nickel-and-dime

verbs

spend money frugally; spend as little as possible
nickel-and-dime, penny-pinch
accumulate gradually
"she nickeled-and-dimed together a small house for her family"
nickel-and-dime
is a type of (narrower)
gather (money or other resources) together over time
"She had scraped together enough money for college"; "they scratched a meager living"
come up, scrape, scrape up, scratch

adjectives

of minor importance
"a nickel-and-dime operation run out of a single rented room"; "a small-time actor"
nickel-and-dime, small-time
low-paying
"a nickel-and-dime job"
nickel-and-dime
is similar to
relatively low in price or charging low prices
"it would have been cheap at twice the price"; "inexpensive family restaurants"
cheap, inexpensive