I've seen other people's posts on how they keep up with all that is going on in their hoods. The flashnote programs sounds very useful, but I really wouldn't take the time out to type all of my info in it. I'm on a computer typing things all day for work and class and it makes home feel like work if I do it there lol. I do most of my posting at work as it is! So I've created a few forms that I use to keep up with everything. I made copies and just write in what I need as I'm playing. To give you an idea of how much of a nerd I am, I actually have a 3 ring notebook divided into sections that I keep all of this information in. Dorky, yes I know! So here are my forms:
Sim Profile
Every one of my playables has their own profile sheet. I have all of their inportant info on this one sheet and they only have one for their entire life. I keep up with their ages by just marking off their two years every round in the age box in the bottom right corner. I even keep up with what level they are in at their jobs for blogging purposes. All of their college info goes on here as well (GPAs per semester, any honors they achieve, etc.).
Major Events
I'm not going to post my round sheet because it's pretty basic. Of course when I arrange my rounds, I put birthdays and marriages on the calendar. This sheet just gives me a look at all the specific events that take place every year. The year is listed at the top, followed by the season it happened in and what the event was. In the blank box I give a description. On my round log I would just say "Coner Twins Birthday". On the events sheet I would have their names and what age they turned. So as I play more and more rounds, I can look back and see what events took place in any given year.
Hood Fees
I haven't been very good about keep up with this, but starting next round I'm going to pay more attention to the fees and taxes charged in my hood. This just allows me to take a quick look at how much of the city budget comes from fees each year. I've decided that Christian Brown (the mayor) will open up a bank account for the town. I know that most people have the town's budget in the mayor's family funds and the mayor's personal money in a bank account, but that seems too complicated to me when they need to buy something or want to spend some of their own money. I haven't decided how to account for the interest it will accrue each day yet.
Hood Budget
Again, something I haven't used yet. This is of course how I will keep up with the city budget. I plan to just multiply the tax collected from playables by 3 to account for the townie population. I may change how I address the townie issue later, but for now that works for me. I'll total the fees up from my fee sheet and add them in with the tax collected. I also have another sheet dedicated to projects. These include building new buildings or renovating old ones. Their costs will be subtracted from the city budget.
School Roster
I'm in the process of recruiting (creating) sims to serve as teachers so that I can have working schools. Once I get them up and running, I will use this sheet to keep up with them.
It seems like a lot, and it is! I have the residents in my notebooks tabbed off alphabetically, so it's easy to find the family I'm playing with and adjust their ages or career position or whatever that may change during their turn. This is easier for me than typing it all up. I just scribble it down of these sheets as I lay on my butt with my laptop and play!
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