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A Penny Pincher's Guide to Living Fabulously!


by wooper123218

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You’ve been in this situation before. Almost everyone has been in this situation at one point. You’re at the Neopian Bazaar. You’re walking down the path with your pet when you notice your pet wander over to the toy shop. Reluctantly you follow it and find it gazing at a red bouncy ball. Seeing that you've followed it, your pet turns around and asks you for the ball. Knowing that you barely have enough for food, you must say no. Your pet frowns and says okay and you can see the disappointment in its eyes. Just before you leave a Cybunny snatches the bouncy ball off the shelf then brags to her friends that now she has every bouncy ball Neopia has to offer. Obviously your pet heard the Cybunny too because now it looks even gloomier. As you walk out of the toy store the very faint jingle from your pocket reminds you of the little neopoints you have. It’s going to be omelettes and prune juice for dinner again tonight.

For a very long time, this situation was my lifestyle. My pets were almost always hungry and the only things they could play with were broken toys and blue Aisha plushies. But then I discovered ways that my pets could live fabulously, even with the lack of neopoints, and I want to share them with you.

Food

You’ll never have to eat another omelette again! Omelettes and other things you’ve eaten so much you forgot what any other food tastes like are avoided in this plan for your 3 meals (and don’t forget snacks!).

Breakfast

Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day, so eat up! My pets usually start off with a ripe, fresh Tchea fruit. Make sure it’s not rotten, or mutant for that matter, because a stomachache is not the best way to start your day. Next is a nice bowl of jelly cereal. After you’ve finished the cereal, it’s always great fun to eat the spoon and bowl! All together, breakfast is about 232 neopoints per pet. It’s the most expensive meal, but after all it is the most important!

Morning Snack

It’s always a good idea to get a bite to eat in the middle of your morning. Mornings are the busiest, so nutrients are essential. A quick Tchea Fruit, Baggus, Screlon, Cheops, or any cheap fruit or veggie you can find is delicious and helps you make it to lunch. All together a morning snack is 2-50 neopoints per pet. Wow!

Lunch

Everybody loves lunch breaks! Make your lunch break extra special by eating something extra tasty! A Mashed Potato with Gravy is wonderful and cheap. Homemade Marmalade (a personal favorite of my Zafara Zippyzappy) or Gooseberry Jam are perfect on a piece of Neowaiian Bread. Don’t forget, Bread Fish goes great with Butterfish, and any other fish! All together, lunch is about 20-150 neopoints. Yum!

Afternoon Snack

Lunch and dinner can sometimes be very far apart. An afternoon snack can help you make it to dinner. Like I said before, cheap fruit and veggies are great! A Box of Trifle Mix is tasty too.

Dinner

Dinner doesn’t have to be fancy! It’s tasty, even if it is cheap! I’ve got two very important words that I want you to remember, so I’m going to say them a few times. Desert food, desert food, DESERT FOOD! A Grackle Stuffed Turkey with a side of Sphinx Links, yummy! Fish is a great dinner, fresh from Underwater Fishing or the marketplace, and it’s filled with protein! All together, dinner is about 1-60 neopoints.

Dessert

Mmmm mmmm good! Right before dinner or before bed, dessert is good anytime! Jelly is always delicious, especially when you add your own twist to it. On nights when my pets and I are bored of plain old Jelly, we love to add fruit or marshmallows into it! Pyramibread is also delicious, but makes you very thirsty so be sure to have milk on hand!

I hope you liked my meal plan! (I know I’m drooling over it.) Now, you’re probably wondering, “What about everything else? We can’t just eat all our lives!” You’re absolutely right, so don’t worry! There’s a lot more to come!

Furniture

Are you sick of living in an empty neohome? Are your pets tired of sleeping on the floor? I know, I know, furnishing can be expensive. But it can be cheap! Beds can be very expensive, so build your own! Tyrannian furniture is cheap and great for building with! You can just have a slab of stone if you want, but I suggest adding things like bed posts and things like that. You can make anything you want with Tyrannian furniture! Get creative! Let your pets help! It will be a great experience for you and your pets and your home will look nice too!

Gardening

Gardening can be a difficult and expensive task. Spice up your yard and make your neohome look beautiful with... kelp! (Not the restaurant.) Yes, kelp! The inexpensive, great looking, backyard beauty. Make a field of kelp, a maze of kelp, even spell your pet's name with kelp! Like I said before, get creative and have fun!

Toys

Toys are not a necessity but they will make your neopet happy. Toys from Geraptiku are great fun, cheap and easy to find. If your pets are scared of Geraptiku merchandise, be on the lookout for cheap plushies. They’re everywhere! If your neopets are still bored, give them a thing of Pickled Olives and ask them to open it. They’ll be occupied for hours!

I hope you enjoyed my guide and have taken away something important from it. You don’t have to be rich to live fabulously!

 
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