A Better Life Challenge

Needed: WA

StardustX's Teen Runaway Challenge: http://modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=503701

I came up with this challenge after seeing her brief mention of the teen as a foreigner. I like more definite goals than the original challenge offered, so this was my take on it. The rules are also a little stricter.

Backstory: Like in StardustX’s challenge, you are a teenager from a foreign country. You’ve just arrived in the your town with your aging grandfather to try and make a better life for yourself and your family back home. But Grandpa isn’t doing well, and you lost your papers after arriving….

Goal: You need to make enough money to reunite your family and then become a citizen.

Setup: Create one Teen and one Elder sim (if you have the appropriate mods, just make a household with one teen). Genders are up to you, but as with the runaway challenge a female can add extra difficulty. They should wear culturally appropriate clothing, but nothing too nice. As with the TRC, the teen should only have one “helpful” trait. The elder can have whatever you like. Don’t get attached, s/he won’t be around long. Go into Edit Town mode and move them into a 10x10 lot on the edge of town.
Choose one of the WA locations to be your “home” and edit that town. Make your family back home. Make a single parent (This is important!) and at least two kids. BOTH OF THE KIDS MUST BE CHILD+. The game does not allow toddlers on foreign lots. Traits are up to you. Merge them with an existing family or have them purchase a lot.

Go back to your main town. Now you can start!

Use testingcheatsenabled to age up your Elder sim, if you have one. He will die of old age and affect the teen's mood pretty badly--which I think is thematically appropriate, but. Then use familyfunds to reduce to $0. You can buy a tent/sleeping bag first if you like, but I like starting with absolutely nothing.

Most of the normal Teen Runaway rules apply from here on out. You may not get a job—a part-time job is OK since they are paying you “under the table,” but ONLY if you have a child or are a YA. You may not socialize with adults, but pets, kids and teens are OK. Do not attend school. You may not get a burglar alarm (as the police would arrest you too). You may not have a phone until you have a home with 1 living room, 1 Bathroom, 1 Bedroom. Every taxi ride costs you $5. You can visit only public lots and use the facilities there. You can steal food from the fire station once a week, and bathe in the lake or ocean by raising the hygiene bar with cheats on. No special plants or cars, and once you have $500 in savings you can start buying meals from concessions and food trucks every other day.

There are, however, some new rules that pertain to this challenge: If you choose not to disable curfews and are caught by the police, you must pay a bribe of 50% of your funds. You may also socialize with adult tourists from your home country, but only once per tourist. Pets are ok, but if you are still a teen you must adopt a stray, not buy or adopt from the neighborhood. Every Sunday you must send home 50% of your funds (use familyfunds cheat). Any children you have must be had at home. If you woohoo for money with the KarmaSimtra mod, I recommend that you only Risky Woohoo with risk at 10%.

When you have enough money and a phone, go on vacation to your home country. Find and socialize with your family (you can use cheats to raise your relationship level, since in theory you already know these people), and upon your return invite them over. Then add them to your household.
However, you are all still undocumented. Your mother/father from the home country must get married to a local who adopts you and your siblings. If you are a YA, you must also get married, even if you have a child with a local already (you had that baby at home, remember, so as far as the government is concerned s/he doesn’t exist).
Once you’re married, you win!

Thanks StardustX for letting me play with her idea