Do you always buy cheapest, or do you buy to support “worthy” companies?

I would say it depends. At the point in my life when I had very little I would almost always buy the cheapest, but there was some exceptions where the necessity of needing an item forced me to buy quality. Many of those quality items I still have 20+ years later where the cheapest would have failed and been replaced many times over.

Now I generally try and buy quality items unless I expect there will be no repeated reuse, then I go cheap.

I guess if quality counts as "worthy" Then I do now select based on that. I rarely examine the politics or beliefs of a company as part of a purchasing decision. I find that large companies always seem to support all sides of all issues although they may put one thing to them forefront on occasion. Small businesses have their beliefs too but whatever that core values is more of an ethos that usually gets represented in their products. So the politics of the owners don't mean a lot to me in those cases as regardless of who I'd buy from it's very likely to provide income to individuals who support something I may disagree on. So buying on quality supports the workmanship and if I want to argue politics I'll do it in another way.

There are no worthy companies. Oh, you mean 'worthy to me'. Well, the answer remains the same. I give people and companies the benefit of the doubt at first, but the moment they lose my trust they are 'dead to me'. So I maintain a list for 'do not buy from this company'. In some company cases I will nuance that list: for example HP laptops are on my 'never ever buy again' list. On the other hand, I buy nothing but HP LaserJet printers.

I do subscribe to the 'Buy twice as good, and only buy half as many' philosophy. I tend to buy upmarket cars and computers and then keep them for 10 years or more.

Probably more accurately, you might say I go for dependability. When I hop in that car, I expect it to start at first go, and then go as far as I want it to.

With most things, I try to buy the best quality I can afford. That doesn't mean getting the most expensive one (sometimes, the quality of those isn't that great), but something that costs more than average. An item of better quality might cost more, but if it lasts then it's cheaper over time than whatever you need to replace every couple of years (or less).

But, like anything else, it's a matter of what you can afford and what you feel comfortable spending. No, I'm not rich and don't have the highest salary. But I'm willing to sock away some money to afford goods that cost more but which will last.

Won’t buy Disney, Bud Light or Target at any price, if that’s what you’re asking. Some companies have behaved so contrary to the vendor-consumer relationship that price is irrelevant.

most expensive. saves time because I know I'm getting (generally) the highest quality. time is the precious resource, not money (which I can always make)