When playing any kind of simulation game (especially The Sims), it's always VERY important to remember to save the game every 5-10 minutes! In my honest opinion, losing progress in a simulation game is much worse than any other! This is mainly because these kinds of games revolve around creativity, building, etc. Also, I understand that it's actually very easy to forget about saving. Especially when you're "in the zone" while building or creating a family. This has happened to me several times while playing The Sims... and I was always so upset! Sims 3 was the worst though! That's because it always took a long time to build or make Sims (due to Create A Style being available). Also, the game itself didn't really make saving very easy... especially when you need to go into live mode to save the game at all. Plus, and I'm sure almost anyone who has played Sims 3 knows what I'm talking about, let's not forget about the dreadful "Error 12" message that would occasionally popup while trying to save the game... THAT always angered me!
Regardless, I understand your pain... and I'm sorry for all the progress you lost! :disappointed: