Weekly discussion: common pitfalls I keep coming back to [v2]

The trade-offs here are not obvious to me and I keep flip-flopping. I tried three different approaches and none of them felt quite right. Quick context: I am relatively new to this and trying to find my footing.

Spent the last few weekends digging into this and the deeper I go the more questions I have. Mostly thinking out loud — feel free to push back hard. Looking for honest feedback, not validation.

For context, I am working with a pretty modest budget so high-end suggestions probably will not land. For context, I am working with a pretty modest budget so high-end suggestions probably will not land.