Well, i'm not spending any real money on it either, i signed up for a free account. I'm not a complete moron, if it would have cost me a single penny to register, i wouldn't have bothered in the first place. I realize that a free account gives you less priviliges, items, and a place you can call home, but i never planned on getting into it very much, simply because i don't have the time for it, my first life needs attention too.
it only costs you money if you agree to an upgrade of your account. Kinda like Kazaa, you can use it, but if you want all the benefits, they want your creditcardnumber first, and that's where i say "thanks but no thanks".