With Halloween gone and Mirage on the rise, you may find yourself waking up from a bit of a haze. The atmosphere in Wizard101 changes when new content is released and last month’s main attraction was the Gloomthorn pack. The anticipation in the days up to the release of this pack was actually palpable, the energy electric. Rumors swirled about an amazing new spell featuring the Headless Horseman. The community readied their screenshotting fingers. Twitter buzzed with theories: “Before KI Live or after KI Live?” “Today feels like pack day” “No, today is not a day for packs” “Is everything a lie!?”. Finally, a couple of weeks into October, joy of joys, we were blessed with the Gloomthorn pack! This pack features a new pet spell, new moon wands, two new mounts, a new gear set, and an exclusive, rare furniture set. And you all know how I feel about furniture sets!

Now,  this is when it happens. This is when a haze falls over your eyes. This is when somehow the concept of “a sensible amount” flies out the window and the words “maybe you should slow down” become a foreign language. When the haze finally leaves you you’ve suddenly spent 30,000 crowns…and still haven’t gotten the item you wanted.

It’s ok, we’ve all experienced this phenomenon at least once. This post is meant to teach you how to both deal with the aftermath of an accidental spending spree and avoid a repeat incident when Mirage officially launches.

Part 1 | How Not to Spend Too Much

Set a Limit

I know that this can be really really, really hard- trust me, I’ve been there too -but this is by far the best method to avoid spending too much. I like to keep my crowns between zeros and fives. For example, 10,000 and 15,000. Maybe that’s just OCD talking, but I find that it’s a super easy set of limits to have.

Don’t believe me? The expert decorator Iridian Willowglen (@Iridian_Willow on Twitter) agrees with a solid:

Know the Pack & Set a Goal

This ties into the next tip I have for you. It’s important to do a little research before buying packs so that you actually know what’s in it. This may seem like common sense, but seriously: if there isn’t anything in the pack that you want, why buy it? Don’t get swept up in the hype! beware the effects of excessive hype! #lifelessons Fan sites (like this one) are the easiest way to get information on new packs as soon as they come out!

After you know what’s in the pack an easy way to spend too much money is to buy them just for the sake of buying them or buying them for just a single item. I’m definitely guilty of the latter, but I’m even stricter with my limits in that case. Give yourself a goal, but never forget tip #1.

 

The Truth of the Matter

The truth of the matter is that crowns are real money. Be it part of your allowance or part of your pay check it’s up to you to decide how you spend it. For many people, including Mora Misthead (@misthead on Twitter), the real money that’s at stake is more important than a random chance at something shiny.

Part 2 | What To Do if You Already Have

Don’t Get a Serious Case of Buyer’s Remorse

This is a biggie. Wizard101 is meant to be a fun experience. Guilt is not fun. I’m legitimately speaking from experience here. If you find that you’ve spent too much you’ve just got to grin and bear it. Try your best to enjoy what you got out of the pack, even if it’s not the one thing you wanted. Luckily KI usually gives us a great selection with their Hoard and Lore packs. This could be a great opportunity to get into decorating!

 

Skip the Next One

If you find yourself low on crowns after an accidental spending spree think about skipping the next pack release. Don’t worry! You won’t have to abstain for long. Just wait until the next pack sale!

 

Regulate Your Crowns Purchases

Blaze FireBreath (@Real_Fireball44) gave me this tip on twitter:

I feel like this tip definitely applies to both sections and while I’ve never had the strength of will to utilize utilized this, this is a really straightforward and effective way to stop yourself from overspending. Essentially: you can’t spend what you don’t have! No temptation = no overspending! You get the drift.

The Big Idea:

It may sound like I’m trying to persuade you to stop buying packs completely, but that’s definitely not the case! Having such a temptation to just buy and buy and buy and buy and buy shows how often KI knocks these out of the park. I’ve definitely been guilty of over spending myself just to get one awesome item (A prime example was the blue moon wand from the Gloomthorn pack. Never managed to get that glorious thing.) The big idea really is: if you conserve your crowns now, you’ll have some to buy more awesome things later! You can’t know how many times I’ve been grateful for having some crowns lying around, be it because of some flash sale or a special membership benefit event. Don’t be the next victim of the pack haze! Be strong guys! We can do this!

Related posts:

6th Annual Advent Contest 7th Annual Advent Contest Hoard Packs – What’s Their Potential? 4th Annual Advent Contest!