It's troubling to hear sentiments like that. Statements like "no debt means you overpaid up front" have a nasty habit of being repeated by people as after-the-f

It's troubling to hear sentiments like that. Statements like "no debt means you overpaid up front" have a nasty habit of being repeated by people as after-the-fact rationalization for their own failure to design. It is anti-intellectual: it reflects a culture where writing code is valued over understanding the problem. It also devalues our time to non-technical management. Over-design is a legitimate concern. But, if you don't know much design, however, you probably aren't going to fall into this trap. You're more liable to under-design things.