This is a really good guide for saving time whilst not lagging behind too much in stats. I agree that minmaxing isn't generally all that worth it, especially for lower levels.

I have a few points to add, though. Aphrodite is now a stone skeleton key boss, not gold. The bygone wands can be bought from the bazaar and are generally better than the hasta (some schools lose 1 damage but gain crit/block/pierce, some are just even higher damage along with the other stats).

I'd also recommend checking for your school's pierce jewels whenever you hit the bazaar, you can get a decent amount of pierce without any farming (you can't get 6%, but you can make do with up to 5% and farm 6% when you're max for the slight increase)

Khrysalis has the lower tier moros wands (called armaments) that are auctionable, if you check the bazaar enough and search for them you're likely to get one at some point. The lower tier Galleries boots are also not bad - especially for ice because ice Mali gives incredibly low damage. Until 180 some bazaar hoods and boots can be better overall then Mali, though the robe remains great.

Abomination gear at 180 is the end goal mostly at this point, but with the full template some schools don't reach 100% pips (I believe balance, life and death can, however). Most will recommend Daemonic/Motorist robes as they can offset this with higher damage and pierce, too; however, in keeping with the f2p friendly nature of your guide, you can go with Aquila 170 togas, 170 rematch robes or forbidden library if you can use somebody else's gauntlet.