Best Ways to Get Bells in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Building your fortune in Animal Crossing New Horizons begins with mastering the daily opportunities that provide consistent income without requiring significant resources. These foundational methods form the bedrock of your economic strategy.

1. Master the Money Rock Technique

Each day, one specific rock on your island transforms into a money-producing source. To maximize your yield, position yourself strategically by digging two holes behind your character before striking. This prevents knockback and allows you to hit the rock rapidly eight times in succession, generating up to 16,100 Bells daily. The key is using a shovel rather than an axe, as it provides faster swing recovery. Common mistakes include positioning errors that cause premature stopping or failing to clear surrounding weeds that block coin drops.

2. Optimize Your Money Tree Investments

The daily glowing spot offers more than just 1,000 Bells when dug up—it represents your most reliable investment opportunity. While planting the default 1,000 Bells yields a safe 2,000 Bell profit, advanced players can plant up to 10,000 Bells for a guaranteed 30,000 return. Planting amounts between 10,001-99,000 Bells carries risk, as returns cap at 30,000 regardless of investment. Always mark your money tree locations since they take three days to mature and blend with regular trees.

3. Capitalize on Hot Item Crafting

Nook’s Cranny features daily hot items that sell for double their normal value. This method shines when the hot item uses common materials like tree branches, stones, or weeds. However, the time investment makes this most viable during early game or when specific high-value items appear. Check our Weapons Unlock guide for similar optimization strategies in other games. Pro tip: Stockpile common crafting materials so you’re prepared when valuable hot items appear.

4. Premium Fishing for Maximum Returns

Fishing represents one of the most accessible high-income activities in ACNH. Target species like Red Snapper (3,000 Bells), Oarfish (9,000 Bells), and Coelacanth (15,000 Bells) during their active seasons. Southern Hemisphere players have exclusive access to sharks from December to March, with Great White Sharks fetching 15,000 Bells each. The game-changing strategy involves waiting for C.J., the wandering beaver who buys fish at 150% of their base value. Coordinate with friends to visit islands when C.J. appears for massive profit multiplication.

5. Tarantula Island Creation Mastery

For Northern Hemisphere players, tarantula farming remains the undisputed king of Bell generation. While natural Tarantula Islands are rare, you can create your own using Nook Miles Tickets. Select islands with flat terrain and systematically remove all trees, rocks, flowers, and weeds. This forces the game to spawn tarantulas exclusively. Each tarantula sells for 8,000 Bells, but the real profit comes from Flick, who purchases them at 12,000 Bells each. A full inventory of 39 tarantulas sold to Flick generates 468,000 Bells in under an hour.

Advanced technique: Use the same island clearing method for scorpions during their active months in your hemisphere. Understanding spawn mechanics is crucial—learn more in our Class Guide for similar advanced gameplay strategies.

6. Strategic Use of Bell Vouchers

While converting Nook Miles to Bell Vouchers provides immediate 3,000 Bell returns, this represents a poor long-term investment. Nook Miles hold significantly more value for acquiring rare recipes, furniture, and island development tools. Only consider this option if you’ve already purchased all essential Nook Miles items and have surplus miles. The opportunity cost of using miles for vouchers versus essential game progression makes this a method of last resort for most players.

7. Fruit Export Business Model

8. Fossil Management for Passive Income

Once you’ve completed your museum’s fossil collection, daily digs become pure profit. Assess each fossil’s value before donating—some complete fossils like T. rex torsos sell for 6,000 Bells each. As your island develops, you’ll accumulate duplicate fossils rapidly. Establish a storage system near Nook’s Cranny for quick selling. A full inventory of high-value fossils can generate over 50,000 Bells with minimal effort beyond the initial donation.

11. Turnip Stock Market Mastery

The Stalk Market represents Animal Crossing’s highest risk-reward economic activity. Purchase turnips from Daisy Mae on Sunday mornings, then monitor Nook’s Cranny prices twice daily. Prices follow four patterns: decreasing, fluctuating, small spike, and large spike. Coordinate with friends through Discord communities to find islands with peak prices. The key strategy involves buying in bulk when prices are low (90 Bells or less) and selling when prices exceed 400 Bells. With proper timing and networking, a 100,000 Bell investment can yield over 1 million Bells in return.

Beyond the primary money-making methods, several supplementary activities provide additional revenue streams that accumulate significantly over time.

9. Tree Shaking for Hidden Treasure

While individual tree shakes yield modest returns (100-300 Bells), systematically shaking all your island trees daily can generate 5,000-8,000 Bells while simultaneously collecting branches, wasp nests, and furniture. Always carry a net when shaking trees to catch wasps—each sells for 2,500 Bells to Flick. This method becomes particularly valuable during the early game when resources are scarce.

10. Balloon Present Hunting

The elusive floating balloons contain more than just furniture and recipes—approximately 15% contain Bell bags ranging from 1,000 to 30,000 Bells. Balloons spawn every 5-10 minutes, following specific wind patterns that change at sunrise and sunset. While not a primary income source, dedicated balloon farming during specific hours can yield surprising returns. For comprehensive gaming strategies across different titles, explore our Complete Guide to advanced techniques.

Remember that consistent application of multiple methods creates compound growth. The players who become Bell millionaires combine daily routines with strategic high-yield opportunities when they arise.

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