To live within one's means; to earn just enough money for one's basic needs

David has to work two jobs in order to make ends meet and send his son to college

Davide deve fare due lavori per sbarcare il lunario e mandare suo figlio all'università

In times of recession you can't afford a lot of things. You fight to make ends meet and you work to pay the bills. This is what it comes down to

In tempi di crisi economica non ti puoi permettere un sacco di cose. Fatichi ad arrivare a fine mese e, in definitiva, ti limiti a tirare avanti e lavori solo per pagare i conti

There are people working full time on a minimal wage and a family at home to support, and they struggle to keep mind and soul together

C'è gente che lavora a tempo pieno e prende il minimo salariale. Con una famiglia a casa da mantenere, fanno fatica a combinare il pranzo con la cena

It looks like the expression comes from an accounting expression "to make the two ends of the year meet" and it refers to the balancing of the accounts at both ends of the year. The use of the phrase dates from the second half of the 17th century. For other experts, this expression was used literally on the sea, referring to some ropes attached at lower edges of sails, which were permanently fixed. When such ropes broke, thrifty masters ordered sailors to pull ends together and splice them. In order to make both ends of a fixed rope meet, it was necessary to strain and tug, stretching a piece of canvas to its limit. For others, the metaphor was originally wearing a shorter (tighter) belt