- The meaning “to spend less” probably has something to do with melioration: “to do what is better for your budget; to keep the budget good”.
Budget (2)
verb; zero derivation
To save money.
Etymology : This word has undergone some shift of meaning: the source noun “budget” (meaning a capital) produced a word (with a zero derivation) with a particular sense “to spend money less; to refuse from a certain money-spending activity”.
Source : “Order a pizza! - I’m not that hungry. Plus I gotta budget myself” (my friend, 9/24/2019).
Last modified: 7 December 2019