Buy the best you can afford is useful advice , but the problem is defining what is best for you !
For stuff you really care about, and are an expert on, use your own discretion. It’s perfectly fine to splurge on something which is close to your heart , if it brings you joy ! Thus, if you are a gourmet, then spending money on going to what you feel are the best restaurants is fine – please pamper yourself – you are worth it !
On the other hand , if you don’t care much about food , then don’t waste money on buying branded food items , because you won’t appreciate them. It makes more sense to for unbranded stuff, or private labels , because they provide more value for money .
If you aren’t sure what to buy , and you don’t want to spend too much money and time doing research on the topic , a useful rule of thumb is to buy the second most expensive item available . The most expensive is usually overpriced , because it’s a status symbol , and the second most expensive is usually priced fairly in a market economy to give you optimal value for money.