Re: Anniversary Party quest!
I respectfully disagree @Jeeksteria. I rarely use simcash for anything, and I refuse to use it for events like this (and I doubt I'm the only one). I completed the quest and got the karaoke machine, and then just continued on with tasks that have balloon rewards and before I knew it I had gotten the basketball court (I don't have room for it, and I don't even like basketball). I will occasionally use a cupcake to speed up the home event that takes 11+ hours, but mainly I like the extra 90 balloons you get.
The secret to getting through these quests with time to spare is time and task management. Many times you can stack your tasks so they count for more than one quest event. Print out, write down, or keep a screen shot handy of the walkthrough so you can plan ahead what you're going to do.
I try to keep the attitude that if I am able to complete the quest, that's fine, and if I don't, it's no big deal because this is just a game. It's meant to be challenging not stressful.