Laravel - When using 3rd party packages and when not

I wonder, when should be better to use 3rd party packages and when not, when should be better to not reinvent the wheel with custom code, and when not.

Exist some general rules about this? what is the maximum number of external packages to avoid?

What are the common checks for choose packages that have same functionalities?..other than check if is lightweight, better supported and who is the developer.

Is a good idea to use packages also for simple stuff?

via Chebli Mohamed