Nice! That's a solid start. Honestly though, bump that goal to like $7,500. A real car repair can wipe out $5k fast.

Wasn't it just the worst at first? I totally wrote it off as another stuffy book about fancy problems. But @leoward, you're spot on, something just CLICKS later. It sneaks up on you and suddenly all that boring stuff actually matters to the people in it. The whole point seems to be watching them figure that out too. It makes you look back at the slow start in a totally new way.

Hold on, you said the roller leaves a finish that doesn't match. That's only true if you're using the wrong roller nap. A good quality foam roller made for trim gives a perfectly smooth, brush-like finish. Brushing the whole thing takes forever. The roller and brush method is way faster for long runs and, done right, you can't tell the difference once it dries. Your way just adds a ton of extra time for no real gain.