ConcernedApe's farming simulator Stardew Valley is all about reconnecting with nature and settling into small-town life, all while getting to know the neighbors and forging new relationships. The retro-style game isn't predominately about making money, but the new farmer in town is going to need a whole lot of cash to fund their progress and success.
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A great deal of Stardew Valley game time is spent trying to find easy and quick ways to make lots of money, especially in the early game. Players will need cash to upgrade farm buildings and their homes. They also need it to purchase tools, seeds, gifts, Stardrops, and countless other things. Fortunately, Stardew Valley has more than one way to get rich fast.
Updated February 21st by Isaac Williams: Money isn't all that's important in Stardew Valley. However, getting anywhere in the game does require it. This list has been updated with even more of the best ways to make money quickly. This includes ways to generate large amounts of money rapidly in the late game as well as the early game.
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12 Fishing
It's very easy to start fishing in Stardew Valley. Local fisherman Willy gifts them their first rod for free. Players can begin catching fish and making money without having to invest in seeds or tools. Players also find opportunities to fish early on. They may find themselves at a loose end while waiting for their first harvest.
Fishing is a great way for Stardew Valley players to pass the time and level up on a skill. In addition, it also allows players to make some cash from selling fish to Willy or at the shipping bin while they're waiting for crops to grow. Upgrading to a better fishing rod is also reasonably pain-free compared to other tools.
11 Foraging
While Stardew Valley players are exploring Pelican Town and introducing themselves to the array of characters, there's the perfect opportunity to collect foraged goods. Selling plants and vegetables like Daffodils and Horseradishes is an easy and fast way to make more cash while getting settled into the valley.
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In Spring, players should head to the bottom of the forest from Marnie's house, near the sewer entrance. There they'll find a scattered field of Spring Onions. Checking back throughout the season to get the most out of this forageable crop is one of the best ways to make money in Stardew Valley.
10 Farming Mixed Seeds
When Stardew Valley players first clear their farm of Fiber, they'll end up with a surplus of Mixed Seeds. Players can also find more when clearing Fiber around town. This is especially true of the forest by Marnie's and the Wizard's places. When planted, Mixed Seeds will grow into a variety of seasonal foraged goods.
Mixed Seeds are entirely free. This makes them a great way to expand fields of crops without the hefty investment of buying seeds from Pierre or the Joja Corporation. Although foraged goods don't sell as well as seasonal crops, they'll still help to work towards players' saving goals. Moreover, they can also help farmers complete the Community Center Bundles.
9 Tree Tapping
Once Stardew farmers have reached Level 3 in Foraging, they'll unlock the recipe for tree Tappers. These can be placed on maple trees to obtain Maple Syrup, oak trees for Oak Resin, and pine trees to get some Pine Tar. All players will need is some Wood and Copper Ore to make these nifty money-makers.
The best way for Stardew Valley players to make money from tapping trees is to clear plenty of space and add more trees. Maple Syrup sells the best at 200g per jar, while Oak Resin makes 150g and Pine Tar brings in 100g. However, the latter can be used for other money-making opportunities.
8 Crops That Keep Producing
Stardew Valley has a strong focus on farming and harvesting crops. Each of the three seasons for farming has a wide variety of crops for players to plant. In particular, each season has luxurious crops that cost a lot but sell for a large amount of money. However, simpler crops can prove a much easier way to make money early on.
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Several crops only have to grow once, and then produce fruit or vegetables for the rest of the season. These are Green Beans and Strawberries in Spring; Blueberries, Corn, Tomatoes, and Hot Peppers in Summer; and Cranberries, Eggplants, and Corn in Autumn. These reduce the cost of buying more seeds and free the player's time up to make money in other ways.
7 Artisanal Goods
Crops and animal products are some of the most basic things to sell in Stardew Valley. However, almost all of them can be turned into something more profitable later in the game. Artisanal Goods are a broad category encompassing many things. Some, such as mayonnaise and wine, are specific strategies in their own right.
However, almost any artisanal goods are a good way to make money. By design, they are more profitable than selling their base ingredients. Mead is worth more than Honey. Cloth is worth more than Wool. Truffle Oil is an improvement on the already-invaluable Truffles. Even the simplest Artisanal Goods do incur a slight delay over selling crops, but they quicky become worth it.
6 Raising Chickens
Out of all the animals available to purchase in Stardew Valley, Chickens are the cheapest and easiest to look after. Building a Coop is relatively easy. It costs 4000g and only requires small amounts of Wood and Stone. Chickens can be bought from Marnie for 800g each.
Chickens will only lay Small Eggs at first, which fetch prices between 50g and 100g. Once the chickens settle in, they'll start laying larger Eggs worth between 95g and 190g. Players should craft Mayonnaise Machines to increase their profits to between 190g and 380g per tub of Mayo.
5 Gems And Crystalariums
Gems are some of the most valuable individual items in Stardew Valley. This is especially true of Diamonds, which cost 750g at base. However, the most efficient way to sell them isn't to just find them in the mines. Using Crystalariums can give players a non-stop supply of diamonds to sell at profit.
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A Crystalarium is a tool that replicates any gem put into it. Gems are useful building items, meaning that they have other uses besides money. Having a single Crystalarium speeds up a player's sales from gems rapidly. Having more can rake in a lot of money very quickly. Crystalariums can take some time to unlock. However, players can manage it quickly if they prioritize mining.
4 Fish Ponds
Fish Ponds can be built quite early on in a Stardew Valley playthrough. This is due to their cheap price and limited, easy-to-obtain materials. Each pond can only house one type of fish. Fan favorite choices include Sturgeons, Rainbow Trout, and Lava Eels.
Sturgeons will produce expensive Roe which can be made into Caviar. Rainbow Trout fish ponds have a small chance of producing rare Prismatic Shards. Lava Eels are more likely to produce Gold Ore. Fish eggs can be made into pricey Aged Roe with the help of Preserves Jars.
3 Preserves Jars
Like Kegs, Preserves Jars can more than double the price of crops. They turn vegetables into Pickles and fruits into Jams. They're easy and inexpensive to make, requiring only Wood, Coal, and Stone to craft. Preserves Jars have a specific niche compared to the more valuable Kegs.
In Stardew Valley, Preserves Jars double a fruit or vegetable's worth and add an additional 50g on top. Individual crops with high values are better suited for Kegs. However, lower-value crops, particularly those with large yields, are worth more in a Preserves Jar. It can be very rewarding to focus on quantity over quality in Stardew Valley.
2 Wine And Cheese In Casks
Wine and Cheese are two types of Artisanal Goods that can be made even more profitable. Fermenting Fruit and Milk in a Keg creates a high-value good. However, Casks can increase their value even further. Ageing Wine or Cheese in a cask increases its quality. This caps at Iridium quality, which is worth six times the crop's base value.
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This is one of the best ways to make money in all of Stardew Valley. Starfruit Wine is the single most profitable item from a single crop in the entire game. Players only get to this point in the game after significant investment. However, these products will make the investment back rapidly and take care of a player's financial needs from then on.
1 Harvesting Honey
The crafting recipe for Bee Houses is unlocked once players reach Farming Level 3. This should happen rather rapidly when players are tending to crops daily. All farmers will need is Wood, Coal, Maple Syrup, and an Iron Bar to make their first Bee House.
Bee Houses can be placed anywhere on the farm. They will produce tubs of Honey every four nights in any season apart from Winter. Basic Wild Honey will fetch a price of 100g. However, if players want to make the most of their new bees, they'll need to plant Fairy Roses in the Fall to make the biggest profits of 680g per jar.
NEXT: The 10 Worst Stardew Valley Characters