Betty called it a cheap yes and that's exactly right. But here's a thing I've seen. Sometimes bosses do that because they think you'll just take it and be quiet. It's a test to see if you'll push back. Next time you talk to him, you could say the number surprised you since your list showed so much extra work. His answer then tells you everything.

Depends on the shed and the soil. For a basic 10x12 on decent ground, a good 4-inch slab with proper gravel and wire mesh is fine. Frost heave is a real thing, but going down 42 inches for a light storage shed is major overkill. That neighbor was probably just repeating something he heard without knowing the full context.

Wow, I started soaking mine and now they come out crispier too!

After nearly cutting a live wire while trimming branches, I enforced five-minute breaks every two hours for my crew. Like @moore.tyler, I learned that zoning out leads to close calls, but these short stops keep everyone sharp. We saw a 30% drop in mistakes on the next few jobs without slowing work. It just takes discipline to step back and breathe.