Humble Beginnings 12/31/24

 Rose and Alvin Parker had another baby girl, Josephine.  Rose continued to work in Law Enforcement, obtaining several more promotions.  Alvin also scored several promotions, while also running the diner most days.  It's now at level 8 and has been expanded a bit.  By the end of summer, Dominique is a teen and has started dating James Edwards, and Josephine is a child.  Though the couple has tried for another baby several times, they've been unsuccessful; they seem to be experiencing some fertility issues.  At the end of the round, they have $7015.

Happy Simming!

Humble Beginnings 12/30/24

 The Gordons welcomed another baby boy, Zane, followed by a third son named Chad.  During her third pregnancy, Amaya had such a tough time that she had to quit her job.  It will certainly be more difficult to level up with only one income (especially with three growing boys to feed), but Amaya plans to work on her painting so that maybe she can make some extra cash from home.  (She has 7 creativity points, so she just needs one more to be able to sell paintings.)  In the meantime, Eric has been rather successful in his career, which allowed them to buy the things they needed, as well as pay the bills/rent/crime syndicate.  At the end of summer, they have $1338 and will remain Working Class.  Scott is nearly a teen, Zane is a child, and Chad will become a toddler at the start of fall. 

Things have really improved for Levi Carter this summer.  He started his week by doing some bartending on his days off.  While working the bar, he met Phoebe Zhang.  Though he'd had a brief fling with Angela Owens, he knew that wasn't going anywhere and so decided to ask Phoebe out.  She accepted and they had a great time.  Things progressed between them, and she moved in towards the end of summer; when they discovered she was pregnant, they got married right away.  Phoebe moved in with $7000, which was more than enough for a promotion to Working Class.  In addition, she had a job in Science (which, per my rules, she could keep if she had the required starting skills for the job), but her LTW is for Politics.  A job in Politics requires a Uni degree, but since she was already employed in Science (which also requires a Uni degree) it stands to reason that she's already earned a degree, so I'm giving her credit for that.  She was unable to find a job in Politics, but I'll let her switch as soon as possible.  Meanwhile, Levi decided to get a degree as well, since he had earned a scholarship in high school.  He doesn't need it for his LTW of Culinary but having it will allow him to study from the bookcase, as well as teach his children to study and take vacation days, so it seems like a good idea.  Levi was also wildly successful in his job this round, scoring several chance card promotions and a $10,000 bonus!  Consequently, with a savings of $26,770 (after paying all expenses), Levi and Phoebe will be moving directly to Lower Middle Class.

Happy Simming!

Humble Beginnings 12/28/24

 The Franklins had a mixed bag of luck this round.  Charlotte, Xavier, Irene, and Isaac all got several promotions, earning a tidy sum for the family.  Alex grew into adulthood and took a job as a pickpocket which, sadly, cost him his life on day one.  He had recently become engaged to his high school sweetheart, Wendy Owens, but I guess it wasn't meant to be.  Irene also got engaged, to Wendy's older brother Brandon, who I didn't think would want to settle down, but maybe he's changed his mind?  The original plan was to simply sway Irene and Wendy, but with Alex's death and the fact that Irene got pregnant and delivered a son, Austin, I decided that Irene and Brandon will move into their own place with their son.  Brandon can't stand his mother and, now that Wendy's an adult, she can take over keeping the family afloat, as Brandon has his own little family to care for now.  By the end of summer, the family had saved $13,685, of which they gave Irene $5000, meaning both they and Irene will be moving up to Working.

Happy Simming!

Humble Beginnings 12/27/24

 Angela Owens is still struggling to make ends meet.  The job prospects have been terrible; she was lucky to find a Culinary job the day before she became an elder.  She has reached the level of waitress with the help of Levi Carter's chess board (she's become VERY friendly with him).  Brandon also took a job in Culinary and is now working as a drive thru clerk.  He started dating Irene Franklin, but also Meadow Pederson, and possibly Marie Rauscher in the near future.  I think it's safe to assume he's not planning on settling down any time soon.  Wendy was briefly able to take a teen job before she grew up into an adult; her LTW is Slacker, but the only thing available was...you guessed it...Culinary!  She'll keep looking.  As a teen, she also became romantically involved with Alex Franklin, so we'll have to see where that goes once he ages up as well.  All the other girls have aged up also - Amanda and Vanessa are teens, and Jennifer is a child.  At the end of summer, the family has $3531 in savings, which means they're still Poverty.

Happy Simming!

Humble Beginnings 12/24/24

 Things were starting to look up for Paul and Linda Edwards, until Paul made a decision that ruined it all.  Paul was beginning to have some success as a criminal (he got promoted to bagman), but then his wandering eye landed on Angela Owens.  One day, while everyone was at work/school, he took things to the next level with Angela.  Unfortunately, Linda ended up coming home early that day, thanks to a bad day at work which resulted in her demotion.  She was absolutely furious with Paul and no amount of pleading would sway her; Paul was relegated to the couch until the end of summer and, when he was arrested and convicted once again (despite spending the $5000 that would have leveled them up to Working on his lawyer), Linda had had enough of him and filed for divorce.  With only $1333 left, she and her kids will be remaining Poverty.  Luckily, the boys are teens now (with jobs in Slacker) and Rachel will soon be one as well, so there's still hope they'll level up eventually.  (Note: Paul will be spending nine days in jail, as he obtained one more promotion to bookie before the end of the round, and when his sentence is finished, he'll either move in with Angela or become Homeless, as it didn't seem right to me to give him half of the $1333 under the circumstances.)

Happy Simming!

Humble Beginnings 12/22/24

 Emily Baxter started dating Ratna Siew (aka Mr. Big) after her split from Dalton, but even though she rolled wants for him during dates, she also kept rolling the want to fall in love with Dalton (despite them now having negative chemistry) and after every date, she'd roll the want for three first dates.  To me, this was an indication that she wasn't that into Ratna and considered him as a fling or a revenge type of thing, so I didn't have her move him in.  She did, however, end up pregnant with his child (a boy, Joshua, who is now a toddler).  Ratna called her incessantly, asking for more dates, even though she wasn't rolling anything but skill/job wants, and it became almost stalker-y, so I think she's going to move on; there's another sim, Alvin Lum, who she has two bolts for that I'll have her ask out next round.  Dylan somehow lost all chemistry he had for Nicole Tang, who he'd been dating, and then he grew up and almost immediately fell in love (autonomously) with a townie named Rose Nanale, for whom he has two bolts.  I guess he just outgrew his teen infatuation for Nicole, which sucks for her, but it is what it is.  I had him move Rose in (she came with $2000 and a job in Culinary) and she got pregnant right away.  By the end of summer, they had saved $28,929, which will promote them to Lower Middle Class.  I do have a bit of a dilemma with Rose, however, as her LTW is for Business, which she can't go into without a University degree.  My rules state that a sim must move to the University campus to obtain the degree, but given that she's already in a serious relationship, with a baby on the way, it doesn't seem feasible that she'd want to move to campus, so I'm considering revising the rules to allow for all degrees to be obtained off campus if desired.

Happy Simming!

Humble Beginnings 12/21/24

 Michelle Tang reached adulthood and headed off to college to study Medicine (her parents gave her $10,000 for tuition/living expenses); she'll be returning afterwards to take over this household.  Meanwhile, Nicole grew into a teen and took a job in Athletics; her LTW is for Entertainment, which will not require a degree.  She also began dating Dylan Baxter (who is technically her second cousin - their mothers, Andrea and Emily, are first cousins) and will likely move into his household when she ages up.  Robi is getting close to becoming Hall of Famer and Andrea was a little more successful in her job as well, despite becoming an elder.  She's also doing well with her flower arranging; she'll soon have a gold badge.  After bills and property taxes, they have $19,385.

Happy Simming!

Humble Beginnings 12/17/24

 The Andrews/Carter/Cormier family has come a long way since they started out Homeless.  Clay and Paige have done exceptionally well in the Culinary field, Lily is holding her own in Athletic, and Ricky is doing well with Slacker.  When Ethan grew into a teen, he too took a job in the Entertainment industry, obtaining a promotion early on.  His LTW is to go into Politics, so he'll need a University degree for that.  Luckily, the family has more than enough money to afford his tuition, as Paige brought in a whopping $20,000 bonus!  In other news, Lily and Ricky had another baby, Mason, who became a toddler by the end of spring, while his older sister Daisy is now a child, soon to be a teen.  At the end of the round, the family has saved $54,502 after paying bills and the crime syndicate (I didn't make them pay the rent, as they'll be moving out), which means they are now Lower Middle Class.

Happy Simming!

Humble Beginnings 12/15/24

 The new family (Harris) consists of a teenage girl, Kayla, and her toddler brother, Simon.  They moved into the abandoned warehouse, starting out as Poverty.  I had been counting on Kayla being able to ask her neighbors to "watch kids" while she was at school/work, but evidently teens can't do that, so she had a very rough time.  She did some begging and some fishing (once Simon became a child and she could take him to a community lot) and eventually got a job in Slacker.  She was sometimes able to pay the nanny and sometimes not, but by the end of spring she had to cash in her meager savings, which was not nearly enough to pay the rent or the crime syndicate; consequently, the Harris family will be demoted to Homeless and Kayla will pay everything she has ($57) to the crime syndicate (plus be unable to work for one day, but it won't really be an issue because she'll be homeless and jobless lol).  Since she did become an adult by the end of the round, she should have things a bit easier, despite losing status.

Happy Simming!

Humble Beginnings 12/14/24

 Adam and Linda Edwards moved into their new apartment with their young daughter Amy.  They had few furnishings and little money after paying the initial rent, but they were both lucky enough to find jobs as golf caddies.  They were very successful throughout the week, attaining several promotions each and having another baby (Luke) along the way.  At the end of spring the kids were aged child and toddler, respectively and Adam and Linda had saved up $7292 after rent, bills, and the crime payment.

Happy Simming!

Humble Beginnings 12/13/24

 Levi Carter moved into the motel with very little cash.  He immediately moved his fiancé Lucy in, and they were married in short order.  Levi continued working in the fast-food industry, while Lucy worked on gaining the skills necessary to get a job.  Unfortunately, the only job that became available to her was in the Criminal career.  She was okay for a while but then got arrested and sent to jail. Upon returning home, she picked up where she left off and was even successful enough to gain a promotion.  That's where her luck ran out, however, as she did not return home on the last day of spring.  (As she was still employed in Criminal on the last day of the round, I allowed Levi to skip paying the crime syndicate, even though she technically died before I finished playing.)  Levi will shoulder on alone with a savings balance of $2058, after paying bills/rent.

Rose and Alvin (Parker) got married as soon as they moved in and just before their baby girl (Dominique) was born.  Rose considered quitting the police force to work full-time at the diner, but she was loath to give up her substantial paycheck, especially since Alvin has been doing so well running the place during the day and working nights at the convenience store.  They decided to maintain the status quo.  By the end of spring the business is up to rank 6, Rose has obtained several promotions and become pregnant again, and Dominique is a child.  After paying their property taxes and spending a bit of money on the house, they have $5166 saved up.  They have a long way to go before reaching Upper Middle Class, but they're comfortable in the meantime.

Happy Simming!

Humble Beginnings 12/12/24

 The Franklins got settled back into their warehouse apartment and immediately started searching for jobs.  Adeline, Charlotte, and Irene found jobs as dishwashers; Xavier started working the streets as a pickpocket, but Isaac discovered he wasn't qualified for anything and decided to keep escorting.  It was tough at first, but ultimately, they began to make some progress.  Xavier got arrested once, but his public defender got him off the hook.  He was scared straight after that and found a job as a golf caddy.  Irene and Isaac also took jobs in Slacker (though Isaac continues to escort as well), and Irene started writing a cookbook, using the old computer she found in the former office of the warehouse.  New baby, Caleb, was born and, sadly, Adeline passed away shortly after at the age of 74.  Alex became friends with Wendy Owens, and she brought her older brother Brandon with her one day when she came to visit.  Irene and Brandon have some chemistry, so something might develop there in the future.  By the end of spring, the boys were aged teen, child, and toddler, and the family's savings totaled $3056 after rent/bills/crime payment, keeping them in Poverty for the time being.

Eric and Amaya Gordon moved into their new apartment and Amaya immediately found a job as a team mascot.  Eric's dream has always been to enter the field of gaming, so he decided to enroll in community college.  Amaya was happy to support their little family, which soon grew to include baby Scott, while her husband focused on his studies.  Luckily, Eric was able to find a job in gaming as soon as he finished his degree program.  The tuition, however, took quite a toll on their savings, not to mention the added expense of a nanny once Eric started working.  At the end of spring, they have just $904 after paying their bills, rent, and the crime syndicate, and Amaya is pregnant with their second child.  Hopefully they'll be able to attain some promotions come summer in order to keep their heads above water.

Happy Simming!

Humble Beginnings 12/7/24

 Paul and Linda Edwards continued to plug along this spring.  Neither got too far on their job progress and they had another baby (a girl, Rachel), which means another mouth to feed as well.  On top of that, Paul was arrested again and is currently residing in prison, while Linda holds down the fort on her own at home.  At the end of spring, the boys are children and Rachel is a toddler, and the family has saved $3145 after paying rent and bills.  Therefore, they'll be remaining Poverty.

The struggles continued for the Owens family.  Warren was unable to get promoted in his new job, which meant bringing in very little income.  Brandon got fired from his job, and Angela was unable to get a job at all.  Angela gave birth to another little girl, Vanessa, and then found herself pregnant once again, but this time her husband was not the father - it was one of her clients.  Warren will never find out, however, as shortly after the baby (Jennifer) was born, he accidentally set himself on fire while making crepes suzette and died before the firefighters could get to him.  Brandon had originally decided to move out upon reaching adulthood, but in the wake of his stepfather's death, and with his mother to soon become an elder with no income and four daughters to support, he felt he should stay and try to take care of the family.  At the end of spring Wendy has become a teen, Amanda and Vanessa are children, and Jennifer is still an infant.  The family has $1330 in savings after rent, bills, and the crime payment, so they'll remain Poverty.

Happy Simming!

Humble Beginnings 12/2/24

 The Dalton/Baxter household has undergone some changes this spring.  The relationship between Dalton and Emily became stale and, consequently, Dalton began having an affair with Danielle Lillard, who he'd met when living in the motel.  They had an instant spark of chemistry, and Dalton knew that Danielle, not Emily, was the woman he was meant to spend his life with.  He stayed long enough to see his son reach teen, so that Emily would not have to shoulder the financial burden of a babysitter and then moved out to marry Danielle (something he, nor Emily, have ever rolled a want for), who is pregnant with his child.  Financially, they did very well this round, scoring several promotions, as well as a sizable bonus on Emily's part.  I had Dalton take half the family's savings (after paying the bills and crime payment), plus Danielle's $16,000, for a total of $35,363, which levels them up to Lower Middle Class.  Emily kept the other half of their savings and paid the rent out of it, leaving her with $16,466; she will remain Working Class and Dylan will remain here with her.  I reasoned that since they were both equally responsible for the bills/crime payment, Dalton should pay his half, but the rent is for the following week, during which he'll no longer live here, so that should be her responsibility alone.

Happy Simming!

Humble Beginnings 12/1/24

 With the loss of Karen at age 68, the Baxter/Tang branch of the family has lost its last Baxter.  Karen really did well in her life, considering she started off Homeless and made it all the way to Lower Middle Class before she died.  Robi continues to thrive in the Athletic career, while Andrea continues to stall in Slacker.  Once Michelle became a teen, she took a job in Law Enforcement (and reached the top by the end of spring), though her LTW is for Medicine, so she's definitely planning to go to University.  She also started dating a townie boy named Korey Welsh.  By the end of the round, Nicole had grown into childhood and the family's savings totaled $23,385 after property taxes/bills.

Happy Simming!