Having the Skills to Pay the Bills

[LenaLJ]

My bills and skills ended up like this.

14 skill maxed = 2.6 multiplier

Bill 1: 2431
Bill 2: 10985
Bill 3: 20784
Bill 4: 27965
=62165

Total Score = 161629

[lesleyj42]

My sims have made it to the fourth and final bill...

Bill 1: $6,015
Bill 2: $18,881
Bill 3: $36,014
Bill 4: $58,858

15 unique skills maxed during designated week

$119,768 x 2.5 = 299,420

Thanks for another fun challenge!

[GlazeyLady]

Vacation last week and an unexpected visit to the ER today - this was really close - wasn't sure I'd get finished, but ran full speed through the last 3 sim days and barely made it!

Bills 1:  $23,144
Bills 2:  $36,368
Bills 3:  $37,758
Bills 4:  $47,137

Total Bills:  $144,407

Money-making skills maxed:  16
Multiplier:  2.6
Final Total:  $375,458

[Metropolis Man]

This event is now closed. Thanks to all participants, and a special tip of the hat to GlazeyLady for a nice win. Everyone is now free to discuss strategy.

[GlazeyLady]

Thank you for another great challenge! 
I was down to the wire getting this one finished. I actually had to end my club meeting the second to the last day, tire out my sims and get them to sleep as much as possible so the game would go on super-fast to get me that last bill before the midnight deadline.   

Basic Strategy:

• Had 1 primary money-maker for each sim for each billing period.  This was to spread the big money-makers out so more time could be spent on them.
• Maxed all skills for the multiplier.
• Used clubs for Rally the Troops and Painting.  I didn't think of the painting until the middle of the second billing cycle, when painting was a club activity and club members rushed to the easel every time my sim wasn't painting.  So I placed a bunch of easels, removed other activities as club activities.  With Home Studio as a lot trait and a club boost to painting, eveyrone had high skill quickly and painted excellent and masterpiece works.  They couldn't be sold, but were placed on the property to boost lot value and bills.

Skills by Billing period:

• Period 1
• Sim 1
• Primary-Writing (Used in first billing cycle to maximize overall royalties).
• Secondary-Charisma (Ask for loans).
• Sim 2
• Primary-Photography - such a pain! So much micro-management; this cycle took more real time than the other 3 put together.  But so much money to be made!  Completed Fabulously Wealthy and Mansion Baron in the first week.  Spent the money on stuff to boost lot value.
• Secondary-Mixology - made a lot of Prose and Props.
• Period 2
• Sim 1
• Primary-Woodworking - Camp Mascots mostly-big money-maker.
• Secondary-Comedy - wasn't part of the original plan, but the Wishing Well maxed it for me.
• Sim 2
• Primary - Painting
• Secondary - Piano - Wishing well gave first 3 levels; no tips, licensed 1 song for royalties.
• Period 3
• Sim 1
• Fishing and Video Gaming - no primary in this period; got a little money from each.
• Continued making Camp Mascots once the skills were maxed - couldn't sell them, but they looked great lined up on the lawn boosting lot value.
• Sim 2
• Primary - Gardening.  Started this in previous period, spliced plants to get cowberries growing.  They are only worth $20 or so as berries, but immediately after planting they can be sold for $475, and while in the ground they boost lot value.
• Secondary-Violin.  No tips, licensed 1 song for royalties.
• Period 4
• Sim 1
• Primary-Logic. I'd planned on gathering crystals and fossils and getting microscope prints, but I was running out of time and needed to stay on fast speed, so I just threw him in the telescope and left him there as long as possible.
• Secondary-Guitar.  Wishing well gave first 3 levels. No tips, licensed 1 song.
• Sim 2
• Rocket Science and Programming - no primary; got a little money from each.
• Once the skills were maxed, this sim painted and used the paintings to boost lot value since they couldn't be sold.

About the bill calculation - I found this post:

If I got the tuning and script files correctly:

- Bills are supposed to be delivered Monday, 5am, every week.
- Bills are a percentage of the billable household value, defined as the value of the furnished lot, plus everything in the household inventory and everything in the inventory of every household sim; it explicitly excludes the household funds. The percentage is 2% for the first §20K of value, then 3% for what exceeds that up to §30K, then 3.5% to §50K, and 5% of anything above that.
(As an example, a §100K value household will pay 2% of the first §20K, then 3% of the next §10K, 3.5% of the next §20K, and 5% of the remaining §50K, for a grand total of §3900.)
- The Frugal trait reduces the bills by 25%.
- If the bill goes unpaid the sim gets the electricity turned off, and then the water turned off, apparently with 48 hours between cutting the electricity and the water.

My final lot value was $1,121,110, my home inventory held $216,550, and personal inventories held $2802.  Based on the formula quoted, my billable household value was $1,340,462 so my final bill would have been $65,923, but it was only $47,137.  So maybe that formula isn't correct, or it has been changed (it's from 2014 and I was thinking there was a bill reduction change but googled it and couldn't find anything). I'm also wondering if it's a possibility that some of the items contributing to lot value don't get included in the bill calculation - maybe all those great paintings the club members painted for me? 

I don't know - but if anyone else has more insight into how the bills are calculated, please share!

[coolsim9999999]

Congratulations GlazeyLady!  Great strategy .

[Whimsical Peanut]

I found something else... the bills came at about 10 AM each Monday except once when it came at 12 ...
And great strategy indeed GlazeyLady 

[lesleyj42]

Congrats to GlazeyLady for the win! My strategy was very similar.

Sim A money making skills:
Wk 1: singing and piano
Wk 2: fishing and programming
Wk 3: handiness and DJ mixing
Wk 4: gardening and guitar

Sim B money making skills:
Wk 1: writing and violin
Wk 2: mixology and video gaming
Wk 3: charisma and logic
Wk 4: painting and photography

First and foremost, my sims needed to get the lot/inventory value as high as possible to increase the bills. Painting is the best way I've found to add value without a career or retail store. Both my sims painted (sim A never sold any of hers) and to boost the painting values both sims also had the marketable and creative visionary traits. This was the only skill I didn't max in the designated week because it was maxed long before week 4.

I also split the skills that would bring in most of the money between the four weeks with the biggest money makers in the final two to cover the last two bills. In my playthrough, writing carried week 1 for the same reason Glazey mentioned, mixology/residual royalties covered week 2, handiness/charisma/residual royalties carried week 3, and painting covered week  4.

Once my sims had made enough money with their designated skills for the week (and maxed them in the process), they painted (storing finished paintings in their personal inventories) until the bills were delivered.

I used a club to manage needs and provide skill/moodlet boosts. I never moved, and I didn't use the wishing well (I really should play test with it one of these days).

Thanks again to the challenge team