SCRAPE THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL

{v. phr.}, {informal} To use or take whatever is left after the most or the best has been taken; accept the leftovers. * /At first they took out quarters, but they had so little money that they had to scrape the bottom of the barrel and paid with nickels and pennies for their lunch./ * /The garage owner had to scrape the bottom of the barrel to find a qualified mechanic to work for him./