If I had to describe the type of player I am it would be...
Laid-back and lazy....
I do not take this game seriously, at all, ever. I just...play, never plan.
When I feel like building a house, I'll spend a few hours building. When I feel like playing my household, I play it. I use cheats for money, skills, needs, and free real estate. When my world needs filling, I run to the gallery and grab a bunch of sims, and toss them into the world. Unless, by rare chance, I am feeling creative and make my own.
The reason I play this was is because I have other games. Games that I actually do take seriously that require time, planning, and so forth to save money/credits/gold, level up, and plan out my skills. The Sims, for me, is my casual "LOL my sim is walking like a penguin because she has to pee so bad" game.
Edit: Hit the wrong button, and posted before I was finished. D'oh! (You just read that in Homer's voice bwahahaha!)