tight budget; strained finances
Idiomatic expression describing a situation where one's personal or household finances are under pressure.
This month, with so many expenses, my budget is tight.
I'm managing to get by while struggling with a tight budget.
The expression combines 苦しい (painful, difficult) with 懐 (ふところ, literally 'bosom' or 'pocket'), metaphorically referring to one's financial situation being tight or painful.