verm and perlite should only be about $5 for a good size bag.
PH stabilizer.... I have no idea what that is.

To stinky, Do you mean that my PH up and PH down are the wrong chemicals? I know you can't use most pool stuff but the PH up/down that I got were alternative's to some harsher chemicals. My PH down for example, uses sodium bisulfate as an alternative to muriatic acid.
If they are wrong, I wouldn't have noticed until I started using them, so thanks for the correction either way.
The top layer of soil will dry out quickly due to the airflow around the soil, If you stick your finger in and break the soil, you'll probably notice that it is already moist underneath, That usually means you don't need to water yet.