Quick Early Game Money

[inactiveaccount]

This isn't going to be elaborate, as many people probably do this already, but here's a guide for newbies who need a bit of money for random events such as the Traveling Merchant, Blood Moons, etc.

Step one: Make a house.

(mediocre building skill not included)

Step two: Get 50 silver (if you haven't already) and get the Merchant to move in. With this silver, buy a Bug Net from the Merchant.

Step three: Go to the snow biome and catch some penguins with the Bug Net.

Step four: Profit :^)

Each penguin is worth 12 silver 50 copper.
This is useful for getting a bit of spare change each time you go back to your base, and it can add up later on.

TL;DR: don't kill critters, catch them and sell them!

 

[Blood Crawler]

Knew it but still a useful thread. Also you can sell grasshoppers and they're by far easier to farm: Flower Boots/Boots Of Ostara + Flare Gun make the grass instantly grow and break, making it a fast grasshopper generator (there's also a chance of spawning a golden grasshopper!).

 

[inactiveaccount]

Oh yes, for sure. The flower boots method is definitely more lucrative. However, they're quite a rare find (I've had a few small worlds which didn't spawn with one at all, and sadly Jungle Crates don't drop them), and require going into the Underground Jungle, whereas you can find penguins in the Surface Tundra, a comparatively safer biome. This is also just to get a small amount of gold right at the beginning of the game; once (if) you find flower boots, this will already be obsolete, as you can easily farm, say, the Eye of Cthulhu and get more money selling the Demonite/Crimtane from it.

where my golden penguins at though ;w;