Dirty Sims 3 secret -- the game runs so much better if you don't have a lot of store content.
One thing I do remember is the outrage over the Sims 3 store when they sold store items that seemed to be yanked from an EP. The store didn't bother me so much, because, as I said earlier, it was difficult to pay full price for anything with sim points unless you tried. I do own the pet stuff, but I probably got it as part of that compilation which I probably got for very little $$ due to ads, buying large bundles of Simpoints (twice -- that's it), and buying stuff during the daily deal to make CYS (Complete your set) give even better deals.
Sims 3 Store was almost like a game in and of itself. How to get the most stuff for the least amount of money. But it did take time to do that. Now I have almost none in my game because, really, aside from premium content, the EPs have enough stuff that combined with CASt, there really isn't a need.
