Come dance with the Wanderers... Circulation: 192,066,143 Issue: 629 | 24th day of Sleeping, Y16
Home | Archives Articles | Editorial | Short Stories | Comics | New Series | Continued Series
 

Limiting Your Neopoint Spending


by rationalizing

--------

Neopoints are generally crucial to a Neopian's happiness. For some, having a wealth of neopoints simply brings a feeling of great satisfaction. The neopoints earned are a symbol of their hard work and dedication to their account. On the other hand, neopoints are just a means of achieving one's dreams. Some Neopians might have extravagant goals of painting their pets exotic colors, or owning a spectacular gallery full of sparkly items. Regardless of the reason behind earning neopoints, they are the basis of the Neopian economy and we all like to save them, for one reason or another.

However, saving neopoints is generally easier said than done. Sure, some of us may have small fortunes in our vaults at the National Neopian, but at some point in time, all of us are tempted by items we simply must have. What is one to do when faced with beautiful wearables and extraordinary Battledome weapons? How can we resist our urges when our pockets are tingling and our neopoints are begging to be spent? Hopefully, the tips offered in this guide can help you.

1. Set a neopoint goal before spending

Whenever I need to save up a good sum of neopoints, my first strategy is to set a neopoint goal before spending anything. This means that I would not allow myself to spend anything until my neopoint balance reached a certain amount. For instance, I bought a pirate Draik egg, which at the time cost about 1,500,000 neopoints. My bank account's balance was about 7,000,000 neopoints, and I was not yet comfortable with spending about 20 percent of my assets. I told myself I would not buy the Draik egg until I had enough neopoints in my bank account to be comfortable with, so I set out to have at least 10,000,000 neopoints in the bank before I spent them on anything. That way, I would have more neopoints in the bank after I spent some than I had before.

When setting a neopoint goal, you want to set goals that are reasonable for you. Take in account how many neopoints you usually earn and the frequency of it. Then, set your goal. Be as realistic as possible, but also give yourself enough of a challenge so that you won't go spending away all your neopoints tomorrow.

2. Give yourself a budget

A great way to curb the amount of neopoints you spend is by setting a limit to how many you use at a time. By budgeting your neopoints, you are allowing yourself some luxury while also making sure that you are not going overboard with your spending. This way, your bank account remains relatively constant as you earn back the neopoints you spend!

Be careful, though! Budgeting your neopoints may seem easy at first, but there will always be circumstances that tempt you to push your budget just a little bit. My advice for when these circumstances arise: don't! Try your best not to push your budgets at all, because over time expanding it "just a little bit" can make a large difference in the amount of neopoints you had before and the amount you have after your spending.

3. Only spend what you have on hand

This strategy involves not withdrawing from your bank account at all, and only spending the neopoints you have on hand. Whether you make frequent deposits or not, you have to resist the temptation of withdrawing any neopoints you don't currently have "on you." This way, your bank account balance never dwindles; it can only increase!

I cannot recommend this strategy from experience, because personally, I love withdrawing neopoints from my bank account. I am not comfortable with having many neopoints on hand, so I simply must withdraw them. However, if you, like some friends of mine, are one of those people who are comfortable with carrying around a load of neopoints, this strategy may help!

4. Tell yourself "I'll buy it later."

Although seemingly useless, this tip can actually do wonders. There are countless times that I have spared a couple hundred thousand neopoints by telling myself I'll "get it tomorrow" or "I'll buy it later." Then, when the impulse springs into your mind once more, tell yourself you'll buy it later again. By delaying your spending, you essentially lessen its importance. Eventually, you forget all about your impulsive want, or you simply disregard it. In consequence, you also have a few extra neopoints to save!

5. Avoid temptation

Perhaps the most difficult, and maybe the most efficient, way of curbing your neopoint spending is by avoiding temptation. This may involve changing your daily routines and habits so you do not cross a path in which you are tempted to spend your neopoints. This might mean you'll visit the shops less or take a break from collecting items for your gallery. Basically, there is no definite way to avoiding temptation because it is all subjective. Each Neopian must recognize their unique wants, and choose not to indulge in them.

6. Look at the bigger picture.

If all else fails, one final strategy to deceasing your neopoint spending is to consider the bigger picture. In essence, take into account your major goals and dreams on Neopets, and ask yourself if spending your neopoints on a particular item will be worth it. Ask yourself, "will buying this item help me or hurt me?" If you can answer that it will help, by all means, spend your neopoints! If not, do not spend them.

For example, you might dream of painting your Krawk into a shiny robot. The only means of achieving such an elusive color is through the Secret Laboratory Ray. To get access to the Lab, one must collect all nine pieces of the Secret Laboratory Map. Because you o desire a robot Krawk, you might be willing to spend the neopoints on the Lab map (and any morphing potions that may change your Krawk's species!). On the other hand, the Laboratory Ray may be inconsequential to your ultimate goal. Perhaps you only want beautiful faerie Neopets; you couldn't care less about a robot Krawk! In this instance, a Laboratory Ray may not be important to you, so don't spend your precious neopoints on it!

Keep in mind that these are examples of two very short-term goals. There are countless other situations that call for deeper thinking, but the strategy remains the same: if, and only if, your spending benefits your grand ambitions, spend.

As a very avid neopoint earner and spender, I know what it feels like to earn a vast sum of neopoints, as well as what it feels like to need to urgently spend them. There have been many occasions when impulses have driven me to spend thousands, hundreds of thousands, even millions of neopoints on items that I have come to regret later. However, I like to think that I have improved substantially. Over time, I have learned to curb my neopoint spending by keeping the tips above in the back of my mind at all time. Whether you aim to accumulate a large sum of neopoints just for satisfaction or hope to achieve the Gallery Spotlight with your collection of expensive items, I hope this guide is as helpful to you as it is to me.

 
Search the Neopian Times




Great stories!


---------

10 Games Facts Many People Don't Know About
Here's a list of random things that numerous people asked on the boards more than once or were really surprised to find out about + a few games tips for you.

by nicanorduarte

---------

Why Chocolate Kads Don't Exist!
Mew!

Idea by vikrambal

by littledude61394


---------

Once a Thief: Part Four
Carson paused. "What will be my first assignment?"

"Elrique is briefing us tomorrow," Vaughn answered. "It's going to be a good one."

by crazy_4_sushi


---------

Faerie Wars I: The Six Kingdoms - Part Five
"Erased your names?"

The grey faerie nodded. "They are vanished; they have never been," she explained.

by kioasakka




Submit your stories, articles, and comics using the new submission form.