Meanings
- Buying a low-priced but inferior product (i.e., one that is cheap in both senses of that word) is a false economy because it will need replacement.
Synonyms: buy nice or buy twice, good work ain't cheap, cheap work ain't good, you buy cheap, you get cheap
Synonyms & antonyms
proverbBuying a low-priced but inferior product (i.e., one that is cheap in both senses of that word) is a false economy because it will need replacement.
Translations
Dutch goedkoop is duurkoop
- goedkoop is duurkoopbuying a cheap product is a false economy
Finnish köyhällä ei ole varaa halpaan
- köyhällä ei ole varaa halpaanbuying a cheap product is a false economy
German wer billig kauft, kauft zweimal
- wer billig kauft, kauft zweimalbuying a cheap product is a false economy
Korean 싼 것이 비지떡
- 싼 것이 비지떡 (ssan geos-i bijitteok)buying a cheap product is a false economy
Polish chytry dwa razy traci
- chytry dwa razy tracibuying a cheap product is a false economy
Portuguese o barato sai caro
- o barato sai carobuying a cheap product is a false economy
Russian скупо́й пла́тит два́жды
- скупо́й пла́тит два́жды (skupój plátit dváždy)buying a cheap product is a false economy
Spanish lo barato sale caro
- lo barato sale carobuying a cheap product is a false economy
Cite this entry
buy cheap, buy twice. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/buy%20cheap%2C%20buy%20twice
“buy cheap, buy twice.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/buy%20cheap%2C%20buy%20twice. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “buy cheap, buy twice,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/buy%20cheap%2C%20buy%20twice.
Source: buy cheap, buy twice on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.