What are the mods you find essential?

I play using the folder method, so I have different mods for different worlds depending on how I have developed each world. Here's a few mods which are in all of my worlds. Nraas Mods (of course) as all of their modifications are top notch and very well made! There are also mods from 'Mod The Sims' which I also use and enjoy. Here are a few:

I like sleeping to look like sleeping so I use:
HystericalParoxysm's - No Sleep Zzzs (no 010101s (for simbots) & Vvvs (for vampires)
http://modthesims.info/d/343247/no-sleep-zzzs-now-with-no-010101s-amb-and-no-vvvs-ln.html

I like to listen to music my guitarists play, not see it so I use:
HystericalParoxysm's - No Musical Notes!
http://modthesims.info/d/346508/no-musical-notes.html
(The radio still has vibration animations but no musical notes which is handy in telling which stereo is turned on.)

Carpool is used in my game for Sims who do not have or cannot afford transportation. Otherwise, they use their own transportation to get to work. This mod also disables the school bus (if you choose) which is very handy for me. The closer they live to the school, the more they use their own transportation, the school bus is only for kids who live a long way away.
Buzzler's - carpool Disabler
http://modthesims.info/d/410296/carpool-disabler.html

Apparently at one time The Sims team considered expanding the business career, but later changed their minds. Fortunately, they left the complete code in the game files. I use this mod to expand the careers of Sims I have designated as investment brokers.
Buzzler's - Lost & Found Stockmarket
http://modthesims.info/d/437461/lost-amp-found-stock-market.html

I don't really allow the game to 'auto generate' things for my Sims and this is especially true when it comes to the restaurants I have created. I use this mod so my sims can cook in the kitchens of their businesses instead of at home and taking the food with them.
Buzzler's - Builder Stuff
http://modthesims.info/d/450059/builder-stuff.html

For Financial Independence from the 'Family Funds', I use:
Non-Core Global Online Banking Mod
http://modthesims.info/d/438835/non-core-global-online-banking-mod-v1-18-48180-1022-works-with-patch-1-67-2.html

This is just a small sampling. There are many more mods I use to add various levels of depth and maturity to my game. Or, to expand functionality of items.

@mw1525 - I've wanted to try Buzzler's stock market mod for a while now, it sounds like fun, but have been afraid to because the forum comments seem to indicate a split between players for whom it doesn't work on current patch levels and those who say it does but it just gets cranky at times. Buzzler commented several times that one or more of the patches from back around where Pets or Showtime were released actually stripped EA's "Lost and Found" code from the game and he never took it upon himself to restore it apparently. Is it still working well for you on Patch 1.67/69 or somewhere around there?

Most of my essential mods have been mentioned already, but one other mod I won't play without is "No Camera Fade for Sims" by Claeric. It lets you bring the camera up close to a Sim without them disappearing, which is great for taking closeup screenshots.

@igazor - I personally haven't had any issues with the stock-market mod through the various patch levels (v1.36-v.1.67). But, I also don't have a 'normal' game set-up which may be a factor. My set-up is very 'controlled' on a world to world basis. While I have all the expansions and stuff packs, they are not all installed on every game world which is active. I use RaphaelNinja's game selector mod to stop expansions which I don't want to be active from firing. Maybe the code (or updated coded) to one of those expansions may be causing issues for players who have all games installed and active, I don't know.

I can tell you all the options of the mod do work as intended. My sims can buy, sell and research new stock options as well as check on the progress of those stocks with no issue. When stocks are bought or sold the household funds are changed appropriately. However, there is one thing I have noticed. Let's say my Sim has discovered and bought 100 shares of a stock. Once that stock has reached its earning potential my Sim may sell it for profit. Once my Sim has sold all of their shares of the stock it is removed from selection (for a while). Through the various patch levels it seems to take longer and longer for the stock to rotate back around and a bit longer for it to start performing. I wonder if this is what players refer to as the mod being cranky?

"mw1525;c-17392721" wrote:
However, there is one thing I have noticed. Let's say my Sim has discovered and bought 100 shares of a stock. Once that stock has reached its earning potential my Sim may sell it for profit. Once my Sim has sold all of their shares of the stock it is removed from selection (for a while). Through the various patch levels it seems to take longer and longer for the stock to rotate back around and a bit longer for it to start performing. I wonder if this is what players refer to as the mod being cranky?

Something like this, but the complaints were more along the lines of it took so long for a newly sought after/discovered stock to appear that by the time one is able to try researching its history, it will have already gone inactive and have disappeared from the available list (admittedly I may not have the command names quite right).

I use a lot of mods but some of my first basic mods were/are the no coughing while eating mod.

http://simsasylum.com/tfm/index.php?/topic/503-no-coughing-while-eating-and-no-clapping-for-favorite-meals/

No mascot. http://simsasylum.com/tfm/index.php?/topic/5693-no-mascot-intro-situation-requires-university-ep/

OnceRead - https://www.nraas.net/community/OnceRead
WrittenWord - https://www.nraas.net/community/WrittenWord

Tempest for controlling the weather - https://www.nraas.net/community/Tempest

Traffic for the multitude of taxis - https://www.nraas.net/community/Traffic

No strange car relationships - http://modthesims.info/d/419204/no-car-relationships.html

The above are must haves for me. (not mentioning the must haves for making the game run smoother, as we all mostly use those, right?)

Another one I like: Shimrod's "No Martial Arts Clothes" mod. I don't like it when I send my Sims somewhere to take screenshots and every other background character is barefoot and in a martial arts uniform. This mod forces Sims to do martial arts in whatever they're wearing, so they don't wander around town looking like children waiting to get picked up from a strip mall dojo.

@KatyFernlily; I can understand why the coughing while eating can get annoying after a while but I have to say that this particular pic makes up for all the annoyances.

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XGLtTso8utg/WhHbYzzNvYI/AAAAAAAAGFE/ncJabcNDcw09jPd5DeE_-zu5bEiOCCAoQCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot-121.jpg
River: Sweetheart, I needed to tell you something...I’m pregnant.
Haruo; *cough* I think some food went in the wrong way.

NoMoreZombies mod. The zombies are my version of the Ice Cream Truck since I don't play with Pets. They're just as inherently creepy, but with the added effect of ruining your entire garden. I hated being forced to lock my garden away behind a fence, because that look is mostly unappealing to me. I really like my plants to look like they're more wild and natural on my lot, but there was no safe way in doing that with zombies roaming around during the full moon. But if they don't have any plants to eat, they'll just stare into my children's bedrooms all night. Adult Sims. Staring at my child through their window while they sleep. Yes, FBI? I'd like to report a crime in my Sims game.

There's also 2 versions of this mod, a regular and a Lite version. The regular is strongest. It stops all spawns, and also the spreading of zombification from zombies. You can still make zombies via potions and Witchery, but your zombies can't spread their infections and create new ones. The Lite version does the same as the first, but your created zombies can spread their infections. And then there's a little extra mod to go with it, which stops the brain freeze ice cream from making you a zombie, since there's a 50% chance for it to do so. So, it becomes just regular ice cream.

Besides others mentioned above I can't live without Ani's mods - https://modthesims.info/browse.php?gs=0&u=3002461
Shop for clothes, Shop from inventory, Savvier Seller are all on my must have list. As well as her latest mods for woodcutting and compost - https://anitmb.tumblr.com/Downloads