It’s Throwback Thursday and what better way to honour this weekly occasion than taking a trip down memory lane? I’ve got a little-known secret to share with you about our old-school favourite, The Sims 2, today.

If you own The Sims 2: Apartment Life, you probably know about networking. When your Sim befriends a townie, there is a chance that townie might present your Sim with a special benefit thanks to your social connections. This benefit could be anything from an instant promotion to a brand new job starting at a higher level.

One of my favourite benefits from social networking is getting a discount on everything in the catalog. I love decorating my Sims’ houses. I want their homes to be the perfect reflections of their lifestyles and personalities, but there’s another reason why getting a catalog discount is one of the best networking perks. There’s another, lesser-known benefit that comes with a nice catalog discount.

Did you know you can sell items in Buy mode for more than what you paid for them?

This means that you can actually make money from just buying and reselling items that you purchased while in Buy mode! Just purchase an item, then immediately sell it again to pocket a few extra simoleans. This method works the best with large purchases (like the most expensive shower or the grand piano, for example). You’ll pocket more simoleans than you would with a cheap item. Make sure you don’t exit Buy mode while you’re doing this or the item will depreciate in value and you’ll lose the profit.

If you’re furnishing your Sims’ house and find you’re running low on simoleans, give this a try if one of your Sims has the catalog discount. I just did this myself last night and I was able to furnish the perfect little farmhouse for my Sims. The best part? No cheats!

… What? It’s not cheating! It’s just using a loophole to your advantage.

Do you have any nifty tricks of your own for The Sims 2? Share them in the comments!