Stardew Valley is a life simulation game about being a farmer, released in 2016. The game has attracted fans of the genre and has been positively received by critics. However, most players have noticed that at a certain point, there is a catastrophic lack of money to maintain the farm. While this problem is not so acute at the beginning, it becomes increasingly difficult as more animals, plants, and structures are added to the farm.

To make the game more comfortable, you can use an interesting method that allows you to forget about the financial shortage.

What you need to know first

Players should remember that you can only earn a lot of money if you don't get distracted by everything else. No interactions with NPCs, fishing, or other activities. The character must fully dedicate themselves to the method of making quick money. And only then, with a full wallet, you can do whatever you want.

Also, forget about animal breeding. Of course, they bring in some money, but the effort invested in it does not justify the return. After all, the player will have to take care of the animals themselves on a daily basis. The easiest way to make quick money is by growing valuable crops that can be used to produce valuable artisan goods. The finished products can be sold for a high profit.

At the beginning of the game, you won't be able to produce expensive goods. First, the character will have to improve their farming skills. So for about a month, you'll have to sell the harvested crops without attempting to process them. However, it's worth being patient, and soon the situation will change.

Creating a daily schedule

You need to act according to a well-planned schedule. In the first half of the day, you need to take care of the seedlings: grow plants, water them, and harvest the mature crops. In the second half of the day, the character should focus on gathering valuable minerals. Also, at the beginning, it's not worth trying to rebuild the Community Center. It will be much faster to do it later. Right now, the player's task is to build a greenhouse and repair minecarts. 

The minecarts are necessary for fast transportation. It's also important to pay attention to tools. First, upgrade the pickaxe. With its help, you can work faster in the mine and mine valuable ore.

In general, the concept of the daily schedule is simple and straightforward. It's also important to remember the order of actions by season. If done correctly, you'll be able to get rich by the end of the year. But it's important to remember that all characters develop differently. Therefore, there may be some variations in performing certain actions.

Spring

Immediately, you should buy potato and parsnip seeds. They will be the main source of income until the 12th day. It's important to ensure that the crops are ready for harvest by this time so that they can be collected and sold. With the money earned from the sales, on the 13th day, buy strawberry seeds. You can find the seeds at the Egg Festival, which takes place on that day. It won't be possible to grow strawberries earlier.

Immediately on the 13th day, plant the seeds. Then all you have to do is wait a week for them to grow. After that, the harvest will appear every four days. While it's spring, the character can harvest strawberries three times and earn money from them. If everything is done correctly, by the end of the season, the player will have enough money to buy sprinklers. They will automate plant care.

Summer

It all depends on the character's level. If they haven't reached level 4 yet, they'll have to grow blueberries. They are similar to strawberries: they grow once and then provide a steady harvest. Their berries are considered one of the most expensive, so you can make good money from them. A character with level 4 can choose to grow melons. With them, kegs will also become available.

Thanks to the acquisition of such equipment, the player will be able to make jam from fruits and preserves from vegetables. This will significantly increase the value of their crops. For example, while fresh blueberries cost 50 coins, jam made from them can be sold for 150 coins. Melons are even better. A melon itself costs 250 coins, but melon jam can be sold for 550 coins.

The main goal for the player is to level up their character to level 5 by the end of the season. Immediately after reaching level 5, they should choose the "Artisan" specialization. This specialization increases the value of artisan goods, but it only takes effect once the player reaches level 10 and obtains the "Artisan" status. Until that happens, you can forget about the "Artisan" specialization and not pay attention to it.

Fall

With the arrival of fall, the player should focus all their efforts on growing pumpkins. Even raw pumpkins have a high value, and pumpkin jam can become the main source of income. Additionally, you can allocate a plot for growing grapes. However, grapes require trellises, which block pathways where they are placed. Therefore, grapes should be planted sparingly and positioned in a way that does not hinder the care of other crops.

If everything was done correctly in the previous seasons, the player should already have a lot of money by the beginning of fall. Planting grapes and pumpkins will only increase the profit. There should be enough funds to even build a barn, which can hold nearly 70 casks. However, it's recommended to only construct the barn when there are absolutely no financial issues.

At the end of fall, the player should unlock quality sprinklers. Once unlocked, they should produce as many as possible and place them all over the farm. It's important not to make the mistake of switching to wine production at this point. The reason is simple - it's not as profitable as making jam, and wine takes much longer to produce. As a result, the daily profit will not be as significant as with jam production.

Winter

Winter is a season when nothing can be planted or grown in open fields. Naturally, the profit margin will sharply decrease. However, by this time, the character should already have enough gold coins. To sustain their financial state, they can rely on the level 7 foraging skill. This skill allows the character to create special seeds. By growing these seeds, they can earn at least something.

By the way, if jam sells well, it's worth considering building a greenhouse. In the greenhouse, you can grow any crops even during winter. This will provide a stable income and make the transition between seasons less noticeable.

One particularly notable crop in Stardew Valley is the Ancient Fruit. Even in its raw form, it is worth 550 coins. But selling Ancient Fruit jam can fetch 1150 coins. The uniqueness of Ancient Fruit is that it can be planted at any time of the year. However, that's precisely why the plant is the rarest. First, the player needs to obtain an "Ancient Seed" in the mine. Then they must donate it to the library and receive Ancient Seeds with growing instructions in return. Of course, they will have to wait a month for the crop, but afterwards, they can harvest it every week.

Additionally, the player can develop their farming skill to level 9. After reaching this level, they will gain access to the Seed Maker, which allows them to obtain up to three seeds from a single Ancient Fruit. As a result, they can continuously grow the rare plant and generate excellent income from it.