false economy

false economy

An initial attempt to save money that ends up costing a person more money in the future. Although people often join wholesale clubs for the discounts, it ends up being a false economy because they spend more there than they would at a regular grocery store. Not getting regular oil changes might save you money in the short term, but it's a false economy because you'll ruin your engine.
See also: economy, false
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • economy
  • come into (some) money
  • come into money
  • color of someone's money, see the
  • funny money
  • embezzle
  • embezzle (something) from (someone or something)
  • embezzle from
  • be (right) on the money
  • caught short
References in classic literature
It was false economy! I meant to keep them without a penny so that they should turn to me as their providence, and look at them!
Take care if you go down this route, however, as you may make a false economy and it is usually much better to tap into the relevant property expertise in the area.
Anyone in any doubt should listen to Mary Laver, who told her story very movingly to this column and in a film for the False Economy site.
He said: ``This seems to be another false economy at our Armed Forces' expense.''
And these cuts are a false economy. They suck demand out of local economies.
But it would be a false economy to go ahead with plans to axe the Royal Parks Constabulary.
SLASHING district nurses is another false economy by this discredited Conservative-led Government.
Removing staff is a false economy. Delayed treatment can mean added complications and longer hospital stays which further increases demand and costs.
Researchers False Economy analysed 65 local authorities' plans for the new council tax support scheme and found an average cut of 20% hitting the most vulnerable.
Earlier, Michael Hourigan's FALSE ECONOMY should prove tough to beat in the Packie Downey Memorial Chase.
It also said they were a "false economy" because pounds 10,000 per patient could be saved by basic care alone.
The problem was I ate the lot in one sitting so it was a false economy as I could have just bought one and felt better about myself afterwards.
The fact the burden has doubled in a decade reinforces why the squeeze on local authorities by the Conservatives is a false economy.
Continuing to underfund HMRC is a false economy. A conspiracy theorist might conclude that the well off are already getting the tax cuts the Tory leadership contenders have been promising them.
Convenience and a lack of time were also among the most likely causes of falling for a false economy, while one in six (16%) of the people surveyed said they were reeled in because they found it hard to work out the maths when weighing up whether something was a good deal or not.