Good list, but as a contractor in the US, the one thing that sticks out that I don't agree with (necessarily) is:

-Getting 450 a day is always better than siting idle waiting for that 550-600 a day contract.

I'm fine with making a tradeoff like that for very short term work, but I don't want to commit myself to long- or medium-term work at any sort of significant discount.

If I'm confident I can get that 550 eventually, it easily pays for those days I spend on the beach.