So, over the past several weeks I noticed several of the relays I'd been using dropping off, becoming inconsistently reachable. I eventually went from having over 80 relays configured to under 50. At this point, relays are a dime a dozen, so as soon as I see it's unreachable, it gets culled.
I'd added a few paid relays in the past, maybe a dozen, but I decided to seek out more now. It took me about an hour and about $50 in sats to add all the paid relays I could find, but now I can safely say, I have more paid relays than unpaid.
It makes me feel good to support those who become relay operators. Your efforts are not necessary, but they are appreciated.
I used this site to find paid relays, for those curious: https://relay.exchange/ 