Prospecting Equipment

Hydroponics is a fantastic way to grow your own plants any time of the year but it can also be costly, especially if you want to operate a decent sized garden. Getting started in the world of hydroponics does not always have to break the bank though. Following these simple tips can save a lot of money on hydroponics equipment and operating costs.

Calculate Your Costs Over Time – Just because a piece of equipment appears cheap, that does not mean that it will actually save you money in the long run. For example, it can be tempting to purchase used equipment off craigslist or eBay, but used equipment is more prone to breakdowns and other problems, which will result in additional expenses in the form of repair or complete replacement. Newer equipment can be pricier, but will actually save you money over the course of several growing seasons, not to mention a lot of headaches and hassles.

Your lighting is another area where up front costs can be deceptive. Fluorescent lights might be appealing for their cost and low energy requirements, but when you factor how little use that they actually offer to the average hydroponic grower and how often you have to replace them, the cost can add up over time. Try to learn what the cost per hour is of each grow light you are interested in purchasing, how often you will have to replace them, and factor that into your considered costs.

Assess Your Needs – You certainly don’t want to purchase a very large hanging lamp if all you want to grow is a couple tomato plants. And you don’t want to purchase a weak bulb if you want to plant rows and rows of roses. Try to assess what kind of hydroponics equipment best matches your specific circumstances, and buy no more and no less.

Comparison Shop – The internet allows you quickly comparison shop hydroponics equipment without ever leaving your home, and the costs are often cheaper than what you might find at brick and mortar retailers, even when you factor in shipping. But just to make sure you are looking at the broadest swath of prices, call around to your local hydroponics retailers and see what prices they offer on comparable equipment.

Build Your Own System – Hydroponics retailers often offer complete, all-in-one systems that do not require you to buy anything else to start growing. These companies often charge a premium because they have essentially done all the work for you. Typically, it can be a lot more cost efficient to simply buy the hydroponics equipment you will need for your system individually and buy it yourself. Beginners should not be intimidated by the prospect

Invest in Quality Digital Ballasts – One of the biggest costs over time is the energy you will need to keep your lights on through the majority of the day. A high end electronic ballast for you lights can regulate how much energy goes to your lights, cutting down on lighting costs and keeping your grow room a little cooler.

As Napoleon used to say: “L’argent, c’est le nerf de la guerre”, so is WoW Gold the key to World of Warcraft. Without sufficient Gold, you will be unable to buy decent equipment, buy your mount (epic or otherwise), or even be able to pay for your level upgrades. Those last two situations, the mount and your upgrades, are embarrassing enough to want to make you crawl in a hole and cry for mommy. Well, maybe not, but you understand what I’m talking about.

Imagine hitting level 40 as a warrior, and not being able to afford the most basic plate armor, for which you’ve been waiting so long, because of penury. Imagine getting to level 40 as any class (except Paladins and Warlocks, who get free mounts) and not being able to spend the measly 90g to get your mount. Imagine, if you will, being level 45 and still hoofing it everywhere, gazing longingly at others passing you on the road on their shiny mounts, looking down on you like the penniless rube you are… Oh, the shame! Oh, the Humanity!

Well, have no fear. While my little article here will not tell you how to earn “1000 gold per hour while doing nothing but counting your hair”, it will explain the rudiments of Gold-Making so that you will have no difficulty buying either your regular or epic mount.

There are but a few simple rules to follow, and here they are:

DON’T SPEND FRIVOLOUSLY

I thought this would be obvious, but in my experience, its not. People like to spend, and most of the time do it like sailors on shore leave. DON’T DO IT. The reality is, until you hit level 70, where gear (equipment) is paramount, before then it is more or less irrelevant, as long as you’re wearing something. The quest rewards will be more than sufficient to outfit your toon in decent gear. You can also supplement your quest reward gear with the occasional random drop that fits your character. More on that later.

The exceptions to the don’t-spend rule are – or should be – obvious. Spend the money to buy your level skill upgrades. All of them. If you’re a non-mage casting class, you may have to buy the occasional stack of Mana-regenerating liquid, such as melon juice, ice-cold milk, etc. That’s ok. You can buy those from vendors and they’re not expensive. Besides that, don’t buy food. Level up your cooking and fishing, make your own food or eat what you get as drops.

THE AUCTION HOUSE IS YOUR FRIEND

I thought this was also obvious, but apparently not so. People don’t like to grind. There are A LOT of players with A LOT of Gold. They will buy what they need from the Auction House. My personal rule is as such: everything that is not grey and that I’m not saving or using will go once to the Auction House, using common sense pricing and Auctioneer Add-On. Whatever sells, sells, and the rest will either be vendored or disenchanted if possible. Occasionally I will re-auction something that has not sold, if I think to potential is there or the timing for the first auction was not correct.

Always be mindful of the deposit costs when auctioning, and price your items in consequence. Often you will be better off vendoring an item than auctioning it because of the deposit and potential profit. Keep it in mind.

Always use a Buyout price. People with money to spend want their purchase NOW. They don’t want to wait 2-12 hours or whatever it is. So do them, and yourself, a favor and use a buyout price.

ALWAYS SELL BLUES (AND PURPLES)

During the course of your adventures in Azeroth and beyond, Blizzard will occasionally reward you with green, blue and (very rarely) purple item drops. Let me be crystal-clear: Green items are the only ones you should even remotely consider equipping. Once an item is equipped, no matter how good, it becomes vendor trash. You can not sell it on the Auction House to another player.

Green items can be equipped if they are a significant improvement on what you were wearing or using previously. Blues and Purples should ALWAYS be sold on the Auction House. These items are often geared towards 19th, 29th and 39th level characters, which make them ideally suited for rich twinks. It is not uncommon to see a 19th-level item go for upwards of 30g, sometimes MUCH more. You could pay for half your mount in a single drop! And even if you “only” get 10g out of it, consider how long it would take you to make that much selling stacks of linen cloth.

HAVE GATHERING PROFESSIONS

If your goal is to make Gold, you should have two gathering professions, such as Mining, Skinning or Herbalism. All of them are profitable, Mining being the most profitable of all at the start of the game. Herbalism is the most profitable in the long term, but its annoying and I rarely take it. I like skinning because you never have to go out of your way to gather, as you just take the skin right off whatever beast you’ve just killed!

Needless to say, everything you gather should be sold on the Auction House and not to a vendor.

Crafting professions are fun but tend to consume resources at an alarming rate, and you can almost never sell what you craft for more than the price of the components. This is not true for very high level items from very high level recipes, but for the start of the game (until, say, level 65) the components are ALWAYS worth more.

Only take crafting professions if you know what you are doing, and know you can make enough gold to support your crafting habits AND pay for what you need.

IN CLOSING

Making Gold in World of Warcraft is not particularly complicated, but I know from experience that it can be an intensely frustrating part of the game, especially for new players.

Simply follow the rules above, don’t be hasty, take your time, and you WILL have your 90g well before level 40, that is a guarantee. I wish you the best in your adventures in Azeroth!

gold mining equipment