That is a fantastic piece of satire. I had a good chuckle, so thanks for that. I read most of it, but I admit I skimmed a bit in the middle.

My point is that something being cheap doesn't necessarily mean it's bad. That's the original intent I was responding to, and it matches your final paragraph.

What is cheapest, is always the cheapest for a reason. There is always a reason. Always.

Evaluate what you need, look at the options, and pick something that will solve it.

To me, frugality isn't about the price you pay, but the value you get long term. Maybe the cheapest option fits with that, but most likely you'll want something a few notches above that, but somewhere below the median. A lot of people don't look at the options and just buy whatever is popular. Frugality is about looking beyond that.