Inventory

An Inventory is a feature introduced with Unleashed for The Sims and  Nightlife for The Sims 2 and The Sims 3. It allows Sims to carry around a number of items no matter where they go.

Note: In The Sims 2, items cannot be added to or removed from a Sim's inventory while on a community lot, unless the Sim or a member of the Sim's household owns the lot. In The Sims 3, items can be removed from a Sim's inventory while on a community lot.

The Sims
Some items can be placed in a Sim's inventory by interacting with the item, but most cannot be. Items which a Sim obtains on community lots are directly placed into their inventory, and items received from other characters may be. Makin' Magic added categories to keep track of the spells in a Sim's wand and the magic ingredients they have.

Items cannot be manually removed from inventory. Many can only be given as gifts. Some will automatically be taken out of inventory when the Sim returns home from a community area. Small pets can be removed from inventory by interacting with an appropriate cage or tank. Vegetables from Unleashed will remain in inventory until they're either sold at market or stored in a pantry. Seeds and plant tonic from Unleashed, and ingredients and wand charges from Makin' Magic are used directly from inventory.

The Sims 2
Some items (such as cell phones, hand held games, etc.) are immediately placed in inventory upon purchasing them, while others must be manually moved into a Sim's inventory.

To put an item in a Sim's inventory, first enter inventory mode by clicking its button near the Aspiration rewards button at the bottom of the screen. (The button resembles a backpack.) Click and pick up any object (within reason). Simply drag the item into the inventory bar and release. To exit the inventory, just click any other button on the screen.

Electronic items such as televisions, stereos, and computers cannot be placed in a Sim's inventory unless they are turned off. Food placed in inventory will not spoil, and objects placed in inventory don't seem to depreciate. Sims don't appear to be aware of what's in their inventories, and may want to buy something even if it's in inventory.

Prior to Seasons, multiple copies of items appeared individually. Seasons introduced grouping, which grouped identical objects regardless of their color scheme. (It also groups all serving platters together, regardless of what's on them, and does the same for individual plates. Keep this in mind when storing or getting foods.) Bringing up the item tooltip allows the player to select a specific object in the group.

The Sims 3
Many small items may be automatically moved into the bin once a Sim gives an action to the object. It is also the place where collectibles are stored. Note that the Cellphone will always be right next to the Sim's inventory. This can be used if no nearby phone is available.

Some objects can be placed on the ground or give the Sim the option to be able to use it anywhere such as a Guitar or Laptop. These items include:
 * Newspaper
 * Laptop
 * Guitar
 * Car
 * Boombox
 * Books
 * Homework
 * Gems, Metals, Rocks
 * Food
 * Fish
 * Bugs

Family inventory
Each household has a family inventory. It can be accessed in Buy Mode by clicking the icon that looks like a cardboard box.