ir tirando

to get by, to survive, to manage

“Así que cuando Arturo llegó a Barcelona su madre estaba muchísimo mejor, la beca no era demasiado generosa pero le permitía ir tirando, incluso tuvo dinero para comprar chocolates de muchas clases, pues sabía que a Arturo le gustaba el chocolate europeo, como todo el mundo sabe, es infinitamente mejor que el mexicano.” — So when Arturo arrived in Barcelona, his mother was much better; the grant wasn't too generous, but it allowed her to get by; she even had money to buy many types of chocolates, since she knew that Arturo liked European chocolate; as everyone knows, it's infinitely better than Mexican chocolate.