build strokers or buy them

At times we tend to think because we pay more for an item it is better than a cheaper one purely because of cost.
Please dont lump me in the "we" there. I can get things cheaper - but I've seen what even friends of mine consider acceptable and do not share their opinion. All my decisions are cost-vs-reward based on my credentials and experience. No more - no less. At eye level on my office wall is the essay by John Ruskin on cost and I earn my living creating and keeping project budgets.

When you list out items and services needed in a shortblock,
You see where charges are inflated or not.
Ever wonder why one shop charges $80 for an oil change and another wants $50?
Same car too.
I'm curious if you know what the differences in the machining operations are - what they do, how they are done, and what equipment does them? These are what goes into the rates shops charge.

I see MRL and moper builds engines here. Brian at IMM out in Cali as well as Shadydell. Shady lists some prices online. I'm sure these four shops will have different price points for the same engine.
Correction - I'm not a shop and I'm not a "professional". I used to be but now cars are just sidework.

Build it right, build it once is true, but I don't think we need to .000 deck a block or put girdles on a daily driver.
That's a difference of opinion. I don't believe in girdles but you can bet your *** if I do the build it will be a perfect deck height, flat, parallel to the crank centerline, and the right finish and if it's getting a longer-than-factory-offered stroke it's getting main studs and align honed. The return on investment is longevity, performance, and economy. I'd rather get the work perfect and get another 2mpg over a life of 60K miles than say "it's only for a daily driver."

mopars are cool but I think we are pricing ourselves out of fun at times.
I disagree. Some individuals may do that - but it's more a situation of "eyes are bigger than stomach" and window shopping. That's why I start with "how much can be spent".