foolish (redirected from foolishly)

be penny-wise and pound-foolish (old-fashioned)

to be extremely careful about small amounts of money and not careful enough about larger amounts of money. Saving a little bit of money on repairs can lead to long-term damage. You don't want to be penny-wise and pound-foolish, now do you?

---

penny wise and pound foolish

unwise because doing something small now would prevent much more trouble later. Education budget cuts are penny wise and pound foolish – public education is an investment in our future.

See also: penny, pound, wise