diff --git a/playwright.config.ts b/playwright.config.ts
index 4f354ee2..2ce2b461 100644
--- a/playwright.config.ts
+++ b/playwright.config.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ export default defineConfig({
   /* Opt out of parallel tests on CI. */
   workers: process.env.CI ? 1 : undefined,
   /* Reporter to use. See https://playwright.dev/docs/test-reporters */
+  timeout: 15000,
   reporter: process.env.CI
     ? [
         ['html', { open: 'never' }],
diff --git a/tests/helpers/elements.ts b/tests/helpers/elements.ts
index c346bc06..e13dfb05 100644
--- a/tests/helpers/elements.ts
+++ b/tests/helpers/elements.ts
@@ -1,32 +1,35 @@
 import { test, expect, type Page } from '@playwright/test';
 
-export const selectDate = async (
+export const selectDate = (
   page: Page,
   label: string,
   value: { day: string; month: string; year: string }
-) => {
-  const dateField = page.getByLabel(label);
-  await page.getByText(label).click();
-  await page.keyboard.type(value.month);
-  await page.waitForTimeout(50);
-  await page.keyboard.type(value.day);
-  await page.waitForTimeout(50);
-  await page.keyboard.type(value.year);
-  await page.waitForTimeout(50);
-  await expect(dateField.locator('input')).toHaveValue(
-    `${value.year}-${value.month}-${value.day}`
-  );
-};
+) =>
+  test.step(`Pick ${label} on Date Picker`, async () => {
+    const dateField = page.getByLabel(label);
+    await page.getByText(label).click();
+    await page.keyboard.type(value.month);
+    await page.waitForTimeout(50);
+    await page.keyboard.type(value.day);
+    await page.waitForTimeout(50);
+    await page.keyboard.type(value.year);
+    await page.waitForTimeout(50);
+    await expect(dateField.locator('input')).toHaveValue(
+      `${value.year}-${value.month}-${value.day}`
+    );
+  });
 
 export const selectOption = (page: Page, label: string, option: string) =>
   test.step(`Select ${option} from ${label}`, async () => {
     const selectInput = page.getByLabel(label, { exact: true });
+    // seems to be needed to properly handle click and opening select items
+    await selectInput.scrollIntoViewIfNeeded();
     await expect(selectInput).toBeVisible();
-    await expect(async () => {
-      await selectInput.scrollIntoViewIfNeeded();
-      await selectInput.click();
-      await page.getByRole('option', { name: option }).click();
-    }).toPass();
+    await selectInput.click();
+    // seems the only way to reliably get focus
+    await page.keyboard.press('ArrowDown');
+
+    await page.getByRole('option', { name: option }).click();
   });
 
 export const selectOnlyTag = (
diff --git a/tests/transactions/form-submission.spec.ts b/tests/transactions/form-submission.spec.ts
index 18e261b1..261152c7 100644
--- a/tests/transactions/form-submission.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/transactions/form-submission.spec.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test';
 
-import { selectOption } from '../helpers/elements';
 import { navigateTo } from '../helpers/navigate';
 import { addDefaultAccount, addGenericTransaction, selectOnly } from './helper';
 
@@ -25,7 +24,7 @@ test('submits simple transaction', async ({ page }, testInfo) => {
 test('check income is listed in income tab after submit', async ({ page }) => {
   await addGenericTransaction(page, {
     value: '55.00',
-    extraActions: [selectOption(page, 'Transaction Type', 'Income')]
+    extraActions: [{ fn: 'selectOption', args: ['Transaction Type', 'Income'] }]
   });
 
   await selectOnly(page, 'Income');
@@ -38,7 +37,9 @@ test('check expense is listed in expense tab after submit', async ({
 }) => {
   await addGenericTransaction(page, {
     value: '67.00',
-    extraActions: [selectOption(page, 'Transaction Type', 'Expense')]
+    extraActions: [
+      { fn: 'selectOption', args: ['Transaction Type', 'Expense'] }
+    ]
   });
 
   await selectOnly(page, 'Expenses');
@@ -51,7 +52,9 @@ test('check transfer is listed in transfer tab after submit', async ({
 }) => {
   await addGenericTransaction(page, {
     value: '53',
-    extraActions: [selectOption(page, 'Transaction Type', 'Transfer')]
+    extraActions: [
+      { fn: 'selectOption', args: ['Transaction Type', 'Transfer'] }
+    ]
   });
 
   await selectOnly(page, 'Transfers');
diff --git a/tests/transactions/helper.ts b/tests/transactions/helper.ts
index c32bbf49..7f1fcc25 100644
--- a/tests/transactions/helper.ts
+++ b/tests/transactions/helper.ts
@@ -13,21 +13,33 @@ export const addDefaultAccount = async (page: Page) => {
   });
 };
 
-export const addGenericTransaction = async (
+type SelectOptionsParams = Parameters<typeof selectOption>;
+type ExtraActions = {
+  fn: 'selectOption';
+  args: [SelectOptionsParams[1], SelectOptionsParams[2]];
+}[];
+
+export const addGenericTransaction = (
   page: Page,
-  { value, extraActions }: { value: string; extraActions: Promise<any>[] } = {
+  {
+    value,
+    extraActions
+  }: {
+    value: string;
+    extraActions: ExtraActions;
+  } = {
     value: '55.00',
     extraActions: []
   }
-) => {
-  await test.step('Add Generic Transaction', async () => {
-    const addButton = page.getByText('Add Transaction');
-    await addButton.click();
-
+) =>
+  test.step('Add Generic Transaction', async () => {
+    await page.getByText('Add Transaction').click();
+    // confirms the form is loaded and stable
     await expect(page.getByText('Add a Transaction')).toBeAttached();
 
     await page.getByLabel('description').fill('test transaction');
     await page.getByLabel('Category').fill('generic');
+
     await selectOption(page, 'Account', 'Test Account Submission');
     await selectOption(page, 'Repeat Type', 'No Repeating');
 
@@ -39,7 +51,11 @@ export const addGenericTransaction = async (
 
     if (extraActions) {
       for (let pageAction of extraActions) {
-        await pageAction;
+        if (pageAction.fn === 'selectOption') {
+          // the tracing and actions gets real weird if we don't specifically
+          // pass it and call it here
+          await selectOption(page, pageAction.args[0], pageAction.args[1]);
+        }
       }
     }
 
@@ -47,7 +63,6 @@ export const addGenericTransaction = async (
     await page.keyboard.press('Enter');
     await expect(page.locator('table').getByText(value)).toBeVisible();
   });
-};
 
 const possibleTransactionTypes = ['Income', 'Expenses', 'Transfers'] as const;
 export const selectOnly = (
diff --git a/tests/transactions/transaction-delete.spec.ts b/tests/transactions/transaction-delete.spec.ts
index 066f5e5e..a6ad0c07 100644
--- a/tests/transactions/transaction-delete.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/transactions/transaction-delete.spec.ts
@@ -9,19 +9,23 @@ test.beforeEach(async ({ page }) => {
   await page.goto('/');
   await addDefaultAccount(page);
   await navigateTo(page, 'Planning');
+
   await page.getByText('Add Transaction').click();
+  // confirms the form is loaded and stable
+  await expect(page.getByText('Add a Transaction')).toBeAttached();
 
-  await selectOption(page, 'Account', 'Test Account Submission');
-  await page.getByLabel('value').first().fill('55');
+  await selectOption(page, 'Account', 'Test Account Submission'); //
+  await page.getByLabel('value').first().fill('55'); //
   await page.getByLabel('ending').click();
   await selectDate(page, 'Start Date', {
+    //
     month: '01',
     day: '01',
     year: '2024'
   });
-  await selectOption(page, 'Repeat Type', 'No Repeating');
-  await page.getByLabel('Category').fill('generic');
-  await page.getByLabel('description').fill('test transaction');
+  await selectOption(page, 'Repeat Type', 'No Repeating'); //
+  await page.getByLabel('Category').fill('generic'); //
+  await page.getByLabel('description').fill('test transaction'); //
   await page.keyboard.press('Enter');
 });