Thank you for offering your experience. I'm a builder and upgraded too, but also spend coins on expansions. Perhaps that is a downfall for growth. For example, can't get past one quest because I don't have an apple tree to make the 2 pies for Griselda. At a crossroads. How to approach ... Spend dollars on gems to get apple tree? I'll check to see I&D there is a thread for that one.
I have appreciated everyone's input here.