Anyone else think the spell casters' spells are useless?

Inferniate does burn leaf piles in the fall. But I did notice that my spellcaster focusing on practical magic rose through the ranks very quickly compared to her roommates that focused on the other two, because she uses her spells to cook and clean and repair the plumbing and their spells... set fires and put them out, or require other sims to be around to be victims.