stories can be very raw and, you know, you can connect with people about them or give someone advice or try and be helpful. So there's really a lot here.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah. And the other piece is important to emphasize. I love that you said it's universal. It is universal. And this topic gets a pat. We talk about the norms that you should. Things you shouldn't talk about. Money, sex, religion. This is about money, but it's actually about struggle, which is a very human thing, A universal human thing. So it gets a pass. It is a frame into money that you can talk about. Okay, so we've talked about don't share how much money you have. Don't share what's in your bank account. Don't share necessarily how much you make. But you could. And people are doing it more and more, which is a good thing. But there are certain, you know, what do you call them, sort of no go's when it comes to money. Certain angles on it that we don't do.

[Podcast Announcer]

Right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah. And. Yeah, so.

[Lindsey McMahon]

So this one gets a pass.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah. All right, Lindsay, well, have a great day and I will talk to you soon. Bye, guys. All right.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Bye, Michelle. Take care. Bye.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Bye.

[Podcast Announcer]

Thanks for listening.

[Lindsey McMahon]

To all ears.

[Podcast Announcer]

English. Would you like to know your English level? Take our two minute quiz. Go to all ear earsenglish.comfluencyscore and if you believe in connection, not perfection, then hit subscribe now to make sure you don't miss anything. See you next time.

[UPS Store Advertiser]

Class is now in session and the UPS store is here to help you. Ace arriving on campus. Our certified packing packing experts can pack everything you need from desktops to decor. Plus, when you pack and ship with us, you get our exclusive pack and ship guarantee. Your items arrive safe or your money back. Restrictions and limitations apply. To get a 20% off packing coupon and for full details, visit theupsstore.com packing

[Disney Avatar Advertiser]

I see you Fire and Ash is now streaming on Disney. It's the first film critics are calling the best Avatar yet. A true epic and completely jaw dropping.

[UPS Store Advertiser]

This is the only purest thing in this world.

[Disney Avatar Advertiser]

Return to Pandora on Disney.

[Lindsey McMahon]

It will be an adventure for the

[Disney Avatar Advertiser]

whole family and watch the Oscar winning phenomenon at home.

[Michelle Kaplan]

This is sick.

[Disney Avatar Advertiser]

Avatar Fire and Ash now streaming on Disney plus rated PG 13.