O que significa eke out?

I saw an article somewhere on the internet about some habits acquired by the poor to make supplies last longer. And of course I could relate to some of them, especially the habit of adding water to shampoo or conditioner in order to preserve it. 

There are actually many reasons to use something sparingly. Lack of money is just one of them. But maybe you're shipwrecked in the middle of nowhere and need to eke out supplies until you're found. Who knows?

But wait, eke out? If you eke out water, food, cleaning products or any other supplies, you use it in small amounts or develop methods to preserve it to make it last longer. A noun or pronoun can be used between eke and out.