There are some really good suggestions in this topic.
On the Upgrading topic: I am a big fan of upgrading the cheaper objects. It doesn't seem to up your Bills like buying the more expensive items would. And sometimes I just want to have houses with more variety of objects, or a certain color, etc. But it does seem rather unrealistic to have a Handy Sim in every single household. So I made a retail shop that a Handy Sim owns. He sells all the objects that you can upgrade, all fully upgraded. There is a hefty markup, tho, 100%. :smirk: If I sell the shop, so that the items automatically restock after you leave the lot, they won't be upgraded. So I have to keep him as the owner, play his household and have him restock the items, then upgrade them. He can upgrade them instantly, since he has the reward you get from completing the Nerd Brain aspiration.
Another quick way to fill the Fun Need, if you have a dog, is to take them for even a short walk, or jog. Jogging kills two birds with one stone, as it builds Fitness. If your Sim doesn't have the Active trait or Gym Rat reward, Fitness can still be Fun.