Why does work always seem to trump personal time these days?

Do you track which materials give you the most trouble? From what I've seen, batch changes can sneak up on you. How do you protect yourself from bad shipments?

Yeah I've started keeping an old expired pass in my wallet as a decoy... just so I can show something while I dig for change. That or I take a photo of my current pass on my phone as a backup. Drivers seem way more willing to cut you slack if you look like you're trying... fumbling with a wallet looks better than just empty hands. Saved me a few times on rainy mornings when I'm half awake.

I read adding more browns like leaves helps a lot.

Oh totally, I tried that last summer to save some cash... ended up burning every single hot dog because I forgot how to build a proper fire. Still cheaper than a hotel, even if I had to eat slightly charred mystery meat for three days.