I'd venture to guess that for the tools and services that you buy, you weren't sold them, you sought them out and bought them because you recognized a need to buy vs build. I'm not saying don't buy things. I'm saying, if you're being successfully sold to in this fashion then you likely have more fundamental organizational problems.
My Dad told me something when I was little that stuck with me:
"You never see ads for broccoli"
Of course while that's not strictly true (weekly grocery flyer) his point was that, if you actually need something to survive you'll figure out how to get it without having to be sold to.
If you don't know what you need, what chances do you have to make a right decision, especially talking to people who are interested in selling you stuff?
I don't see how there is any alternative to researching stuff first in order to know what you need, especially if we are talking about "efficiency" and "value" which are not rigorously quantifiable.
My Dad told me something when I was little that stuck with me:
"You never see ads for broccoli"
Of course while that's not strictly true (weekly grocery flyer) his point was that, if you actually need something to survive you'll figure out how to get it without having to be sold to.