penny wise pound foolish


penny-wise and pound-foolish

So concerned with saving money in any way possible that one fails to allocate money to things that will ultimately force one to spend more (due to lack of quality, proper maintenance, etc). I know you don't want to pay for this expensive course of treatment, but when ignoring your health lands you in the hospital and you have to miss work, you'll see that you were penny-wise and pound-foolish.See also: and

penny ˌwise (and) pound ˈfoolish

used to say that somebody is very careful about small matters but much less sensible about larger, more important things: When it comes to a used car, don’t be penny wise and pound foolish. Spend the money to have the vehicle checked out. See also: foolish, penny, pound, wise