Better one's house too little one day, than too big all the year round.
Meaning: Living modestly within means costs less in upkeep than maintaining a home beyond one's financial capacity.
Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.
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