Having issues with my save file (size/loading issues)

I've been having issues loading my game for the last day or so. I went through my PC and tried various things until I realized it was my save file specifically that was having issues, likely due to it's size. Nothing has changed in my PC recently, I haven't downloaded any new content since I last played. At first, I thought it was a bug because it was only happening when I used certain buttons (ex: resume doesn't work, but if I go into the game by hitting the "load" button in the main menu, it works fine.) but it's only effecting my one save. So I'm thinking it's a technical issue rather than an actual bug. Removing mods made a minimal difference, I cleared my origin cache, repaired my Sims 4 files, etc. and none of it helped.

I used MCCC cleaner to try and reduce the file size by deleting low-level relationships (acquaintances) for all sims. I had my saves backed up from yesterday, but I also went ahead and used the "save as" feature to back it up again. 

The file before I ran the cleanup was 15,498 KB.

The file after I ran the cleanup is 17,134 KB.

I attached a screenshot of the two files, and If you look, there's only a 3 minute difference between the two. 15 MB to 17 MB in 3 minutes?

Does anyone have any advice on what the problem might be and how to fix it? I can probably save my sims to the tray and transfer them over that way, but it's obviously not ideal. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!