Worst beginner mistakes [v5]

Looking for honest feedback, not validation. Long-time lurker, first-time poster. For context, I am working with a pretty modest budget so high-end suggestions probably will not land.

I tried three different approaches and none of them felt quite right. Spent the last few weekends digging into this and the deeper I go the more questions I have. Posting this here because the relevant subreddit has gotten too noisy lately.

Mostly thinking out loud — feel free to push back hard. Quick context: I am relatively new to this and trying to find my footing.