Money. Cash. Gold. No matter what you want to call it, you’re going to need lots of it if you want to make the most of Stardew Valley. Much like in real life, once you start trying to grow your farm, you’ll realize it’s not as easy as it sounds, and things get expensive really quick.
Turning a profit with your farm may seem easy at first, but it can quickly turn into a slow, painful grindfest if you don’t know what you’re doing. On the flip side, the surprisingly complex mechanics that hide behind this game’s cutesy exterior can also make you rich really quickly, as long as you follow my tips.
In this article, we’ll show you how to make money in Stardew Valley during the different seasons, with different activities, and even show you the most profitable crops in the game.
How to Make Money Mining in Stardew Valley
Mining is crucial to make the most of Stardew Valley. It’s one of the best ways to find rare items and crafting materials that allow you to upgrade your farm and tools. Once Jojo Mart blasts them open on the fifth day of spring, it’s time to head to the mines and get your hands dirty.
The mines might not seem very profitable at first, but as you progress down the levels, rare gems and ores will become more and more common. Here’s an overview of the metal ore you can expect to find at different levels:
- Copper Ore: Copper is the least valuable of the metals found in the mines. It appears occasionally on the upper levels and becomes increasingly more common as you reach levels 20 – 39.
- Iron Ore: Iron will begin phasing out copper at level 40 and will become common at levels 60 – 79.
- Gold Ore: The most valuable metal found in the mines, it will start appearing at level 80 and become less rare as you approach level 120. Once you reach the end of the mines, you’ll gain access to the Skull Cavern, where you can mine Iridium, the most valuable metal in the game.
Along the way, you’ll also find gems, treasure chests, and rare items which can make your mining even more profitable. However, selling raw materials is not the most effective way to make a buck. You should use them to upgrade your farm and equipment, and only sell what you have left over.
How to Make Money in Winter in Stardew Valley
Winter can be one of the toughest seasons to work through in this game. All crops, weeds, and grass die out as soon as winter starts, and players who rely on their farm are left scrambling for ways to make it through the season.
However, winter can be just as profitable as any other season, if not more. There are two main strategies you can use to bring home the bacon during the colder months:
- Using a Greenhouse: Greenhouses are a lifesaver for anyone who’s dead set on farming throughout the year. They keep your crops safe from the weather, crows, and even lightning. However, you won’t find any valuable seeds during the winter, so make sure to stock up before the season starts.
- Foraging, Fishing, and Mining: Stardew Valley isn’t just a cute farming simulator, the game’s filled with activities to keep you busy. Fishing is arguably the most profitable activity during winter since it works just as in any other season, but hitting the mines or foraging can quickly line your pockets too!
In the end, winter is a great opportunity to explore parts of the game you usually can’t because you’re busy tending to your crops. Use this time to upgrade your farm and tools, stock up on wood and stone by clearing space and maybe make some friends around town.
Of course, things change once you’re able to farm during winter…
How to Get a Greenhouse
The greenhouse is present on the farm as soon as the game starts. However, it’s in dire need of repairs and won’t be usable until you do. To get your greenhouse up and running you’ll have to complete the Pantry Bundles on the community center. Once you do, your crops will be protected from the elements year-round.
Keep in mind that you won’t find any valuable seeds for purchase once winter sets in, so if you’re planning on farming, stock up on high-value seeds.
How to Make Money in Summer in Stardew Valley
Making money during the summer is a lot easier than during the winter. With clear skies, lush greenery, and lots of sunlight, farming is the name of the game. Now’s the time to expand your farmland, set up sprinklers if you have them, and purchase the right seeds to make the most of the season.
Let’s go through three strategies you can use to get rich during the summer:
- Planting Blueberries: Blueberries are one of the most profitable crops in the game, if you play your cards right you can make up to 35 gold a day per plant.
- Fishing: It’s been stated previously, but fishing is the perfect way to make money while you wait for your crops to mature. This is especially true for a rainy day if your sprinklers aren’t set up yet.
- Making Pale Ale: Pale Ale comes from Hops, a summer crop. It’s one of the best investments you can make as each Pale Ale sells for 300 gold. However, crafting ale requires some extra items that beginners won’t have.
Make Money Planting Blueberries
As mentioned, blueberries are some of the most profitable crops in the game. The trick to making 35 gold per day with each blueberry plant is to be ready as soon as summer starts.
Blueberries take 13 days to mature, but can then be harvested every 4 days. If you plant all of your seeds on day 1, you’ll be able to harvest them more times, thus making more money.
Blueberry seeds cost 80 gold and produce 3 blueberries that can be sold for 80 gold each for a total of 240 gold per harvest.
Make Money Fishing
Fishing doesn’t change that much from season to season. What makes summer special is the access to summer-only species that will give you special rewards, as well as selling for a nice profit.
If you’re having trouble with your backpack size, try fishing right outside Willie’s shop. That way you can hop over and sell your catch quickly before going fishing once again.
Making Pale Ale
Making Pale Ale is one of the best ways to make money in this game. However, in order to turn your hops into this expensive brew, you need a keg. Players can get a keg at farmer level 8 after completing either the Artisan or Brewers Bundle in the pantry.
Once you have a keg, things are pretty simple. Just harvest your hops, throw them in the keg and wait 11 days. Boom, you have ale and 300 gold in your pocket.
How to Make Money without Crops in Stardew Valley
We’ve covered a few ways to make money outside of farming already, such as fishing, mining, and foraging, but if you want something a bit more reliable then read along.
Honey, that thing that bees make, and we eat. Once you reach farmer level 3, you’ll be able to build a beehive that makes honey every three or four days in every season but winter.
Just having your bees out and about will be enough to make you some extra cash, but if you want to rake in the big bucks you need to take it a step further. You need to make floral honey.
How to Make Floral Honey
Floral honey is what happens when you have unharvested flowers within five tiles of the hive. You can easily double or quadruple your honey’s worth just by placing the right flower in the right place.
In fact, if you manage to get your hands on some Fairy Rose flowers you can use them to make Fairy Rose honey, which sells for 680 gold.
How to Make Money with the Slime Hutch in Stardew Valley
The Slime Hutch is a building that confuses most Stardew Valley players. After all, what’s the point of breeding slimes and having a bunch of slimes all around you?
With a little game knowledge, you might come to realize there are two ways you can use the slime hutch to your advantage:
- To produce Iridium
- To make slime eggs
Getting Iridium from Slime
Iridium is the most valuable metal in the game, and it’s necessary for building key upgrades to your farm. If you don’t have a slime hutch, the only way to get it is to mine the Skull Cave, which is dangerous and time-consuming.
With a slime hutch, all you need to do is to hatch purple slimes and then kill them. This will level up your character, but most importantly, drop iridium.
Once you have your iridium, what you do with it is up to you. You can sell it, or you can put it to use to make your farm as autonomous as possible.
Making Money with Slime Eggs
Once you have 20 slimes in your hutch, they will produce 50 – 60 slimes per day. You can then use this slime in the Slime egg press to create slime eggs, which sell at 1500 gold apiece.
If you want to use this method for money-making, you need to watch out for the water troughs in your hutch. If they’re not filled, your slimes won’t produce anything.
Additional FAQ
What Is the Most Profitable Crop in Stardew Valley?
The most profitable crop in Stardew Valley is the Ancient Fruit. However, it isn’t available at Pierre’s, instead, you need to get it from the Traveling Cart or with a Seed Maker.
The most profitable crop that can be purchased at Pierre’s is the Cranberry. Each seed costs 240 gold, but they only take 7 days to mature and produce 260 golds worth of seeds every five days.
What Is the Easiest Way to Earn Money?
The easiest way to make money, bar none, is to plant high-value seeds and then harvest them to make artisan goods.
However, artisan tools aren’t available from the get-go, so depending on what stage of the game you find yourself in, the answer will change.
Beginners will benefit from hitting the mines and fishing as well as farming, while late-stage players can automate their farms and focus on high-value crops.
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