From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishfeel the pinchfeel the pinchPOORto have financial difficulties, especially because you are not making as much money as you used to make Local stores and businesses are beginning to feel the pinch. → pinch
Examples from the Corpus
feel the pinch• Small businesses dependent on the government also are feeling the pinch.• Membership of the club has dwindled from 70 to 20 and its clear commuters are feeling the pinch.• Schools in the poorest areas, already short of resources, are certainly feeling the pinch.• He felt the pinch of depravity.• Local stores and businesses are beginning to feel the pinch from the economic crisis.• Meanwhile, with its future hanging in the balance, Fokker is starting to feel the pinch.• Chichester was not the only Sussex town to feel the pinch of economic decay.• In addition, parish priests were feeling the pinch through reduced income from alms and tithes. 