Sims 4 DLC are too expensive

Speaking as a person who owns everything from Sims 1 onward I think I can weigh in on this. If you would like a suggestion on packs that would be good just as basics I'll give you a few suggestions. 

Basics Beyond Base 

• Cats & Dogs 
• Discover University
• Get To Work
  • Pros - Added the Baking Skill 
  • Cons 
    • Added Baking but never, ever updated it
      • Left obvious Baking recipes in Cooking 
      • Made it a pain in the B**t to find specific recipes between the two 
    • a bit limited in its scope, kept most thing vague, added nothing new over the years and then had to create a whole new pack to Update it 
  • Complimentary Packs 
    • Dining Out 
      • Cozy Bistro Kit 
      • Cool Kitchen Stuff
      • Home Chef Hustle 
• Get Together 
• Laundry Day 
• Seasons 
  • Complimentary Packs  
    • Spooky Stuff Pack 
    • Paranormal Stuff 
    • Holiday Stuff Pack - I think was free 
• Spa Day

If You Like the Occults 

• Life & Death
  • Pros
    • Funerals 
    • Improvements to Ghosts 
  • Cons 
    • The Raven isn't much of a Pet 
    • The Bell tower is a Rabbit Hole and not very interesting to mess with more than once 
      • Missed Opportunity for Bell Ringing Activities 
    • No new Community Lot Designations for 
      • Purchasing coffins and making a will in a town square feels super disrespectful considering the subject matter
    • They should have added a Graveyard in the Vampire's Town, Forgotten Hollow at least 
• Paranormal Stuff - Yes I listed it twice. It's Pretty Good
• Vampires - Almost perfect pack
  • Cons
    • Vampires should abhor Silver
    • Should have gotten an Update to the Town when Life & Death brought in Cemeteries
    • Eclipsing Fog from Sims 3 should have been brought in as a Vampire Power 
• Werewolves
  • Cons
    • Silver should be a no-no for Werewolves
    • Should have been able to extend the muzzle & ears just a bit, made them little more "The Howling" a little less "Furry"
• Crystal Creations 
  • Cons 
    • The jewelry designs were a bit woo-woo and they should have added a bit more high end looks 

If You Like Travel 

• Snowy Escape
  • Pros
    • Has Japanese Culture 
    • Skiing & Winter Sports 
  • Cons 
    • Not Enough Japanese Culture 
      • No Teppanyaki or Sushi Counters with NPC Chefs just the Kiosks 
      • No Sleeping Futons
    • Winter Sports would have been better in a European setting dedicated to these activities  like San Moritz
    • Missed opportunities 
      • Ski Chalets
      • Apre Skis Parties 
      • Another good spot for Sauna & Polar Bear Swimming 
• Outdoor Retreat 
  • Cons
    • It's small
    • You cannot swim in the lake
    • No Bigfoot 
    • The Cabins are ugly on the inside
    • Should have been refreshed 
• Island Retreat 
  • Pros 
    • Its beautiful
    • It has Mermaids 
    • Sea Turtles
    • Snorkeling 
    • Boats
  • Cons 
    • Mermaids should have had a tiered power system 
    • No Hula, this pack absolutely needed it 
    • It should have had the Coconut trees be climbable to get the coconuts
    • No Scuba Diving
    • No Surfing
    • No Deep Dive Spots 
    • Dogs should have gotten Life Preservers and chances to be out on boats 
• Horse Ranch - If you really want Horses, otherwise without an open world it really wasn't that interesting. 

Packs you could entirely skip without really missing anything 

• Eco Lifestyle 
• For Rent 
• Strangerville 
• Dream Home Decorator 
• Star Wars Journey to Batuu
• Moshino 
• Perfect Patio
• Most of the Kits unless it has things you are keen on 
  • Modern Menswear is NOT good 
  • Carnaval also not great 
• Lovestruck