Could you start a new game for testing purposes to see if you have the same issue.
No.
As in go to the main menu and click on the + sign in the upper right corner to start a new game. Make sure to save it under a new name so you don't loose the old one (or not save at all),
Try resetting your user files as described in the factory reset described in this post: http://answers.ea.com/t5/The-Sims-4/FAQ-Troubleshooting-Steps-amp-Known-Issues/m-p/3621199
You won't loose anything. Just make sure to not delete any files and make a backup.
