First time not using kaching or motherlode in several years

I feel like it adds some fun back in to the game! I've been trying not to use money cheats either. I love trying to complete collections.

I try not to start with a cheat so I usually build my own homes. The ones from the gallery labeled "starter" are usually very pretty but they will take most of your starting budget or you must use "motherlode" to buy them. Most have unnecessarily large rooms & you pay for sq. footage so my Sims start out in very tiny homes. Bedroom is only big enough for a double bed and the bathrooms can be just 3 squares, shower and toilet to either side and door in the middle like a "powder room". They can wash their hands in the kitchen sink nearby. Only enough space for just the things they absolutely need. I try to give them better appliances by cutting back on the "pretties" in the home but always include the computer and money earning objects like the easel or the woodworking table.

I have a few families that have never had "real" jobs but got by on painting, collecting, and farming. If you're going the plant route make sure you have high yield plants like roses, tulips, bird of paradise, dragon fruit. If you can get one scientist in the neighborhood to bring back alien plants and grow them, have your Sims visit them and harvest a few. You can rake in the $ by growing those. Tack an enclosed porch on the back of the home with planter boxes and you can grow year round.

One of my Sims just inherited a home and greenhouse from his parents who never had jobs - just gardened and collected - and he is worth around $200K and the money just rolls in now. Running out of things to spend it on.

I feel your pain. Playing just the careers from a $20K start is tough and pets are a big drain on income. I have a struggling couple who just can't get ahead because the dog is CONSTANTLY sick and every time they get some $$, BOOM - vet visit - like every other day. I'm such a softy, I can't even let a virtual pet suffer or give it up for adoption so the unfortunate Gustafson couple will be dirt poor for a very long time.

I love having my sims struggle and work their way up, so to speak. I've got several families like that, that are barely making it, and occasionally get their lights or water or whatever turned off, simply because they cannot pay the bills. I've also got mods that make jobs pay less, and make bills much higher, just to make it fun.

I would get bored when I was only a generation or two into a family and they were already rich. Occasionally I'll cheat to get them a new chair or something, if they are really struggling, but I just use the money so I don't end up with too many excess funds. My legacy family had one generation where they had unexpected twins, and they lived in an apartment that was well above their means - and mostly devoid of furniture because of it lol - and they constantly had to balance raising two kids and making money (and with one spouse with the jealousy trait... boy that was a fun challenge.

Right now that same family has about 30k or so in the bank, an OK little cottage house, and we've just aged up the fifth generation to young adult, and she's a farmer/flower arranger. They've got four cats right now, too. It's a mess hahaha

I feel like not using money cheats are sort of easier in this game because you can make use of your skills to make money. Like say programming, you can do freelance work for cash if your skill level is high enough and also painting! If your sim is good at it, they can make loads of money.

I remember using money cheats in the beginning for amazing lots by amazing people from the gallery thati downloaded but realized later it was more fun and satisfying to build either from scratch or anew from preexisting homes or adding on stuff along the way or even saving enough money too move somewhere else, especially when I got a new location from a pack or moving from a small building into a bigger space when the family grew

I feel like having my Sims struggle for a bit to afford things made the game a bit more entertaining for me, and keeps me playing one family longer. When I would use the cheat, the house would be fully renovated, with the best appliances, and furniture. There would be no reason for my Sims to keep their jobs, and nothing to really work toward.

I also really enjoyed the homeless challenge from Sims 3.

"roflmaoxsarah;c-16908601" wrote:
I feel like not using money cheats are sort of easier in this game because you can make use of your skills to make money. Like say programming, you can do freelance work for cash if your skill level is high enough and also painting! If your sim is good at it, they can make loads of money.

I completely agree with you. I very rarely use those cheats anymore. The only exception is that my current (side) house is a vampire and I needed her to have been already established because she's been alive since the 1800's. Her victorian home is designed with the 1800's in mind. Vampires don't tend to hold my attention though so she is really more of a side game and not my main family .

Money is super easy to make now, you can clear a couple hundred a day just from collecting stuff around the neighborhood

Do you happen to have city living or jungle adventure? You can do yard sales at your Sims home with this item and this was great for my sim that makes a living just selling honey and now doing some flower arranging. One of my favorite items.

Can even sale the collectibles on the table too. Pets tend to bring you gifts now and again or you can have them dig in certain spots. Never bother to manually sale collectibles to make it more of a challenge. So anything gets sold at the table.

"basslinewild;c-16908542" wrote:
I feel like it adds some fun back in to the game! I've been trying not to use money cheats either. I love trying to complete collections.

I find I am finding some good stuff. Lots of plants I am unable to harvest, but it could be due to weather and not in season. I have learned that if you plant something right next to a house it is considered sheltered and you can grow it.

Great tips everyone!! I am having more fun with her story. I don't play with aging on so it'll be fun to really see her some from rock bottom. If I would have thought it out more I would have put her in one of the houses I've already built. I have a couple of low key, low bill, small homes I could have used. @LadyKyn I didn't even think of the yard sales instead of manual sell! And also for honey or flowers. That adds another layer to it