Possible Clues:

• Just managing, with "out"
• Just making, with 'out'
• ___ out a living
• Squeezing
• __ out a living
• Barely managing, with "out"
• Scraping (by)
• __ out a living (barely managing)
• The oriental ruler, perhaps, needs to get out to be making things last
• The eastern ruler is spinning it out