Aging and Time

You can use this spreadsheet template to track time and your sims birthdays. Just make a copy of the document and add in your sims date of birth as you go along. The original was made by CuteCoffeeGal, I’ve tweaked it to make it work for the 1850’s.

Each Sim day is 6 months; every 2 days the year changes; every 20 days the decade changes. You can use the calendar to track the year by adding holidays on the day when you would move on to the next decade.

Example:
• Day 1: Early 1890
• Day 2: Late 1890
• Day 3: Early 1891
• Day 4: Late 1891
• And so-on…

The average life expectancy for someone born in 1890 was mid-forties. However, life expectancy increased steadily, and by 1950, average life expectancy had increased to closer to 70. To mimic this, there are 2 different calculations – one for those born before 1950, and one for those born 1950 and later. See the spoiler below for the breakdown, or just use the spreadsheet which calculates everything for you.



Alternate Aging/Time
If you don’t want to calculate birthdays and keep track of a spreadsheet, you can consider a new decade to begin once your eldest heir becomes a teen. It’s not perfect, but it is simpler at least. In this case, use the normal lifespan.


Recommended Mods:

MC Command Center
Relationship and Pregnancy Overhaul (Just the Core Library and the Fertility and Protection modules are suggested)
Children/Toddlers Can Die of Anything (you don’t need this is you’re not playing with the extra life expectancy/child mortality rules further down)

Where to find Historic CC:

MMCC Lookbooks: Great inspiration with links to cc finds! Use her directory to find the historical ones.
Antiquated Plumbobs : So much stuff. Check out their “Antiquated Brindleton” save if you want a historical setting for your sims.
Historical CC Finds: You can sort by decade with this one!
Sims 4 Historical CC

*Click the spoilers to see the full rules for each decade. OR read the rules as a document over here where it's a bit easier to navigate.

1850’s - Getting Started

Your sims have taken a big leap and have set out to start a new life. The year is 1850 and they’ve just bought a parcel of farmland. Now they’ll need to find a way to work the land to support themselves and their soon to be growing family. Where will this new journey take them?




1860’s - The Civil War

The civil war brings hardships by the dozen. Men are drafted by the thousands, leaving the women to take care of the homestead in their absence.




1870’s - The Long Depression

The war is over, but the hardships are not. The 1870’s kick off with an economic depression that sends the whole country down a dark spiral. Banks are going under, sims are losing their jobs left right and center. Will your settlers find a way to survive?




1880’s - The Industrial Revolution

The economy is finally recovering, bringing in money for much needed developments. Railways cross-cross the land, making transportation much more accessible. Many sims start to give up farm life for the comforts of the city.




1890’s - The Eve of the 20th Century

With the turn of the century on the horizon and urbanization well underway, sims are celebrating and enjoying any luxuries they can. The Women’s Suffrage movement is beginning, and will continue to build momentum in the years to come.




1900’s - The Greatest Generation

Rapid urbanization brings in new technologies like the telephone and automobiles, and adds fuel to the fires of the Women’s Suffrage Movement. With the middle class growing, sims are making the most of their lives by throwing lavish parties, going to the theater and listening to ragtime music.




1910’s - World War I

Sims are shipped off to fight once again as America enters World War I. Women are left to provide for their families alone, and the Suffrage movement picks up steam.




1920’s - The Roaring Twenties and Prohibition

The economy is booming, jazz music is in the air and women have fought for their right to vote. The times are turning, bringing in some much needed social reform. This is also the beginning of Prohibition, an attempt to lower crime rates and boost the public morale.




1930's - The Great Depression

A massive stock market crash triggers the darkest economic depression your sims have ever seen. Thousands of families are plunged into poverty. To make things worse, the Dust Bowl puts extra strain on the food supply. Your sims will need to pull together to make it in these hard times.




1940’s - World War II

A horrific World War breaks out and men are sent off to fight overseas again. As the country shifts to a wartime economy, everyone must do their part to support the war efforts. Women flood the workforce and the country undergoes rationing in order to provide for it’s armies.




1950’s - The Red Scare and the Civil Rights Movement

Although this decade begins with the Korean War, it also brings in the civil rights movement, Rock n’ Roll and the Golden Age of Television. The world is rapidly changing in these post war years.




1960’s - Counterculture, Civil Rights and the Vietnam War

The younger generation is pushing hard for change. Civil Rights Movements are center stage, and recreational drugs are becoming popular. Another war looms on the horizon, and anti-war protests pop up across the country.




1970’s - Environmentalism and Individualism

Another decade full of social and technological change, the 70’s are known as the start of the Environmental Movement. Disco, funk and rock music fill the air and the first personal computers are created.




1980’s - The Neon Decade

Consumerism, flamboyant fashion, hip-hop, and the birth of the internet! Personal computers become more common and the first video games are created. While the Cold War and a recession has everyone on edge, no direct conflict occurs and the decade passes by relatively peacefully.




1990’s - The Millennium Bug

The 90’s brought in a cultural explosion of alternative music, grunge, boy bands and hip-hop. The internet is taking the world by storm, and with the end of the Cold War and the new Millenium on the horizon, a wave of uncertainty washes over the country.




2000’s - The 21st Century

In the aftermath of the Y2K scare, the 2000’s were a time of technological progress and societal change. With the introduction of social media platforms, the print media industry begins to collapse. The War on Terror kicks off with many new “temporary” measures being introduced in response to the events of 9/11.




2010’s - The Digital Age

A decade of relative peace, the 2010’s were known for the growing popularity of smart phones, social media and internet culture. The whole world feels much closer than it did before.




2020’s - A Global Pandemic

A decade overshadowed by a gripping pandemic. The Covid-19 virus is spreading rapidly throughout the world, and will take millions of lives before a vaccine is created. Will your sims make it through this stressful and isolating time, and to the end of this challenge?