Learn English – “as very beautiful as” vs “as beautiful as”

English idioms often use adjectives to describe modes, or ways of doing things, as if they were adverbs. Think of them as a shorthand way of indicating an adverbial phrase, such as this: "She dreams in a big way." Or you can think of it as a shorthand way of describing the object of the verb, thus: "She dreams about big things."

By doing this, we add a dynamic quality to the statement. We convey much more force and immediacy. When we say, "She dreams big," we give the impression that she is a person who has forceful thoughts, ambition, and serious intentions to do important things. The style of a sentence in English is quite important. "She dreams big" is very different from "she dreams about big subjects every night." The fact is, "she dreams big" does not even normally refer to dreams that occur during sleep! It generally refers to one's life plans! This is why the exact structure of a sentence in English must be just so to say exactly what you mean.

The government has spent a great deal of money attempting to help the region.

is the best sounding choice to me. Probably context has a lot to do with it.
For example, big is better here:

I don't really care about failing the exam. It's no big deal, really.

And the last example (including a different grammar correction):

It was time for her to make the big decision. Should she agree to marry him?

or

It was time for her to make the big decision should she agree to marry him.

But in another context:

You made a lot of money. That was a great decision.

In these kinds of examples, great refers to something very positive or beneficial (or very negative or disasterous), while "big" has more to do with the importance of something (as in the marriage decision).