I havent stepped into the swimbait world yet, but when i do i wont hesitate to buy quality baits.
The most ive spent for lures now have been in the $25-30 range. Pretty much megabass and a few deps buzzjets.... I find most of my lures are in the 10-15 dollar range.
I have favorites, like luckycraft sammies, megabass pop x's, that i will pay full price for because there worth every penny. Also, i spend more on topwater baits cause 99% of the time im not going to lose them with braid.
When it comes to cranks or jerkbaits i tend to stay a bit cheaper. I have some rapalas and yozuris that work great.
But like someone else said, i shop around, look for sales and used tackle online. Love finding me some used sammies at a great price. Replace the hooks and your ready to go.