penny wise
Thrifty on trifles
Penny wise describes being careful with small amounts of money.
The phrase appears almost exclusively in the expression penny wise and pound foolish, describing someone who economizes on trivial expenses while wasting money on larger ones—like skipping coffee to save a few dollars, then buying an overpriced car.
- frugalSparing with resources
- thriftyPrudent with resources
- cutting cornersReducing effort improperly
- cheapLow in price
- stingyUnwilling to spend freely
tight fisted · miserly · tightwad · scrimping · saving · nickels · dimes · small change · coins · budget · pinching · economical · rainy day fund · shortsighted · skinflint · bargain · coupon · bottom dollar
- frugalityfrugality, thrift, frugal, economize, scrimp
- thrift sayingslive within means, make ends meet, tighten belt, tighten your belt, scrimp and save
- money idiomsarm and a leg, break the bank, cheapskate, tightwad, deep pockets
- proverbsproverbs, sayings, maxims, adages, aphorisms
- money slangbucks, dough, moolah, cheddar, cash
- stinginessstinginess, miserliness, miserly, stingy, tightfistedness
penny wisepound foolish
Wasteful with significant amounts
long-term investor · prudent · far-sighted · smart money · judicious
penny wisepound foolish
Wasteful with significant amounts
profligate · spendthrift · wasteful · extravagant · lavish
penny, wise, pennies, pence, wisdom, wisely, wiser, wisest, unwisely