pound foolish
Big-spending, small-saving
Pound foolish describes someone who economizes on small things while wasting money on large ones—careful with pennies but careless with pounds.
The phrase almost always appears in the set expression penny wise and pound foolish, describing false economy where minor savings lead to major losses: Skipping routine maintenance is penny wise and pound foolish.
- wastefulUsing resources carelessly
- shortsightedUnable to see ahead
- recklessCarelessly ignoring danger
- cutting cornersReducing effort improperly
- spendthriftReckless with money
squander · throwing good money after bad · frivolous · extravagant · imprudent · thriftless · splurge · regret · buyer's remorse · missed opportunity · careless · unwise · foolhardy · myopic · long term thinking · big picture · savings · budget
- thrift sayingspenny saved, penny wise, pinch pennies, penny pincher, live within means
- money idiomsarm and a leg, break the bank, penny pincher, cheapskate, tightwad
- money slangbucks, dough, moolah, cheddar, cash
pound foolishshrewd
Practically clever, perceptive
thrifty · judicious · prudent · frugal · economical
pound foolishfar-sighted
Anticipating future needs
seeing the forest for the trees · sees the forest for the trees · strategic · good judgment · sensible
pound, foolish, pounds, pounded, pounding, pounder, fool, fools, fooled