In sims 3, I always used money cheats! I couldn't stand my sims living in hovels! And I didn't fully understand all the ways they could make a living....so I was sort of a laid back, "let's-see-where-this-goes" player.
In sims 4, I have turned into a colonist, and rotational player. I was going to try to play legacy, but the first character I made (she went from living in a lot with a tent to multi-millionaire), I am still so taken with! I have aging turned off and only age sims when the mood strikes. I will probably keep her and her husband in the game forever. They will be the stuff of legends....while other townies age out and die, they will still be there!