OK, here's a problem I have that I thought after a few years into I would figure out but this has not happened. When I 'Save As' an existing  project in progress, I claim the same name and am prompted to replace existing project with the same name, and I do which is all cool, then I am prompted to 'save changes to' the project of the same name. either way, yes or no, when I attempt to reopen the same project again, (which I always save as a 'cakewalk bundle') I have two projets with the same name. One in a folder of the same name saved as a 'project' and the other freestanding the the projecs list as a cakewalk bundle file. I am forced to rename one or the other in order to open my bundled file. Is there a way to stop this or something I must learn to live with?

Well it's sort of normal behaviour for all software.. , If you choose "save as" your either going to save in a different format ,or, change the name.
You have the option of saving any given project as a BUN , CWP , template or Midi file.
If you use "save as"and don't change the name or the type then it is normal to get the "do you want to replace this file" message. This is true for all software. And it's also normal to then be asked to save the open project, word document, photo etc,, again when closing. 

FWIW, I wouldn't choose the bundle format for saving/storing locally.
 
Bundles are fine for collaboration but you only need one small thing to go wrong with the bundle and you've lost the entire project.
 
Saving as a project file protects you somewhat from this scenario. Even if the project goes horribly wrong you should still be able to salvage most of it by opening in Safe Mode and reimporting any missing audio.

thanks guys!
The replacement of the file is not the problem here, I do expect that prompt always and I do indeed want to replace the file. The prompt in question is the secondary one that asks if I want to 'save changes' to a file of the same name. This is always followed by (whether I choose yes or no) my having to rename an identically named file the next instance it is opened. This doesn't happen always but is almost guaranteed if I am working on a project for a considerable amount of time.   This is the same prompt one would expect if closing an application without saving first. It's just aggravating to have to rename files almost every time I want to open a project or bundle in progress.
I've never encountered a problem with any projects being bundled but will take that under advisement for sure. Thanks!