Lowering Avatar-Related Costs

[steeljane42]

Not a very popular suggestion, but easiest way to lower avatar related costs would be stop making new alts (and upgrading old ones).

I know lots and lots of people have a very severe altoholism, though, and the amount of full upgraded 1-7 days old avatars with good old "coming back after a long break" in their profile is rather large, so it doesn't help.

If not then, then yeah, gotta keep an eye on sales. Big one next month as every year, and usual weekend sales. I'd still suggest not trying to keep up with 2-3 (or more) alts and their wardrobes if the budget is an issue. Even weekend sales won't be easy if a few 120-150L$ outfits (assuming two pieces for 60-75) on each will have to be bought multiple times.

Edited October 19, 2022 by steeljane42

[Marianne Little]

With Black Friday and Christmas coming up, this is the time to follow news about sales.

We have been spoiled with gifts of heads, and 50% off on bodies. But we can't assume that we will get free heads every Christmas.

Stealthic has not made much hair, so it is not so much to buy there. But I will make a list over Doux and Wings hair. Clothes, shoes and jewelry is in the weekend sales, so I feel I am covered there

I am spending more on land, than on my avatar. And rent or tier is not going to be lowered. The only thing I can do, is scale down. But I tell myself that SL is my only vice, I spend no money on other hobbies. I plan to get my daughter cut my hair soon. I bring a bottle of tap water with me when I am out, and buy nothing to drink. I buy some books, though.

And HBO to watch House of the Dragon. I will stop HBO before I cut down land in SL.

I also buy new things related to land. Houses, landscaping and furniture. 

Edited October 19, 2022 by Marianne Little

[Resi Pfeffer]

8 minutes ago, Marianne Little said:

I bring a bottle of tap water with me when I am out, and buy nothing to drink.

Exactly, and there is even more to add:
Like driving a fairly cheap 10 year old car instead of a shiny new one, which fate is to be parked for 95% of the whole time anyway.
Or getting a pretty useful new Xiaomi Cellphone for 300-500 bucks instead of heading for a 1400 bucks iphone, thats only marginally better.

Common sense over peer pressure.

[Trinity Blakewell]

If I was a newbie, Id go for one of the two free mesh bodies (Legacy or Lucy, but likely Lucy due to being able to wear Maitreya items),  makes sure I had done what was needed to make it BOM compatible, and then pick up 1) the free Genus head and 2) a Lelutka Head (right now there's one on sale for 50% off at Kustom9).  Maybe instead of the Lelutka head I would join Akeruka's group and pick up a free or discounted head from there, due to the Lelutka skin compatibility. Next, I would likely save up for the Maitreya body if I couldn't buy it right away, simply due to availability and compatibility.

Many of the skin brand groups are free or low-cost.  Seven Deadly Skins is a good choice for newbies simply because the skins are all-body and they have group gifts every month. Dernier offers gift skins fairly frequently, and Velour does occasionally. Other skin groups worth joining: DeeTalez, Ives, Unholy, Gupa, Koonz, The Skinnery, and Traditional Face.

I would get the demo pack of Velour body skins that should or will work for my body, test them out and pick one or two tones that I really like. Id spend the $200-$300 to get the body skin for my first and possibly second choice. I'd make sure to acquire the free neckfixes from Velour as they even work with many non-Velour-tone skins. This would put me in good position to take advantage of the weekend sales on Velour-tone head  skins from many brands - which are plentiful every week.

I would join the Delicatta/Tutti Belli Group (two stores) since they give frequent makeup gifts.

I would join the following hair groups: Faga, Exile, Ade, Magnika and Mina (prioritizing whichever ones are free). Id likely join Truth eventually too but I think there's a cost. They do have a lot of older free group gift hairstyles right now, so it would be worth it.

I'd join the Skin Addiction group where a lot of brands post promotions on skins and makeup.

Not sure why a newbie would need add on privates. Even if they wanted them eventually, better to get your bearings first before getting into anything that might need them.

Don't pay for shapes unless you have already tried the following and are totally lost: try whatever default shapes come with bodies or head skins and edit them to create your own style. If they are non-mod, find a modifiable shape in your Inventory and start from there!

Even with a regular price Lelutka head, joining some of these paid groups (not just the free ones), and getting two Velour body skins, you're still around the $L4500 range.

Groups I mentioned with a cost
- Unholy - $L250
- FAGA - $L350
- Gupa $L50
- Ives - $L99
- Mina Hair $L200
- Traditional Face $L50
- Truth $L350

The following are currently free:7DeadlySkins, Ade, DeeTalez, Dellicatta/Tutti Belli, Dernier, Exile, Koonz, Magika, Velour



 

Edited October 19, 2022 by Trinity1776

[Trinity Blakewell]

36 minutes ago, Resi Pfeffer said:

Exactly, and there is even more to add:
Like driving a fairly cheap 10 year old car instead of a shiny new one, which fate is to be parked for 95% of the whole time anyway.
Or getting a pretty useful new Xiaomi Cellphone for 300-500 bucks instead of heading for a 1400 bucks iphone, thats only marginally better.

Common sense over peer pressure.

Is Xiaomi a Chinese brand? I wouldn't go there.Too many potential security concerns.

However, there are ways to get a cheaper phones, including iPhones. My parent's just didn't replace their smaller screen entry level iPhones for years. Finally, the mobile company sent them refurbished XRs for free last year, which still work great and have plenty of memory. My whole family loves Apple products, and whenever possible we buy them refurbished from Apple (a good idea with other brands as well). Full warranty and saves a lot of money.

 

[skepwith]

5 hours ago, Trinity1776 said:

If I was a newbie, Id go for one of the two free mesh bodies

I hate to be the annoying person who replies "Well ACKshually" to a really good and informative post but I do want to mention there are a few free mesh bodies and heads that a newbie might consider, depending on what they're looking for, that are described pretty well here.

LucyBody Atenea is definitely a good option but isn't really free unless you want to be stuck with the included skins which honestly don't look very good even if you're able to match them fairly closely to something. Otherwise you need to pay L$250 for the BoM activator, which is still a really good deal. This is definitely the best option for someone who is fashion driven but on a budget. I don't think it's a good option for people who are naked or in swimsuits a lot, because it's got some weird lumps in the waist/midriff.

I tend to steer newbies who aren't fashion driven toward the eBody Classic or Curvy, usually the latter unless they really want to be petite. Both have a free BoM relay and look decent with the freebie skins available at the Free Dove and have enough free clothes available to get by if you know where to look (I have notecards with lists of locations and items for each). They both use Slink shoes so that's a huge plus. The Meshbody Classic aka TMP is definitely a good body but I'd hate to walk a newbie through the BoM activation and the nipples don't map exactly right to the free skins I can guide newbies to easily. It's absolutely an awesome body for a free alt though!

However, sometimes I get people who have a hard time understanding how all that stuff works, and in those cases I send them to the Altamura bodies you can get at the various community help centers. If someone is really, really new, this will tend to be a better choice at least until they get a better handle on what they're doing in SL and can understand skins and BoM and so forth. The places that have those bodies have at least some free clothes for them, and they also wear Slink shoes.

Everyone uses the Genus Gift head on that page but with a little extra shape work the Kalhene Leah and Rebirth Kyra heads can be made to look pretty good, and are worth considering if you don't want to bear a family resemblance to a lot of other newbies and alts. I haven't had much luck making a face I like with the other free heads on that page.

I will add that I do see quite a few Ruth 2 variants in the wild and while I do want to be supportive of this open source effort by dedicated volunteers, I haven't seen any avatars using them that wouldn't look better with one of the above instead, especially when it comes to the heads.

Edited October 19, 2022 by skepwith

[Lysistrata Szapira]

I haven't heard anything yet, but if Lelutka has free heads for Christmas this year like the past two years, they MIGHT repeat their 12 Days of Christmas promotion where a bunch of stores collaborate with Lelutka in offering gifts (skins, makeups, and what have you) for those heads. Those stores usually offer temporary free group joining during the promotion too.  So if they do it this time around, be sure to look out for it.  That was so much fun last year, and a really good time for noobies to get kitted out on the cheap.

I picked up Lilly and Kaya the past two years, but I keep going back to Avalon.  The skins and makeup in the 12 Days event worked for any Evo-X head, although YMMV regarding shapes. 

[SpiritSparrow Skydancer]

On 10/18/2022 at 7:20 PM, Ayashe Ninetails said:

Shop & Hop? Event Closing Date: November 1, 2022

don't worry, it will be back in no time in December lol

[Spiffy Voxel]

I cut my avatar-related costs by leaving all but a few in-world store groups, unfollowing all blogs related to events and sales, and leaving my Premium subscription and Mainland tier fees to move to a rental in Nautilus with double the land allowance. Removing the temptation to buy more stuff is the key. I do buy new things occasionally, but now I'm much pickier about it, trying demos first and making sure that it fits my body and can be customised to my liking. Oh, and I've unearthed a load of extra outfits and accessories that I'd bought in years past but never got around to unpacking and/or setting up. 😆

As a rule of thumb nowadays, I have a style guide when it comes to outfits — pink (pastel / bubblegum), holographic/oil or rainbow colour scheme, gold or copper metals, and preferably latex, though not necessarily skintight. As an alien I lean towards sci-fi, though if I find any fantasy items that'll fit that works for me too. Of course, rules are meant to be broken, so I have some space/galaxy prints that I wear for casuals.

On a more philosophical level, and particularly if you've not made the jump to mesh bodies and heads, my advice would be to make the most of what you already have and find a look that expresses the vibe you want for your avatar. Don't feel obliged to go with the 'popular' choices, explore and discover the things that appeal to you. Some of my most valued purchases, and the ones I still wear, were chance discoveries.

[Coffee Pancake]

A few premium memberships paid yearly, not PP though.

Which cover the tier for a couple of plots on Horizons, lucky we got in a few years ago before the prices went nutty (don't bother looking now, speculator bros are playing hot potato with prices jacked to 125K - 500K and no one is buying). A lindy home is probably the best a "value" you can find right now.

Between stipend and income from a few little stores, I don't buy L$ anymore and I'm not motivated to go hardcore into building. Spend too many years focused on making money, time to make friends.

Edited October 20, 2022 by Coffee Pancake

[HelenaNavy92]

Recently I follow what's in Seraphim and I buy cheap things. I was patient and finally got this Legacy body on half price. It was hard to say goodbye to Maitreya but I need this change. 

I used to shop on events shiny new clothes and stuff but then see them the next week for 60L and decided that it's not worth to pay 299 each. 

[Trinity Blakewell]

@HelenaNavy92, isn't that the way!

I've only bought like two skins in the last several years from full-price events. And they were very impressive skins.

[MaukaShowers]

Thanks everyone for all this great advice! ❤️

[Blaise Glendevon]

1 hour ago, MaukaShowers said:

Thanks everyone for all this great advice! ❤️

But, I can't stress this enough, if you pay for the things you really want you'll enjoy them more than things you got on sale or for free and only kinda like. 

[Trinity Blakewell]

@Blaise Glendevon- good point!

[Cinnamon Mistwood]

I don't know...  I enjoy the heck out of things I found on sale.  I even enjoy many freebies.  Cost does not determine my enjoyment level.

Edited October 21, 2022 by Cinnamon Mistwood

[CalypsoJewel]

21 minutes ago, Cinnamon Mistwood said:

I don't know...  I enjoy the heck out of things I found on sale.  I even enjoy many freebies.  Cost does not determine my enjoyment level.

Same, but I also only buy things I REALLY want anymore.
I've also had plenty of times where i'd spent a good chunk on something and enjoyed it less than something I got for a fraction of the cost.

[Cinnamon Mistwood]

11 minutes ago, CalypsoJewel said:

Same, but I also only buy things I REALLY want anymore.
I've also had plenty of times where i'd spent a good chunk on something and enjoyed it less than something I got for a fraction of the cost.

Waiting until something goes on sale or finding a great deal definitely adds to the satisfaction of buying something.

Regretting a full price purchase that goes on sale the very next week, happens a lot 😄

[Robotshaz]

I would strongly suggest that if anyone here can't afford to upgrade to a meshbody like Maitreya and legacy etc. There is always the free Meshbody classic body that you can get from The Shops to start off with. Also keep an eye out on marketplace and go to events and hunt for the free stuff. There is a lot of good free things out there and stuff that is low cost too. If you are looking to spend a bit save for those weekend sales and other little sales that pop up.

Teleport to The Shops-

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Meshbody/129/128/47

[CalypsoJewel]

8 minutes ago, Cinnamon Mistwood said:

Waiting until something goes on sale or finding a great deal definitely adds to the satisfaction of buying something.

Regretting a full price purchase that goes on sale the very next week, happens a lot 😄

Brings to mind the year I bought my first tablet drawing monitor for $800.. it dropped in price 2 days later to $750 lol. It gave me some good years, but such a price drop so soon hurt lmao.

[Ezbeharra]

On 10/20/2022 at 7:51 AM, HelenaNavy92 said:

Recently I follow what's in Seraphim and I buy cheap things. I was patient and finally got this Legacy body on half price.

Thanks for mentioning this, it caused me to check and I see that the Legacy Halloween event has all their bodies half price through November 1. I was going to wait for Black Friday but who knows if they'll do that for sure so I'm glad I caught this!

[Blaise Glendevon]

1 hour ago, Robotshaz said:

I would strongly suggest that if anyone here can't afford to upgrade to a meshbody like Maitreya and legacy etc. There is always the free Meshbody classic body that you can get from The Shops to start off with. Also keep an eye out on marketplace and go to events and hunt for the free stuff. There is a lot of good free things out there and stuff that is low cost too. If you are looking to spend a bit save for those weekend sales and other little sales that pop up.

Teleport to The Shops-

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Meshbody/129/128/47

There are no new releases for this body. There are no old releases, really for this body. It is based on the old TMP body but has been changed enough that the rigging weights are not identical.

[Blaise Glendevon]

5 hours ago, Cinnamon Mistwood said:

I don't know...  I enjoy the heck out of things I found on sale.  I even enjoy many freebies.  Cost does not determine my enjoyment level.

I can see that for things you swap out often, like clothes and hair. Your everyday essentials - head/body/skin - are a different story. 

[Ceka Cianci]

It won't be a problem too much longer for new avatars to have a mesh body.. We were told we are only a few months away from having the nux avatars..

So new users won't have to rush out get new mesh bodies and heads and have to get all caught up in the whole, you gotta have this  or you gotta have that.. time to go shopping for them and then have to have these and have to have these..

They can at least have those and hair and outfits from the get go and not pushed so hard into the trend stream where some just get stuck there and stay without ever experiencing most of the rest of SL.

 

I always say, take your time shop around, look for deals, make the kind of avatar you want, stay away from the cookie cutters, because there really is no hurry.

 

[Blaise Glendevon]

2 minutes ago, Ceka Cianci said:

It won't be a problem too much longer for new avatars to have a mesh body.. We were told we are only a few months away from having the nux avatars..

Only if there is a variety of skins, shapes, and clothes available - not mole work, either.