False sense of economy

I have a strong need to be economical. I drive at or around the speed limit to save gas. I resisted getting a Swiffer WetJet to clean our wood-laminate floors, and when we eventually got one, I found a way to refill those horribly expensive bottles of WetJet fluid with a much less expensive cleaning solution. I shop at our local discount grocery store (much to my wife's chagrin). I buy the least expensive gasoline. Like I said, I have the need to economize.

Sometimes, though, it comes back to bite me. The last time I refilled the Swiffer fluid bottle, it leaked all over our wood-laminate floor and caused some unsightly swelling of the flooring. I tried to combine leftover toner from two old laser printer toner cartridges, and now my printer doesn't work right. It's enough to drive me to spending more money.

What did I learn from my recent misfortunes? When you try to economize, make sure you know what you're doing.