Some people find themselves really challenged with the “Should I buy good quality stuff” or “Should I buy Cheap”, and I find many people end up in one camp or the other. However, I urge you to consider what I found to be the “magic bullet”. I go with what I call the “Harbor Freight” trick, named after everyone’s loved https://www.harborfreight.com/
The trick started for me with tools. I buy the absolute cheapest thing out there.
If I break it, I know I use it enough to buy a really good one, so my next one is top quality.
I’ve saved SOOOO much money this way, and assured when I bought the expensive thing I really bought what I needed, not just what my uneducated self thought I would need.
It doesn’t only work with tools- furniture, electronics, etc. I bought a $30 smart watch, used it to death and broke it, so I had no problem justifying a $250 smart watch. I broke my caulk gun, so I had no problem buying a great caulk gun. I broke my cheap power drill, so I justified buying a dewalt…
But on the flip side there are 10x MORE things I “Swore I’d use all the time” that I never use and so I saved a killing. Apple airpods. Bought cheap $8 version, wore ’em once and just haven’t found the use of them. Backup battery charger- bought a cheap one never used it. Certain toys, etc. Clothes, “Oh I’ll wear that kind of thing all the time” yeah right. a Tile Saw? One hit wonder.
I can justify I follow the same policy (my first house was cheap and I outgrew it, my first car was a as rough as they come and I outgrew it), but I learned in both of those examples what I wanted in a “good” one. I do think its best for people to buy a cheap first house and a cheap first car though so they know what they want when they buy a good one.
And that is the best way to balance “quality” with “price”.
Go to harbor freight and buy your tools, grab your offbrand headphones from ebay, and try out that new tech from the clearance section of walmart…. then the two items you actually use enough to break, you’ll have plenty of money to buy the best version for you!