So why didn't he get a motorized pump before the alarming need for it arose? Because, at the time, that money was better spent on other things that were necessary at the time.
Might have been better spent. Might have. Say that it was better spent is just begging the question.
That he didn't get the pump can be blamed as much on poor risk mitigation as it can be on avoiding unnecessary expenses. Having a cavalier and dismissive attitude toward mitigating future risks can result in a demonstration of exactly how faulty one's prioritizations really were.
Don't fall into the trap of assuming just because things were done out of assumed necessity, they were the right things to do.