It is that easy! Well, apparently not. People are struggling to get money to build community buildings to keep their population happy. And when your people are unhappy, you will struggle to level up. Thats how it goes in the real world as well, unhappy people leads to a society's demise. So how can you get more money? I would recommend that you start off the day by helping out your neighbors. That itself will make you significant amounts of money in less than 2 minutes.
You will end up wasting your money as the crops will expire! It is also important to buy wisely. Only buy community buildings that you need. Instead, spend on decorations as they increase production and rewards. The main goal here is to balance making money and keeping your people happy.
As you go through the levels, you will find that making money in the higher levels is easier. Having said that, the buildings that will keep your people happy will also be much more expensive. Make sure you havea good balance of businesses in your city versus your crop production. That helps maximize your earnings.
All in all, mastering CityVille is about using the right strategies and techniques to expand your city efficiently. Even someone who checks their account once a day could level up faster than someone who sits in front of their computer for 10 hours a day!