Did the egyptians use their resources wisley or unwisely?

Answer 1

Both.

For a country to thrive and have so much power while in such a barren area took some skill in using their resources.

At the same time they did a lot of useless work. Sure, we can still see the pyramids and some of their temples today, but if they had used the manpower and resources dedicated to them for building infrastructure or increasing their territory, they might have done better.