Always use the best ingredients possible - lesson learned

I made a batch of white chocolate/macadamia nut cookies this week. Bought all new ingredients, sugar, flour, brown sugar, white and milk chocolate, nuts etc. Needed to update the pantry with baking stuff in anticipation of much holiday cooking. Anyway, when it came to buying the macadamia nuts, I choose the store brand rather than the brand most known for macadamia nuts - Mauna Loa. Thought I would save a some money buying the cheaper brand.
Well, big mistake. The store brand had a "old" or stale taste to them. I thought I could get away with it, thinking the sugars, vanilla, etc. would mask the taste. Nope! Very funky tasting batch of cookies. I'll never do that again.

Lesson Learned -- always buy the best, freshest, ingredients possible.

Anyone else have a lesson learned story to share?