One day I was just trying pairs of jeans at nordstrom. It was clearance so they just had a bunch thrown everywhere on the table.. Tried these black ones on and they were perfect.. didn't even look at the price. Turns out they were "Seven for all mankind" and cost $80. I bought them anyway since nordstrom has a really lax return policy. Turns out they are the most comfortable jeans I've ever owned. I used to be the same way not wanting to pay more than like $40 for a pair, but sometimes it's worth it.