Sentence:  Something had to be done about the furnace , the fuel bills , the washing machine , the doctor and dentist bills , about making money <WSD>stretch</WSD> for food , for the mortgage , for taxes , for shoes , for half soles , for overshoes , for clothes , for the new leaks in the roof , for gas and light bills ; about keeping warm , about keeping well , about meeting the minor emergencies that came up once , twice , fifty times a day . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  become longer by being stretched and pulled