Unpopular opinion: paying for seat selection is a waste, just take whatever seat you get
Last month I flew from Chicago to Denver on a $49 budget fare and skipped the $15 seat pick, ended up in a middle seat but saved enough for two meals. People act like you need to pay extra to avoid a bad seat, but I think it's a trap and you should just roll with it. Has anyone else tried skipping seat fees and actually been fine with where they ended up?