I’m a fan of the purina plus plan food as a more budget friendly, but not cheap, option.

However, I grew up in a very blue collar family and our dogs growing up in the 90’s grew up on table scraps and a mixture of what ever kibble was the cheapest at Walmart, including ol roy. Each dog of my childhood ( two lab mixes) lived to 14 and 15 with very minimal health complications throughout their lives. Anecdotal, sure, but generations of dogs were raised on cheap kibble and table scraps. I personally believe buying from a quality breeder, or buying a super mutt, while restricting fatty/carby human food than feeding your dog 20 dollar kibble vs 50 dollar kibble. It’s not to say it isn’t a factor, but its probably overblown, as it’s marketed that way.