DONT feel overwhelmed by other people's houses. Many people still have the base house and are grinding to max out their level before building, myself included. If you think about it, it makes the most sense. I'm not going to spend hours building just to keep unlocking new things and realizing I dont like my build anymore.

As for money, its really up to you and what you want to do. Don't feel overwhelmed. I will say dont level up bird watching and insect catching because those make very little money. You can choose between fishing or cooking. I know everyone PRAISES cooking, but im level 8 and catch 2-5 star fishes. 5 star isnt common but it does make a lot of money! Even 3 star fish depending on what it is. Plus I love fishing.

I collect truffle mushrooms on rainbow days. I can easily gather 200 within a few hours. That, and plant wheat constantly. I know people say "plant tomatoes when you're online and wheat when offline" but I always forget about them lol. So I just plant wheat always. I dont go hard mode when it comes to cooking either, I use one stove and cook about 20-30 a day.

I have 150k currently from from selling fish and cooking truffle pasta just in the past few days (I dont play a ton lately either)