Shoes are really personal. Even though they are more consumable than boots, I definitely prefer trail running shoes for walking, hiking, gardening, biking, etc. I tend to buy one pair and wear it for everything until they are completely trashed. Sometimes I will save the trashed pair for gardening to keep the fresh ones cleaner. Sometimes I can't be bothered to constantly switch shoes.
I generally buy mid tier shoes ($75ish) and get 12-18 months out of them. As much as I like to support USA made stuff, New Balance is by far the worst brand for me. I tend to get best results with Reebok.
The OP wasn't asking about kids shoes, but just in case I'll add that New Balance kids shoes are utterly rubbish. My kids are very rough, and only Nike and Saucony have reliably held up to their abuse.