https://modthesims.info/t/469201
Rags to Riches
Here's a challenge I came up with and am currently undertaking myself.
Basic story:
You are a very poor sim who has always dreamed of making money and earning everything themselves. You have no inheritance and you didn't have enough money to go to university, but you think you can make it out there somehow.
Goal:
To reach the top of your chosen career and fulfil your lifetime want. Once you reach the top, you are free to get married and start a family.
Rules:
Make one CAS adult (no uni prior) sim in the Pleasantview neighbourhood.
You are free to choose any traits and any appearance, the only rule is that they must be a fortune aspiration sim.
Start with any size empty lot and move them in without building anything.
Change familyfunds to 500.
After the initial familyfunds adjustment, you may not use any more money cheats, mood improvers, or unfair career/aspiration object unlocks.
You can get a job as soon as possible with the paper or whenever you like. You cannot keep the computer that's given to you in one of the future eps.
You can only choose their lifetime want when you first move in, after that it has to stay the same.
Upgrade your surroundings accordingly and however you like as you progress in your money making quest. Remember that you have to stay on the same lot the entire time, no moving in and out to get extra cash.
You are allowed to use your aspiration rewards, but you have to earn them fairly.
They cannot move anyone in or get married until they are at the top of their career.
Community Lots: At first, you are allowed to go to the 4 default community lots in Pleasantview: the shopping center, the pool, the park, and the clothing store.
After you are promoted to the 5th level of your job or can afford to buy your first car, you are allowed to also go downtown or on vacation lots.
You can date anyone you want, but you can only go downtown after you get a car or are promoted to level 5, and you can only get married and move someone in after the 10th stage in your career.
You are allowed to dig for treasure, freestyle for tips, bartend, be a barista or dj, paint for money, and write novels for money. You can use community bbqs for food if you need to.
You are not allowed to own a business of any kind. If you have Open for Business, pretend you don't for this mission.
If you have Seasons I encourage you to turn on all four of them to make things more interesting, like seeing if you can upgrade to having a house (4 walls and a roof at least) before winter strikes.
Your goal is to reach the top of their career and fulfill their lifetime want.
After you complete either one (like getting to the top of the career chain) you may now play without the previous restrictions (now you can start a business, travel anywhere you like, get married, move anyone in, etc.) and try to fulfil your other achievement without cheating. It should be a lot easier to play after you've got a steady and hefty paycheck plus your partner's marriage money and paycheck.
Feel free to post your personal progress here and have fun!
Update: I've finished the 1st part of the challenge (getting to the top of the career) in a real time day, so it can be done. I used no cheats, and lived modestly until I had accumulated 22,000 slowly but surely, then completely remodelled the house, the next day my sim got promoted to the top of his business career.
After playtesting this I thought it was very fun and rewarding, I hope you will think so as well!
