It is impossible to make a good decision. There are so many brands, and information that is important is so difficult to find. I'll happily pay more for brands that focus on sustainability, avoid slave-labour-like practices, support communities, don't fund genocide, etc. But it is exhausting trying to keep up. I see it on Lemmy all the time.....a digital product I use or pay for because the last information I had was that they're good; but then there's an uproar that it was bought out or the founder supports some appalling ideology or something. Can't fucking keep up.

Depends. Sometimes its better to pay more for a better quality brand because it'll last longer - therefore costing less in the long run. Shoes/boots are a good example of this. Obviously if its more expensive that doesn't mean it'll be automatically be better though.

Because of ingredients? I check ingredients first, origin second and price third.

I dont want major brands, but I am not buying generic crap either.

I am never going to eat something simply because its "the cheapest".