Where there's a Weewoo, there's a way Circulation: 183,771,762 Issue: 473 | 10th day of Celebrating, Y12
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Neopetcare between 25 and 1000 Neopoints


by kissy_08

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"Newly released Backgrounds are too expensive," I told Sunsaphir. “Let’s wait a few months and try to purchase it then.”

Sunsaphir looked disgruntled. “If you wouldn’t pick up so many Fosterpets, we’d have enough Neopoints,” he complained.

“You can hardly blame that on the Fosterpets. The adoption fees aren’t that expensive.”

“It’s not the fee. Is it enough to adopt a new pet? It needs food, toys...”

I gave Sunsaphir an odd look.

“One doesn’t need more than 1000 NP for that.”

“Prove it!” Sunsaphir said.

I grinned. “Okay. Let’s say I pick up a pet from the pound. It’s near death, because it’s that starved. Of course feeding it back to health is the first priority.

“I could point out the sources of free food now or pay 5 Neopoints for a day in the Cockroach Towers, but let’s say my other Neopets have eaten all the free food and the Cockroach Towers aren’t a place I want to send any of you to anyway. So I’ll have to buy all the food. Agreed?” I gave Sunsaphir a questioning look.

My Neopet nodded firmly. He didn’t want to be sent to the Cockroach Towers either.

“So, what do I give our poor new pet? First some juice against the thirst. We can buy a Can of Prune Juice for 2 NP.”

Sunsaphir looked it up in the Shop Wizard then nodded reluctantly.

“Then a Tchea Fruit for 2 NP.”

“Hey! Those are 5 NP.”

“You need to search a bit!” I chided Sunsaphir. “Don’t buy in the first shop you see! What did I want to say? Oh yes, it’s time for the main course: Chicken Cordon Bleu for 2 NP.”

“That sounds more filling than it is,” Sunsaphir objected.

“That’s why we add some Blandfish for 1 NP and Spectral Shrimp for 3 NP as a highlight.”

“That would mean we have spent 10 NP now,” Sunsaphir calculated. He might be a bit demanding on occasion, but he is not stupid.

“Now we add some Pimplepepper (1 NP) for spice. Now we only need some sweets to make the meal complete. With a bit of luck... Ah, here is a Drym Shaped Frosted Sugar Cookie for 2NP and a Scarab Cookie for 3 NP.“

I leaned back. “You’ll have to admit even the most hungry pet should be quite satiated now.”

“Granted,” Sunsaphir said. “We’ve spend only 16 NP so far, but we haven’t even touched the more expensive items.”

“I hope you don’t speak about toys. It’s no problem to find a Mallard Balloon or a Pinixy Keyring for 1 NP each.”

I shrugged. “Our new Pet probably feels lonely, so I’ll purchase a Petpet for them next.”

Sunsaphir's eyes widened. “Those are expensive. You said it’s rare to get one for under 1000 NP.”

“That was back, when I met you,” I said. “Times change. These days I can get a really beautiful Petpet like the Quetzal for 1 NP, if I find the right shop.”

Sunsaphir was stunned.

“I’ll add Snazzy Moon Comb for 1 NP for proper grooming. How many NP have I spent?”

“20.”

“All right. Now it’s time to educate the new Pet. Turmac Snacks is a book that teaches how to cook for Turmacs and other Petpets so it’s obligatory for each Petpet owner. This is going to cost us 2 whole, precious Neopoints.”

Now it was Sunsaphir's turn to roll his eyes at my sad attempt at humor.

“Now let’s add Neohome Background. It certainly is one of my favorite Backgrounds. How much do I have to pay for it? A single Neopoint! You see, Sunsaphir? It’s not necessary to spend hundred thousands of Neopoints for a background.”

Sunsaphir glared at me.

“I think we should buy a Veiled Autumn Hat for Style: 1 NP.”

Sunsaphir sighed. “Why in the world did you speak about 1000 Neopoints? So far you haven’t even reached 25 Neopoints.”

I made a face. “Because the only way to properly dress a Neopet with a 1 NP item would be choosing Ultra Fashionable Potato Sack. For all the other items there were alternatives, but not here. And though it can look quite well on the right pet, it is not the best choice together with Veiled Autumn Hat. I’d by far prefer to complement that hat with Long Orange Dress.”

“And if the pet is male?”

“Then we should not buy the hat or the dress. We’ll go with White Top Chop Trousers and White Top Chop Robe instead. You should be able to find both for 400 NP.”

I sighed. “I used to be able to buy them for less than 100 NP, but those times are gone now. Anyway, if you can’t find Long Orange Dress for less than 800 NP, you’ve not searched well enough. So, no matter the gender, we’ve spent no more than 823 so far.”

“Okay.”

“I am adding a Wind Up Pocket Watch for 100 NP. That works with both outfits.”

“And what do we do with the remaining Neopoints?”

“We are adding something to make the room more pretty. Bowl of Shiny Decorations works well, but if I can’t find one that is cheap enough, Tutorial Certificate of Completion will do.”

Sunsaphir nodded slowly.

I held up my hands and smiled. “And the nicest thing of all? A pet like this might be chosen as Notable Neopet. According to the editorial of The Neopian Times issue 315, any Neopet that is entered into the Customisation Spotlight and has been customized with four or more items has a chance of being chosen.”

“Our Fosterpet would have five items.”

“Yes.”

“You should send that list to the Neopian Times, Krissy. Maybe they’ll publish it.”

“Shop Wizard prices can change very quickly. By the time it’s published they might be very different.”

“So what would do you do if you adopt another pet and the prices have gone up?”

I smiled. “Choose other items. The trick is looking for food, toys, petpets, books or customization items that are randomly given out as prizes in free activities like Fruit Machine or Key Quest. Even if you personally have never gotten a Veiled Autumn Hat, enough others will have. That makes buying them at the Shop Wizard a real joy. I might not be able to buy the items I’ve just listed as cheaply as today, but there will be alternatives. I’d be surprised if I had to pay more than 1000 neopoints for the whole program unless I want to.”

I winked at Sunsaphir. “25 Neopoints if I am satisfied with a background, one other item and Ultra Fashionable Potato Sack for wearables.”

“That’s not enough to become a Notable Neopet.”

“I doubt a day will come when I can’t pick up a Pile of Dung at the Second-Hand Shoppe for free.”

“And I doubt a Pile of Dung is going to increase our Foster's chances to be chosen.”

He always has to have the last word.

 
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