Thrifty Living: Pets, Paints, and You

      You! Yeah, you! I see you there, eyeing those paints. You ever feel like you absolutely have to have that Sloth awful expensive color on your pets, but maybe expensive paints, or more properly Paint Brushes are a bit out of your reach? (Or uh, maybe you're indisposed with your stamp album at the moment?) Well, stop right there my friend my name is Skyfor and just because I'm painted Gold doesn't mean that my great Neopian family's primary breadwinner, Kat's, pockets are lined with it (or that it isn't going elsewhere... Like codestones. C'mon, next training, chop chop...) so today I'm going to talk about letting your pets live it up with lavish colors of all sorts on a rigid budget. Colors like Royal, Maraquan, and even a few awful lab only colors. Don't believe me yet? Just wait and see.

      The first thing we're going to talk about is budgeting and personally this is something that Kat should work on more so in her Neocash habit than her Neopoint one but I digress. Before you even start looking at color changing options you need to consider this first: How. Much. Are. You. Willing. To. Spend. Take that in word for word. Knowing how crazy you're willing to be before can help you not lose your mind and prioritize methods being used. For example, if you don't want to spend the almost two million Neopoints on a Royal Paint Brush but also want a chocolate pet, then maybe switching around which option you use for what is a good idea. What options? Oh, there's several.

      Also keep in mind how long you want to keep this color, some methods exist on a long timer and that would just really not be good if you got stuck with a robot for a year and want a faerie, just saying. If you are the kind of person that changes pets often then using the premium perk right away is probably not a good idea.

      Planning ahead is also a good thing, knowing what pet you want to be what color or species can save you a headache in the long run. Going back to the Royal Paint Brush example, Royal cannot be gotten via a Fountain Faerie Quest... But it can be gotten via the premium perk if you play your cards right, and chocolate can be gotten via the Fountain Faerie.

      The Direct Method: Paint Brushes

      Okay, so I know we're talking about other ways to paint but what if you're looking for a pet to customize? Several inexpensive options are just gorgeous, take the Christmas Ruki for example. Or take myself as an example. My paint and morph only came out to about 400K at the end of the day and if you're doing your dailies and battles like you should that's no sweat at all. When looking for thrifty "High Quality" colors from actual paint brushes don't neglect the ones that customize well and don't be afraid to play around a bit. There are even certified fansites on the community hub that can help with this.

      The Slightly Less Direct Method: Morphing Potions

      So, you're looking and a color you just L-O-V-E LOVE costs a ripe 3-5 Million. Uh, yeah no thanks. But did you know that a whole lot of morphing potions are cheaper than their paint brush? This is especially true if you're looking for a pet that's maybe Plushie or Maraquan or Woodland or ya know, something like that. Something that will cost you a pretty penny. Morphing Potions are great for commitment issues, by the way, because they are so relatively cheap you can switch it up however and whenever you feel.

      I also feel Magical Plushies should get a mention here, since they do basically the same thing as a morphing potion, but come in much less variety.

      This is Not the Direct Method: The Fountain Faerie and Lab Ray

      Okay, here's where things get a little more complicated. The hardest part about utilizing the Fountain Faerie is actually getting a quest from her, I don't know if she's just got it all under control or what but it will not be often you see her for a quest. If you are going to to utilize this method, why not make it a lab only color? Or maybe something very expensive or very new, like Steampunk or Stealthy? Here is where you really, really need to weigh if you actually need to use this method, as it may also involve real money -- the easiest way to get her quests is from doing daily quests with the Faerie Quest Fortune Cookie.

      Also good to note here is the Lab Ray. Though the Lab Ray is quite pricey it is a one time expenditure and you will never had to pay for it again unless you want it on sides. The lab is great because only a few colors aren't available this way, such as Royal or Usuki. Which means if you actually have serious commitment to paint issues this method might be great to try new things.

      About as Indirect as You Can Get: The Premium Perk

      Last on our merry little list we see that TNT has released this cool new premium perk that allows you to change the species of you pet and keep his or her color. The perk is pretty self explanatory but what if your pet's new species doesn't come in the color you're seeking? In which case you can pick the color! This is amazing for people who want pets that are say... Robot, which would otherwise always require a visit to the lab ray. Also, it's great for getting colors that are not available via the lab or the Fountain Faerie, such as Royal. There is one huge catch to this method though, and that is that it only can be used once per year. So be very wise and plan ahead.

      Now, see, that's not so bad is it? You really can have super nice pets while still affording your stamp avatars and your fancy Neodeck cards with the gold backs. In closing, remember to always plan ahead. Think about what pets you want and how the methods work together so that you don't waste a method or make something harder than you have to. Now, paint those pets!