Köyhällä ei ole varaa halpaan.

-- Traditional Finnish proverb

Bitter social commentary and consumer advice rolled into one. Let's say a poor family has to choose between buying a 3000 mark washing machine and a model that costs 5000. They can't afford to buy the more expensive model, but if they buy the cheap one, it will wreck their clothes and break in six months, leaving them in the same situation as before but 3000 marks (plus damaged clothes) poorer. Either way, they're fucked. See Catch-22 and You always lose.