Know Before you Build

A few things I've learned along the way...

If possible, build the mansions for your Sims, they come pre-furnished with three star appliances, furniture and a three star CAR! And an extra large lot to add onto!

These houses do cost extra, but they only cost Simoleons, not LPs (and it would cost a lot to get everything the house already comes with)

Also, after you build the Car Yard, get the red Sedan, your Weekly Challenge will require it and that way you already have it.

Make sure that all your Sims are gardening, baking or at work at all times, the farther into the game you get the more expensive everything is and the last you want to do is get caught without enough money and have a timed Quest on your hands!
Things like Peppers bring in the most money, they're free and if you have 10 Sims growing them all at one time you can make $80 every minute. That's $400 every 5 minutes! Or $1,000 every 12.5 minutes!

If you have babies, have them sleep all the time. When they wake up you will get some 200+ XP without raising a finger and they're out of the way. Just make sure all their needs are met in the in-between time.

Pets are great at finding money, the higher the rating the more they'll find. I've gotten LPs from 1 star dogs and cats before though, so don't put it past them. And Rabbits cost money, not LPs, making them a good choice if you're trying to save up.

Make sure to check the Shopping Cart often for deals to get free LPs (your best bet are the videos since they're guaranteed free and they don't require any personal data). In the Upper Left Hand Corner is a blue diamond, that's where you access the free offers.

The more your town is worth the more LPs you can earn from it.
Also, leveling up is another great way to earn LPs.

If you have any suggestions please comment below, I'm sure we all would like to know.  

Toddlers Quest (Part 2)

After you finish building the pet store you need to adopt a new pet for your toddler. Thankfully there is a free one-star Greyhound.
You will need to buy a 'dollhouse' for your toddler (these are the houses about half-way through the Toddler section of the Children's Store).
Next, you need to make some coffee and then make some Rocky Road (which takes 12 hours).
After all this you will need to go to the park and visit the ducks, talk to a statue in the park, have a staring contest with the statue in the park and finally spend 24 hours having a heart-to-heart with the statue.
This should bring you up to 85% complete at this point.

If at ALL possible save your LPs.

During your usual 'Tutorial Quest' you will need to get a cat, which cost 6 LPs (for the cheapest one- the most expensive one is 80 LPs).

I don't know if you will be needing LPs to launch your baby into the Toddler stage.

I will update you as soon as I'm done in the park!