buy cheap, buy twice
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Inexpensive items may need to be replaced, making them more costly overall
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Sources & notes
Listed on Wikipedia “List of proverbial phrases” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “buy cheap, buy twice” mean?
Inexpensive items may need to be replaced, making them more costly overall
Is “buy cheap, buy twice” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.