Something can be necessary and useful while still be an unprofitable money sink. I pay for water from my city’s utility. It’s a useful resource, but it’s still a money sink. I don’t earn any profit from the water I get from the city. In fact, it all goes down the drain in one form or another, and I have to pay even more money for the city to take the used water off my property! I absolutely need it; I couldn’t live in the home I do if the water was cut off. But it’s not a profit center for my household finances. Just because something is necessary and useful does not mean it is profitable.