20 Phrasal Verbs Related to Money and Finances

20 Phrasal Verbs Related to Money and Finances (with Meanings & Examples)

Hello, English learners! Money makes the world go round — and in English, it also creates a lot of phrasal verbs. 

When native speakers talk about money, they rarely use only basic verbs like pay, spend, or save. Instead, they say things like:

• We had to dip into our savings.
• I can’t believe how much I forked out for that repair.
• They’ve run up huge debts.

In today’s lesson, you will learn 20 very useful phrasal verbs related to money and finances, with clear meanings and natural example sentences. These are perfect for everyday English and extremely useful for B2 First and C1 Advanced exams.

How to learn phrasal verbs more easily

Let’s be honest: phrasal verbs can feel like a nightmare at first. They often don’t make logical sense, and memorising long lists rarely works. Here is a smarter approach:

Learn them in context

Phrasal verbs make sense when you see them in real situations. Read stories, blog posts, news articles, or listen to podcasts and films where people talk about money, shopping, work, and daily life.

For example, when you hear The tickets sold out, your brain remembers the situation, not just the definition. That’s how real learning sticks.

Group them by topic

Learning phrasal verbs by theme (money, relationships, travel, work, etc.) makes them much easier to remember.

Today’s theme is money, so try to imagine real situations, such as saving up for something, paying back a friend, spending too much, or living on a tight budget. Your brain loves stories. Use that.

Use them actively

Don’t just read examples — create your own. Say them out loud. Write them in a notebook. Use them in short mini-stories.

For example:

• We went out last night, but instead of spending much, we just sat around and talked.

The more you use them, the more “normal” they start to feel.

Be patient

Phrasal verbs are not learned in one day. They’re learned little by little, just like vocabulary in your own language. Set small goals:

• 5–10 new phrasal verbs per week
• use each one in 2–3 sentences
• revisit them regularly

Slow and steady wins the race (and saves money too 😉).

Phrasal verbs related to money and finances

Break into

Meaning: to start using money you have saved.

• They had to break into their savings to pay the fine.
• I don’t want to break into my savings just to buy a new phone.

Cash in

Meaning: to exchange something for money.

• I’ll cash in my salary cheque tomorrow.
• Fred decided to cash in his shares.

Chip in

Meaning: to contribute money together with other people.

• We all chipped in to buy her a birthday present.
• Everyone agreed to chip in for the holiday.

Cough up

Meaning: to pay money unwillingly.

• He had to cough up £50 for a parking fine.
• Her parents cough up $5,000 a year for tuition.

Cut back

Meaning: to reduce spending.

• We need to cut back on our spending.
• The government plans to cut back on defence costs.

Dip into

Meaning: to use part of your savings.

• We had to dip into our savings to fix the car.
• The dentist’s bills made her dip into her savings.

Fork out

Meaning: to pay a lot of money, usually unwillingly.

• I had to fork out £150 for the repair.
• Josh forked out £500 for the holiday.

Get by

Meaning: to manage financially.

• We can just about get by on our salaries.
• They don’t earn much, but they get by.

Lay out

Meaning: to spend or pay a large amount of money.

• They laid out a lot of money on the wedding.
• She’s planning to lay out money for a new roof.

Pay back

Meaning: to return money you borrowed.

• He paid back the loan in five years.
• I’ll pay you back next week.

Pay off

Meaning: to finish paying a debt.

• She finally paid off her student loan.
• We used the inheritance to pay off our debts.

Pay up

Meaning: to pay money you owe (often after pressure).

• The landlord told him to pay up or leave.
• He promised to pay up as soon as possible.

Put down

Meaning: to pay an initial deposit.

• We put down a deposit on the flat.
• He’s saved enough to put down a deposit on a car.

Rake in

Meaning: to earn a lot of money.

• They’re raking in money this summer.
• John raked in a fortune from his business, which quickly became successful and attracted customers from all over the country.

Run up

Meaning: to accumulate debt or bills.

• He ran up huge credit card debts.
• Sara ran up a massive phone bill while travelling abroad and forgot to turn off mobile data.

Save up

Meaning: to save money for something specific.

• I’m saving up for a new laptop, so I’ve stopped eating out and buying things I don’t really need.
• They saved up for years to buy a house.

Set aside

Meaning: to keep money for a special purpose.

• Try to set aside some money every month.
• She sets aside money for emergencies.

Shell out

Meaning: to pay a lot of money, often unwillingly.

• We had to shell out for the tickets, but in the end the concert was so good that it was absolutely worth the money.

Splash out

Meaning: to spend a lot of money on something special or luxurious.

• We splashed out on a nice hotel.
• She decided to splash out on a designer bag.

Take out

Meaning: to get a loan or insurance.

• They took out a loan to buy a house.
• You should take out travel insurance.

Final thought

If you want your English to sound natural, fluent, and confident, phrasal verbs are not optional — they’re essential. Start using a few of these in your everyday sentences, and you’ll quickly notice how much more “real” your English sounds.

And remember – don’t just save up vocabulary — spend it in real sentences. 😉

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