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Is there any idiom / expression or proverb in English which can imply the situation that someone can manage their own affairs in rather severe conditions?

For instance,

  • a) I'm going to go abroad for a while? Perhaps England! b) Well! Do you know English well? a) I can manage my own affairs.

  • a) Mom, I have made my decision! I've decided to live alone and rent an apartment for myself! b) So can you afford it son? a) I can manage my own affairs.

In my language, there is a proverb which conveys the same message in both cases above and so many other similar cases, but I don't have any idea which expression or idiom or perhaps proverbial phrase can do the same thing!

Some English equivalents that I have found in translation pages are as below:

  • I can shift for myself.
  • I can fend for myself.
  • I can get along by myself.
  • I can paddle my own canoe.

I don't know if they work in this sense of natural English! If they are alright, please let me know; otherwise, please tell me how shall I indicate the meaning in my question in a natutural and idiomatic way.

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  • What is the reason for not using I can manage my own affairs?
    – Jason Bassford
    Commented Apr 28, 2019 at 17:47
  • Well @James Bassford, any language compose many colloquialisms which lets one convey their "true feeling" to the listener; you know well that if these structures were of no use, there was no reason for them to be created! Every single expression or any other lingual structure has a philosophy behind it which make the speaker to use them in a precise and proper manner and as a learner I am keen on discovering the correct and direct meaning in my mother language. Although that's a long story how did I came to this mindset, but briefly, it was why I'm looking for some equivalents in English.
    – A-friend
    Commented Apr 29, 2019 at 6:48
  • Bringing up such questions, I'm goint to find out semantic overlaps between some English phrases and expressions! Most of them are taught in other countries even in academic environments as current English way of speaking whilst most of them are obsolete, some are just wishy-washy translations which would make no sense for a native individual! This is in the manner that learning correct English for many people outside the English-speaking countries has become changed into something out of mind!
    – A-friend
    Commented Apr 29, 2019 at 6:56

1 Answer 1

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In American English at least, the sentence

I can manage my own affairs.

is often reduced to

I will manage.

or

I'll manage.

For example:

"Mom, I'm going to visit my friend in Chicago for a couple weeks!"

"Oh? That's a 16 hour drive!"

"I'll manage."


Alternatively, "I'll figure it out" can be used, although it implies that a course of action has not yet been determined.

"What are you going to do about gas money for your trip to Chicago?"

"I'll figure it out."

"I'll figure it out" may be a very confident statement or may not be a very confident statement. A lack of confidence is typically signified by the use of "something" in place of "it", meaning that the speaker does not know what they will do. For example:

"The business is ruined! How are you going to pay the mortgage?"

"I don't know. I'll figure something out. I have to, or we'll lose everything."

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