"Buy cheap you pay dear" ?

Question

"Buy cheap you pay dear" . 'I've heard heard this on Radio, this morning. Is it an expression that describes the poor quality of the services you are buying with a lot of money?
Are there other situations when I can use it?

Thanks,
Raluca

Fandorin · Accepted Answer

Hi,Lalneagra. Welcome to English forums.

lalneagraIs it an expression that describes the poor quality of the services you are buying with a lot of money?

Not exactly. When you buy a cheap thing, when you try to stint, you will probably have to pay more money in future. Just imagine. You bought the used car, you stinted and saved some money. You excluded diagnostic procedure in order to be economical. But after a month you had your engine broken down. And the expences raised much more than small amount of them for using quialified stuff to check your car.

Lalneagra · Answer

Hi Fandorin and thank you for the example.
So the meaning is quite different than what I thought. With the same meaning can I use the expression: If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys?

Lalneagra

Jeannie1 · Answer

It is also grammatically incorrect. In this context "cheap" and "dear" are adverbs and should have an -ly on the end.
However, advertisers take delight in twisting English to suit their own ends.
However, what I think it means is, if you buy something very cheaply, you pay dearly for it later, like if it doesn't work for long and you have to pay more to get it repaired, or you have to buy another, or you have to spend a lot of time messing with it. ie What is as first a bargain can end up costing you more in the long run.

cheers

Fandorin · Answer

Skinflint pays twice.I think I said it in a right way.

BarbaraPA · Answer

lalneagraHi Fandorin and thank you for the example.
So the meaning is quite different than what I thought. With the same meaning can I use the expression: If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys?

Lalneagra

Hi Lalneagra,

I've never heard the peanuts/monkeys expression before. Is it a direct translation of an idiom in your native language?

Yes, Fandorin, your explanation was spot-on.

Another example: If you have three people come to give you estimates for doing repair work on your home, and one says $400, and one says $420, but one says $200, you can bet that the $200 bid is going to cost you more money later as you fix whatever it was that he didn't do right. I can easily see how that "pay peanuts, get monkeys" expression fits a situation like this.

Lalneagra · Answer

If you never heard about it, Grammar Geek .... what shall I say about me?

D .it;s the first time I see it.

d
Actually, I was surfing the web for some explanation of the expression "Buy cheap(ly), pay dear(ly)" an I found out it could be quoted like "If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys" DDD

Then I've searched in the thesaurus dictionary and I found this:
If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. = something that you say which means that only stupid people will work for you if you do not pay very much. 'This company is full of incompetents!' 'Well, if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.'

And, in conclusion, it's better to use it with caution, because otherwise, I could offence someone.
Lalneagra

BarbaraPA · Answer

So that expression applies to money, and here's one that applies to time: Act in haste, repent at leisure.

If you jump to do something without considering the possible consquences or taking the time to do it right, you will have a long time afterwards that you can feel regret over that decision.

Lalneagra · Answer

hahaha..very nice. And, then we should say: "Marry in haste, repent in leisure".

Thank you all for the answers
Lalneagra

Anonymous · Answer

thank you

Dave Phillips · Answer

Grammar GeekI've never heard the peanuts/monkeys expression before

It's a common expression in the UK.

"Buy cheap you pay dear" ?

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