Personally I feel we try to educate people as to the dangers of feeding grains/corn and byproducts in dry cat food more so than the expensive stuff. I know very well how difficult it is to try to make a pay cheque stretch to buy my cat food and pay my bills. Some months I don't make it and dip into the ol' credit cards.
And that is buying the "cheaper" brands. I feed what I can afford.
BUT - with the help of this forum and a lot of reading and educating myself as to what is good/bad for my cats I know dry foods filled with grain/corn and tons of by products are only harming my cats. My cats go through close to 300 cans of food a week. That would be a mix of the cheaper foods, some Fancy Feasts, Performatrin Ultra, Wellness, and other good foods if I can find good deals on it. They get a small amount of dry to supplement but I make sure it is the best dry I can afford. I chose ones that do not have grain or corn in them. If you must feed dry then Kirkland brand from Costco is a better choice for people on a budget. The first ingredients in it is chicken. Not by products of chicken. Chicken. Not grain or corn. Even if you don't have a membership I would bet lots of your friends do and would be willing to pick up a bag. Please make sure your cat(s) always have plenty of fresh water available to them as they will be chronically dehydrated.
If you haven't had a chance to read this site then please take some time to read it.
www.catinfo.org. In it you will find a comment that I personally, because of finances, go by. It is "The cheapest canned food is still better for your cat than the most expensive dry."