For the kitchen utensils example, I would also tend towards some kind of middle ground. I don't care at all about having the best but the worst is so cheap that

For the kitchen utensils example, I would also tend towards some kind of middle ground. I don't care at all about having the best but the worst is so cheap that if you aren't careful you will end up with more utensils than anyone really needs. When I first moved out about 5 years ago I bought a kitchen set for under $100, bar plates, bowls and cups it had pretty much everything you would need in a kitchen. I am still using many parts of it today and slowly throwing out parts I didn't really use. I wouldn't buy one again because my kitchen would get to cluttered with too much stuff that I either won't use or use very little.