1. Due to the economic downturn, many families have had to tighten their belts and cut back on expenses.
(Dikarenakan resesi ekonomi, banyak keluarga harus mengencangkan ikat pinggang dan memotong pengeluaran.)

2. The company's profits have been declining, so they have decided to tighten their belts and reduce staff bonuses.
(Keuntungan perusahaan telah menurun, jadi mereka memutuskan untuk mengencangkan ikat pinggang dan mengurangi bonus karyawan.)

3. In order to save money for a vacation, I have tightened my belt and started bringing my lunch to work instead of eating out.
(Untuk menghemat uang untuk liburan, saya mengencangkan ikat pinggang dan mulai membawa bekal makan siang ke kantor daripada makan di luar.)

4. The government has announced that due to budget cuts, all departments will need to tighten their belts and find ways to reduce spending.
(Pemerintah telah mengumumkan bahwa dikarenakan pemotongan anggaran, semua departemen harus mengencangkan ikat pinggang dan mencari cara untuk mengurangi pengeluaran.)

5. After losing his job, John had to tighten his belt and start living on a strict budget until he could find another source of income.
(Setelah kehilangan pekerjaannya, John harus mengencangkan ikat pinggang dan mulai hidup dengan anggaran yang ketat sampai dia bisa menemukan sumber pendapatan lain.)

6. The school has had to tighten its belt and make cuts to extracurricular programs in order to balance its budget.
(Sekolah harus mengencangkan ikat pinggang dan melakukan pemotongan program ekstrakurikuler untuk menyeimbangkan anggarannya.)