apañárselas

A very common Spanish idiom meaning to manage, cope, or get by on one's own — with resources, skill, or sheer improvisation, in a difficult or resource-scarce situation (apañárselas para llegar a fin de mes). Always used reflexively and almost always followed by para + infinitive.

• Se las apañó para terminar el proyecto sin ayuda. — She managed to finish the project without help.
• Nos las apañamos con lo que teníamos en la nevera. — We made do with what we had in the fridge.
• Siempre se las apaña para llegar a tiempo, aunque salga tarde. — He always manages to arrive on time, even when he leaves late.

Dropping the reflexive las — the expression is always se las apaña(n), with las referring back to an implicit "things" (cosas); *se apaña sola isn't the idiom, just a plain use of apañarse.

Often confused with apañar.