The Value of Saving a Neopoint or Two

NEOPIAN BANK - The Values of Saving a Neopoint or Two. Good title isn’t it. Anyway, like the title says in this article we will be looking at how to save Neopoints so that YOU aren’t begging for items at the Money Tree. (Or doing anything else silly.)

Now, it’s time, for what you have all been waiting for, the guide! Listed below are all the (true) ways to save thousands of Neopoints! (And not waste them of course).

1. Set yourself a budget:

I always do this to myself. You simply, at the start of the week say “I’m only going to spend 5,000 Neopoints this week.” Simple isn’t it? Just set yourself a limit that is less than you earn but will still provide all the basics. If you want to, make a chart in Excel.

2. Make rules for yourself:

I also do this; although it may sound similar to a budget it’s actually very different. You might make a rule like, say, not buying anything from the Grooming Parlour for two weeks. This can really help you save.

3. Use the Bank:

Always use the bank. There, I’ve just said the most important thing in this article. I’ll say it again. Always use the bank. If you do that you will be a millionaire in no time. I always keep no more than 50k with me; the rest goes to the bank. This means that my bank interest is quite a bit. Just collect your bank interest often and you will eventually find much more in your bank account than you did before.

4. Earn more than you spend:

As hard as this may sound, it’s actually pretty easy. If you don’t spend more than 10k a week this will work for you. You simply play lots of games each day. Don’t play games like Wheel of Excitement, Grarrl Keno, etc. Instead play games that you are really good at or are quick. You should always play the featured game, as it will gain you at least 100 NP even if you are terrible at it. If you aren’t good at a game I suggest you try something like Korbat’s Lab or Hannah and the Pirate Caves.

5. Never withdraw Neopoints from the bank:

You should never withdraw Neopoints from the bank. Ever. If you don’t withdraw Neopoints from the bank your interest will go sky-high almost instantly. Also, if you with draw Neopoints from the bank you’ll quickly find that you don’t have any Neopoints at all. Unless it is an emergency (i.e.: all four of your pets are dying of hunger) don’t withdraw from the bank.

6. Carry around a set amount of Neopoints:

I’ve talked about this earlier in the article, and it works! Just keep a certain amount of Neopoints with you at all times. This works with 3. I’ll use myself as the demonstration. I keep 50k with me at all time. It’s a small amount isn’t it? Well, it stops me from buying anything overpriced. If I buy something like codestone for 5000 NP I instantly play games until I have 50k again. Easy and simple.

7. Think before you buy:

You should always think about something before you buy it. If you don’t need it, don’t buy it. If it’s something like a more expensive toy than most, don’t buy it. Really, if you don’t need it or are in doubt about buying it, don’t! It will save you thousands on your next shopping trip.

8. Don’t buy anything unessential:

Don’t buy things that you don’t need, like extra Battledome items. This can have a BIG impact on your budget. Some people go on huge shopping sprees when they have a few thousand Neopoints and waste them on useless items like Bottles of Sand, clothes, etc. Really quite dumb in my opinion.

9. Set yourself goals:

You’re probably thinking, “Why didn’t this come up earlier?” I’ll give you a hint – I write my articles in weeks not minutes. Anyway, goals are some of the most important things ever on Neopets. Whether they are “I’m going to make all of my pets bright by next week” or “I will earn 500k by the end of the year.” Or something different altogether. These are different from rules because you with rules you tell yourself what not to do. Goals are excellent ways to tell you how to spend Neopoints so that you don’t just buy everything and anything.

10. Buy from the Marketplace:

You should buy most things from the Marketplace as it can save you thousands on rare items. In the marketplace the maximum price is 99,999 NP. Any higher and it’s a gallery item whereas in the official stores things can be even more. Although the Marketplace might be a rip-off in some places, it’s usually well priced. I find that small shops (size 10 or less) have either really low prices or are a true rip-off. The prices in shops size 11 – 150 are usually a bit more researched and even. Shops size 150+ are usually a hassle to find things in, even with the Find feature in Explorer it’s hard to find what you want and it’s the same with multi-shop malls.

11. Use the Neolodge:

“ARE YOU CRAZY?!” Nope. I just use common sense. Think about it. Cockroach Towers is 5 NP a night plus three extras (your pets deserve it in such a cheap place) equals just 140 NP! Now, lets compare it to a usual week on Neopets:

500 NP – Toys

700 NP – Food

5000 NP – Extras (i.e.: Education, Neohome furniture, etc.)

Anyone bothered to add it up yet? No? It equals 6,300 Neopoints. Now we compare it with the Neolodge week and see how much we can save:

Usual Week: Neolodge Week:

Food – 700 NP Food – see total

Toys – 500 NP Toys – see total

Extras – 5000 NP Extras – 5000 NP (optional)

Total: Total:

6200 NP 1060 NP

Total amount saved: 5,140 Neopoints

Amazing isn’t it. Not only do you save thousands but it also gives you more time to earn Neopoints. Sorry that it took me so long to show you the savings.

12. Watch the value of rare items:

Ever sold a rare item for less than it’s worth? Or are you thinking, “I would NEVER do something like that.” Well tough luck, I’m still going to tell you a long, true story. It started like this:

One day a friend of mine found an Island Paint Brush in a Random event and, having no use for it, put it in her shop for 6,000 NP rather than the recommended 60,000 (plus inflation!) and as a result lost quite a bit of money that she could of earned if she had have looked at the recommended price. One can only hope that the person that bought it used it to paint one of their pets, not sell it for a higher price.

This story has a moral. Watch the value of rare items. It can earn you thousands. (Saving you time on earning Neopoints plus the amount earned from selling the item)

13. Chart your expenditures:

Ever go on a shopping spree and afterwards think, “I spend two months worth of savings but now I’ve got all this cool stuff (probably junk)” Or do you think, “NOOOO, how could I have bought all this junk?” Trust me, the second one shows that you try to save Neopoints yet you aren’t very good at it. Charting your expenditures can make you realize just how much you spend, making you more money wise. All you have to do is make a document (Microsoft Excel works well here) and fill in everything you buy, how much it cost you (don’t forget to do this when you haggle) and when you bought it. If you then turn it into a graph you see just how much you spent! If you want to be really smart, make the graph so that it shows how much you earned (more work, but very helpful.) This process shows you how much you save and can motivate you to save more.

14. Don’t withdraw from your shop till:

Why? There are many reasons why you should not withdraw Neopoints from your shop till. I find that I leave my shop till untouched unless I’m using the funds from it to make my store bigger. It works well with small shops because you can really see how much you earn. Another benefit of keeping Neopoints in your Shop Till is that if you ever have your account hacked into (and this has happened to me once) the hacker will never, ever check your Shop Till unless you own a really big store. I assure you. If not, hey, I’M NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR IT!!!

And so, there you have it, the fourteen best ways to save Neopoints. Hopefully by saving you’ll be able to afford Neopian items like that paintbrush your pet wants for Christmas!

Authors Note: YAY!!! My first NT article! Please note that these ideas really work, I’ve tested them and use them myself. Please Neomail me with comments, hate mail, etc. Sorry that I didn’t stay true to the title :)