There has been darker times on Hay Day, where inflation is everywhere, no Tom to run errands freely nor with diamonds, and Jam Maker is priced 98,500 coins.
I have been on those times. I got Tom before the public, but for some reason the developers didn't tell Tom that I could use his service for free as a trial. Thus, I've never got a chance to get Tom's service for free. I worked my machines off patiently, saved enough money and bought the almighty Jam Maker at said price, and then the update came a week later and they reduced almost half the price. But I still enjoy this game, just today I got enough money finally to buy Jewelry Maker, with 1,000 bucks left, but several hours later I already have 10,000 coins on my pocket. I enjoy making products, saving them, helping others in need on this forum.
The key to this game is.... patience & networking
On the mean time, just enjoy farming ;-)