I think the $6.99 is kind of ridiculous. It's not like I can't afford it,but they are manipulating the situation to squeeze money out of people constantly with all these "special" events. I'm thinking I'll just get Chip with gems that I have earned, since land is also precious and it's getting crowded in my park. I also think that it makes the game more interesting. I'm sure this won't be a popular opinion, but I'm not going to let them scare me into constantly paying for these things when they are completely useless once the event is over. Even the characters seem pretty much useless once the event is over.
In other news, I was pleasantly surprised to finish 10th in the last contest, so now I have a croissant stand!

And I'm glad to see something new in those chests since now I can get rid of my platinum stockpile.