Humble Beginnings 11/12/24

 The Franklin family is comprised of elder matriarch Adeline, her son Xavier, her deceased daughter's teen twins Irene and Isaac, and Xavier's wife Charlotte.  They began at Poverty Class and moved into an old warehouse that has been converted into tenement apartments.  Adeline and the teens all got jobs initially, but Irene was fired, not once, but twice without ever bringing home a paycheck.  Adeline and Isaac managed to earn a little money, and by the end of fall Xavier had taken a job with the crime syndicate to avoid paying protection money.  Charlotte was never able to find a job she was qualified for, but did find herself pregnant, nearly starving to death before finally giving birth to a baby boy, Alex.  By the end of the round, the family was unable to pay their rent (even with their $50 savings) so they've been demoted to Homeless Class and will be moving to the residential homeless lot beginning in winter (perfect timing, right?), where they will begin with $292.

Happy Simming!

Humble Beginnings 11/11/24

 Angela Baxter moved into her own unit at the motel and her fiancé, Warren Owens, moved in with her.  If she was expecting to get lucky like her sister Andrea did with her $19K barista boyfriend, she was quickly disappointed, as Warren brought in a whopping $1.  Angela began working as a golf caddy right away.  After her son Brandon was born, she and Warren finally tied the knot.  Eventually, Warren found a job as a dishwasher and was later promoted up to fast food shift manager.  Angela was not so lucky.  Her second pregnancy was very difficult, and she had a hard time at work, resulting in her being fired towards the end of fall.  There was a small bit of luck though - they got a genie lamp!  At the end of the round, the Owens family has saved $907 after bills, rent, and the crime syndicate payment.

Happy Simming!

Humble Beginnings 11/9/24

 Paul managed to score several good dates this fall and, in conjunction with the boots caught and sold by the family, they saved up just enough to level up to Poverty Class come winter.  Sadly, Dorothy will not be joining them, as she died at age 67.  Alice has a little time left, however, and she's looking forward to having a roof over her head again.  If only she could get her sons to stop fighting, she'd be able to die a happy woman.  (I don't think she's going to get her wish.)

Happy Simming!

Humble Beginnings 11/8/24

 Fall brought both joy and sadness to the Duncan family.  Finlay and Fiona both passed away (at ages 70 and 72, respectively), but not before both reached the top of their elder jobs, bringing in a tidy sum for the family coffers.  Dalton was promoted up to home video editor and Emily to hostess.  They also welcomed a new family member, baby Dylan, who was born just after Fiona died.  By the end of fall, their savings totaled $10,453 (after paying the syndicate), so they will be promoted to Working Class in the winter.

Happy Simming!

Humble Beginnings 11/7/24

 Steven eventually returned home from prison to find the family greatly changed from when he left.  One of his daughters (Angela) had moved out, as well as one of his nieces (Emily).  His other daughter (Andrea) had gotten married (to Robi Tang) and was expecting a baby.  The first thing he did upon arriving home was to look for a job (he found one in Culinary).  His teen niece Rose also took a job in Culinary, and Robi and Andrea both took Slacker jobs.  Their baby was born shortly after Steven's return - a girl named Michelle - and she was a toddler by the end of fall.  Rose grew into an adult on the last day.  At the end of fall the family's savings totaled $29,824, thanks to Robi bringing in $19,000 when he moved in.  (I have never had an NPC bring in so much money, which is why I made the rule about moving in only NPCs vs. townies, but since it seems they can have just as much cash as townies, I've revised the rule to allow anyone to move in as long as they are played as part of the family and not just for their cash.)  Since the family has over $25,000, they will be leveling up, not to Working Class, but straight to Lower Middle Class.

Happy Simming!

Humble Beginnings 11/5/24

 The Andrews/Carver family has been through a number of ups and downs this fall.  Clay continued to work in the Culinary field, and Paige was able to join him when she also took a position as a dishwasher.  Travis returned home from prison and found himself very drawn to Jenna.  After a whirlwind romance, they tied the knot, but the very next day Jenna died while working the streets.  The family continued to struggle forward, even though the twins were constantly fighting, and they had to spend precious funds to hire a nanny to watch baby Ryan while they all worked.  Once Levi and Lily grew into teens, things started looking up a bit, only for Travis to be arrested once again.  At this point, a tough decision had to be made.  They had the money to hire a lawyer, which might have allowed Travis to beat the charges against him, but it would have meant the family could not level up to Working Class.  Since Travis was not likely to live much longer anyway, it seemed the best decision was to roll the dice with the public defender and allow the family to keep their nest egg.  Travis was subsequently convicted and sentenced to what will amount to life in prison for him.  By the end of fall, he was still alive and employed, so he was able to qualify the family for one last exemption from the crime syndicate payment - his final gift to them.  At the end of fall, the twins are teens and Ryan is a child, both Clay and Paige continue to work in Culinary (though she's been more successful than he has), and they've saved a total of $7620, which makes them officially Working Class.

Happy Simming!

Humble Beginnings 11/2/24

 The newest family to the neighborhood consists of an elderly couple, Alice and Dorothy Edwards, and their two grown sons Adam and Paul.  The rolled Homeless for their starting class and have moved into the residential homeless lot.  Alice and Dorothy have primarily been fishing, though the heat is really getting to everyone.  "The Boys" do not get along at all and are constantly bickering.  They can't even agree on how to fund their way out of homelessness; Paul is taking the escort route (though he hasn't been very successful), but Adam feels it's better to just romance one woman, move her in, and utilize her life savings (has hasn't been very successful either because, although he's made friends with a waitress, without a phone he's unable to invite her over or take her on a date).  In any event, the family managed to save $359 after bills, so it looks good for them to level up in the fall.

Happy Simming!