dip into (one's) savings
dip into (one's) savings
To take money from one's savings account in small amounts. When my car broke down, I had to dip into my savings to pay for all of the repairs.
dip into one's savings
Fig. to take out part of the money one has been saving. (See also dip in(to something).) I had to dip into my savings in order to pay for my vacation. I went to the bank and dipped into savings. There wasn't much left.