Well... I guess since I just realized that I have over 70 mods installed, it would be a good idea for me to make a list for what I use. Here it is... (in Nexus Mod Manager default mod view order)
Power Armor Fast Enter and Exit -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/586/
Armorsmith Extended -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2228/
Independant Power Armor Modules -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2649/
Personal Gear -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2648/
Shadow Metal Armor no rust retexture -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/3134/
Quieter Settlements -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2819/ (this gets rid of the deafening noise made by turrets and/or generators)
Unsqueaky Power Armor -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/1739/ (it was just one tiny little barely audible squeak, and it was driving me up the wall)
Fewer Minutemen Updates -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2743/ (to go with the Radio Freedom song replacement
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2344/)
BoS Pilot Outfit Fix -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/3098/
Simple Bug Fixes -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2142/
Higher Settlement Budget -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/818/ (because why shouldn't I be able to place a bed after building a 4-story tall wooden masterpiece?)
Starstruck Companions -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/3239/ (I don't have this enabled yet, gonna use it after I finish the main questlines)
Unlimited Followers -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/3605/ (I haven't taken advantage of this, I'm more of a lone wanderer with a jetpack)
Bulk Utility Recipes -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/3205/
Commonwealth Chemistry Expanded -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2514/
Craftable Ammo -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/798/
Craftable Guns and Weapons -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/1224/
Immersive Crafting Expanded -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/3073/
Legendary Modification -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/4042/
Expanded Settlement Buildings -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/3126/
Fusebox Generator -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/3429/ (I only still have this because I got it before I got Quieter Settlements, just to have a quiet generator)
Simple Intersection -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2683/ (it makes it a bit easier to build your settlements)
Faraway Area Reform -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/1355/
FogOut -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2428/
Binary Speech Checks -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2100/ (I use the 'Hard-Forgiving' setting)
C.E.S.D. (Combat Experience Scaling with Difficulty) -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2546
Customize Legendary Enemy Spawning -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/218/
Customize Power Armor and Jetpack Drain -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/225/ (because why should you be limited to 6 seconds of Jetpack use, or 10 minutes of total armor power if you're being very conservative in your power use?)
Deadly Radstorms -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/829/ (because it just wasn't irradiated enough for a realistic radstorm)
Faster Terminal Displays -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/937/ (this brings the terminals out of the 50's era visual update rate, and into the 60's)
Logical Junk Weight -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2937/
Move (Get Out the Way) -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/4062/
No Power Armor Durability Loss -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/3003/ (because companions in Power Armor don't use cover AT ALL! [i only use it for companions])
Real Working Jetpack -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/3931/ (it works, but is a bit too powerful; I hope it will get a lowered maximum vertical speed when the GECK is released)
Remove Rubberbanding (Zone Difficulty Overhaul) -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/3036/
Settlement Resources Revived -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/3146/
Slippery Chameleon Effect -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2630/ (because why should adaptive camouflage turn off for a few seconds every time you walk, even though firing weapons or spinning in place doesn't?)
Vats over there? (Increased V.A.T.S. Distance) -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2173/
Lore Friendly Globes -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/3033/ (a touch of realism)
Mo Betta Scrap -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2437/ (I know, moronic name, but great mod)
Pre-War Safes -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/3306/ (no more pipe weapons in pre-war safes, because why would they be there in the first place?)
*** Placeholder for NSFW mod ***
Better Computer Terminals -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2154/
Better Recon Scope -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2189/ (why did they choose a light tan color in vanilla anyways?)
Bob Ross Happy Little Paintings -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/1390/ (no more ugly partially destroyed paintings in your settlement building menu!)
Chem Redux -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2099/ (chem retexture, much nicer than vanilla)
Clear Reflex Lenses -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/865/ (even though I only use Recon Scopes anymore)
ETSGB/ETSGH/ETSGM -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/1888/ -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/4187/ -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/1728/
Fallout Texture Overhaul Pip-Boy -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/449/
Flag of the Terran Empire -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/1279/ (Star Trek fans will recognize this)
FO4 Rain -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/267/
*** Placeholder for NSFW mod ***
HD Bandannas -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/439/
Immersive Mouth and Teeth -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/903/
Immersive Wastelander's Ammunition -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/523/
Jester's Better Destroyed Vehicles -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/1002/
Lore-Friendly Ghoul Eyes -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/209/
More Realistic Handmade Pipe Weapons -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/3181/
No Glowing Mines -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/3080/ (because nobody in their right mind puts LEDs on their mines)
*** Placeholder for NSFW mod ***
*** Placeholder for NSFW mod ***
Optimized Vanilla Textures -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/1204/
Patch Job -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/1934/ (because who really thinks someone would intentionally leave so many holes in their brand new walls?)
Simple Male Redux -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/3545/ (I like higher quality player/NPC skins, regardless of gender)
Street Signs Retexture -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/3317/
Terminator Synths -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2850/
More Weapons for the BoS -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2703/
Expanded Resource Shipments -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2847/
Vendor Caps -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2832/
Homemaker (Expanded Settlements) -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/1478/
NX Pro Farming -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2905/
Scrap Scrap -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/3184/ (now you can scrap the extra junk lying around your settlements, or at least some of it)
Settlement Supplies Expanded -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/1145/
Clean Power Armor HUD -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/178/
NewDialog -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/619/
No Dotdotdot -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/425/
No Scope Shadow -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2849/
Value Per Weight Indicator -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/334/
Durable Vertibirds -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2857/ (now they're flying tanks instead of glass cannons)
Eye Normal Map Fix -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/819/
Floodlight -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/1997/ (I use the 'short no shadows' version)
Moo's Clear Water -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/3891/
Fr4nsson's Light Tweaks -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2139/ (get rid of the absurdly overlit effect present in the game, makes it much darker and more realistic)
Realistic World Map -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/3283/ (don't know how 'realistic' applies to this, but it's a good mod anyways)
Remove Interior Fog -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2628/
Remove Ironsight Blur -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2304/
Wasteland Salon -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/1369/
No More Bandage Grips -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2651/
Powerful Shishkebab -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2714/
Stronger Institute Weaponry -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2259/ (if they're so advanced technologically, why are their weapons worse than standard laser weapons?)
Weapon Balance Overhaul -
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2463/ (fixes a lot of issues I have with the weapons, but introduces a few extras [like the fire rate of the hunting rifle])
The NSFW mods:
That's my list as of 10:26 AM December 08, 2015.