expression
buy nice or buy twice; you get what you pay for
Proverb warning that cheap items often end up costing more in the long run due to poor quality or short lifespan.
安物は高物というから、少し高くても良い靴を買ったほうがいいよ。
They say 'buy nice or buy twice,' so you should buy good shoes even if they're a bit more expensive.
安物は高物で、結局すぐに壊れて買い直すことになった。
You get what you pay for; it broke quickly and I ended up having to buy a new one.
A traditional Japanese proverb composed of 安物 (cheap thing) + は (topic marker) + 高物 (expensive thing), literally 'a cheap thing is an expensive thing.'