ProverbWisdomEnglish origin1546

Cut your coat according to your cloth.

Meaning: Live within your financial means rather than spending beyond what you can afford.

Example: “We can't afford a big wedding; cut your coat according to your cloth.”

Origin: John Heywood's 1546 collection has "I shall cut my coat after my cloth." A tailor with too little fabric must make a smaller coat; the proverb applies the same sense to spending within your means.

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