HUSBAND

To economize, to use sparingly (this is the meaning of the verb, this does not refer to the husband!). The noun is husbandry: "sparing use, economization." The word originally referred to a farmer who owned his own farm and household. The optimal husband in this sense was the one who was thrifty and managed his farm well, hence, the verbal sense. "

“Substantial progress had been made on the company’s key projects during the period, and in order to husband resources, XXX has embarked upon a restructuring of the company, bringing about a significant reduction in overheads which will flow through into the remainder of the year.”

“UK is 'living outside its environmental means'- The Independent (London), Apr 11, 2009 - ENVIRONMENT - Britain is using up its fair share of the Earth's resources earlier every year and has nearly run into "ecological debt" in 2009, according to a green think tank. The New Economics Foundation (NEF) says the country is failing to husband resources such as arable land, fisheries and forests to ensure that Britons live within their environmental means.”

“Participants take over a start-up company that has just obtained equity capital and has developed a new product that it must launch in competition with up to seven competitors. During the early stages they must husband cash as they expand into the world's markets, lay down production capacity and develop the range of products.“

“Canny gardeners know they must husband their reserves for the final push...”
Source: YourDictionary