It's only debt if you are paying for it going forward. The thought should be "things would be easier going forward if we'd done X". If it does the job and doe

It's only debt if you are paying for it going forward. The thought should be "things would be easier going forward if we'd done X". If it does the job and doesn't create issues then you just purchased it without taking on debt. This is easier if it is isolated/loosely coupled. There's no point going back to improve it unless it saves you time/money in the future. If you make a better one to get the 'best experience' you are throwing away time and money for a slightly better mousetrap.