Wow. Awesome discussion here and a lot of insight. :)
I was never afraid of mods because anything that would enhance gameplay always excited me! :mrgreen: However I did learn the hard way of going on a mod shopping spree and not checking them out first, so I'm very very careful now.
My advice: Backup everything!!!
Back up (copy) your entire Sims 3 Folder without mods to a separate location on your computer, then add mods in to the game and see how you like playing with them. If anything causes trouble, you can remove the mod you know is the culprit OR, just add your clean, backed up Sims 3 Folder back in to replace it. Voila! :)
Backing up has saved my towns and simmies so many times I've lost count and will be forever grateful for doing so. :relieved:
So yeah don't be afraid to give some mods a try. Backing up your folders will give you peace of mind. <3