I know I'm pickier at higher price points, yes, but I'm not necessarily aiming for 10s across the board anyway. Don't find it practical on my budget, especially given the number of needy holes to fill.
It often happens that I've seen or tried on a 10 --- then had to leave it behind and buy the 8 I could afford or find in the right size. THEN, though, I'm way pickier about the 'at least 8' than if I hadn't see the 10 (in which case I might have settled for a 6 or 7, say, out of need to feel the hole fast). Just having the 10 as a behind-the-scenes benchmark ups the ante and sharpens the antennae.
Necessity is a B****, but it can also be extra motivation past shopping paralysis.
Another odd thing about 'picky' is related to Dana's point: Sometimes something *feels* so right or so 'me' that I will abandon worries of figure flattery, style statement, environmental appropriateness, wear & tear (to Vildy's point: I often do that 'yeah, it's wrinkled and scuffed and busted but it's leather/wool so soft/muslin so light and feels divine' thing too), colour flattery, construction quality or perfect fit even! I see it as part of the happiness factor and exchanging one sort of pickiness for another (not a stylish sort but a comfort & joy sort). Still conflicted about this tendency --- whether to try and overcome it or embrace it --- given sometimes comfort/self-expression and style goals fight each other.
