proverb · Words worth keeping
Penny wise and pound foolish.
Penny wise and pound foolish.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Focusing on tiny savings can be wasteful if you overlook much larger costs. Consider the whole decision rather than congratulating yourself on a small economy that creates a greater loss.
Example
An organiser saves a little on unsuitable labels, then has to reprint an entire batch of displays when the labels cannot be removed cleanly.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The contrast between penny and pound gives the saying its scale. A person may scrutinise a minor price while ignoring a larger expense, or choose a cheap option that creates costly problems later. The warning is about disproportionate attention, not about whether small sums matter. For someone with limited resources, a small saving can be valuable. The useful question is whether that saving works within the whole situation, including time, suitability and likely consequences. Careful judgement looks at both scales rather than treating either the smallest price or the largest purchase as automatically decisive.
When to use it
Use it when a minor saving distracts from a larger foreseeable cost or consequence.
Keep in mind
Small sums can matter greatly; the criticism requires a real larger consequence, not simply a preference for spending more.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Date unknown
- Culture
- English