Poor analogy and clearly lacking much thought. A more accurate comparison would be to say my family budget is X. I want a car payment of no more than 400$ per month. Now, truth is, I can make 500$ work, but I want to pay as little as I can get away with. Same as management. They know full well that it’s gonna be more expensive than they initially propose, and it’s our job to ensure that they open the checkbook.