Ugh, my old farrier always said a shoe is a tool, not a guess.

What about the specific heat of the mix itself? A big pour holds its temp way longer than a small one, so the air temp isn't the whole story. You have to watch the concrete's own cooling curve, not just the weather forecast. That internal clock is what really sets the finish window.

That credit card decline sounds like a real wake up call. Was it more the shame of the moment or seeing the actual number that hit harder? Makes you wonder how much we all run on autopilot with small buys. So after you saw the total, what was the first thing you actually cut out? Did you stop cold turkey or just scale back?