Anyone else workflow tweaks on a tight budget [v5]

There is a lot of conflicting advice online and most of it is from 2019. 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.

Looking for honest feedback, not validation. Quick context: I am relatively new to this and trying to find my footing. Looking for honest feedback, not validation.

I tried three different approaches and none of them felt quite right.