I played Base Game (no mods, no cc) with the the free Holiday Celebration pack for a long time. Actually, that isn't completely true. While I never tried cc, I did try a few mods. But I didn't like any of the mods enough to keep updating them every time an update came out for the game itself. So I've been mostly cc and mod free, with occasional brief use of a few mods.
As far as packs go, I was (to some degree) overwhelmed by all the options. There are SO MANY packs available, and buying all of them isn't an option. Then I got City Living in one of simgirl1010's giveaways and had fun exploring San Myshuno with my Sims. Then I got Vintage Glamour (mainly for the live-in butler feature) and Growing Together in a recent sale. And then I got Seasons in another of simgirl1010's giveaways. I'm still exploring these packs though, so I'm in no rush to get any others.
