beyond one's means

Idioms  

1. Too costly for one, more than one can afford. For example, A second vacation this year is well beyond our means. The noun means here signifies “resources at one's disposal,” a usage current since Shakespeare's time, as in Measure for Measure (2:2): “Let her have needful, but not lavish means.” [Late 1800s]

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Example Sentences

It remains both taboo and important to perform this often tacky opulence nonetheless: to spend advances on expensive cars, clothes and chains, to live beyond one’s means.

From Los Angeles Times

Indeed, medical bankruptcy surpassed all other types of bankruptcies, including that caused by house foreclosure and living beyond one’s means.

From Washington Post

You can argue, therefore, that what actually brings out the humbug is the spirit of being too generous and spending beyond one’s means.

From Seattle Times

They are also spooked by the temptation that credit cards offer to spend beyond one’s means.

From New York Times

Consumer credit is often thought to be just a way to live beyond one’s means and to shift consumption – to spend today instead of saving for tomorrow.

From Washington Post