Yeah it's such a bummer lol. Feels like that choice to fix stuff is just gone now, which really kills the fun of it.

Disagree with your take on remote work draining funds. From what I've seen, saving on gas, lunch, and clothes adds up quick. Your costs for a chair and internet are one-time, but daily savings keep going. Maybe your budget got hit by other stuff, not just working from home. We often blame new changes for old money problems.

Used to think glue didn't matter until this happened.

Hey @the_oscar, that's a good start, but a simple poke test won't always show deep mud. You really need a proper soil probe or even a small drill to check deeper layers. I've seen sites where surface seemed fine but a few feet down was pure soup. So actually, skipping the real test might cost you more when the dozer gets stuck.

Actually my friend kept pushing through shin splints because her training plan said so, and it just made everything worse. She finally took a break and came back way stronger after listening to her body. It's funny how we're taught to ignore pain signals to hit some made up goal. That kind of stubbornness just sets you back way more in the long run.