From StrategyWiki, the video game walkthrough and strategy guide wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Bells are the currency in Animal Crossing: New Leaf and if you want to expand your home, complete Public Works Projects or just save it up then here are a few ways to make some money.

Clean out your closet[edit]

Often villagers will give you items as rewards for completing tasks, sometimes they just give you things to be nice - ether way, if you don't plan on displaying it in your home you should sell it straight away. It's easy to store things in your closet and easier to forget what all you have in there! Just be careful not to sell items that you can't buy back, like prizes from the Happy Home Academy or from tournaments.

Don't buy everything[edit]

At the start, only buy what you need. If you buy every item in every shop, you'll quickly burn through a lot of Bells. It's a good idea to concentrate on paying off your mortgage and then you can work to collect furniture, wallpapers and carpets. Even if you buy something and then sell it back. You only get a small percentage of what you bought it for.


The simplest source of Bells are the seashells that litter your village's beach. While they aren't worth a lot, shells are continuously washed up on shore, and you can just pick them up effortlessly. Here's a list of sea shells you can find:

  • Cowrie Shell - 30 Bells
  • Sand Dollar - 60 Bells
  • Sea-Snail Shell - 90 Bells
  • Venus-Comb Shell - 150 Bells
  • Coral - 250 Bells
  • Conch Shell - 350 Bells
  • Giant-Clam Shell - 450 Bells
  • Oyster Shell - 450 Bells
  • Scallop Shell - 600 Bells
  • Pearl-Oyster Shell - 1,200 Bells

Shaking trees[edit]

Trees contain hidden objects and money. Most trees will drop 100 bells but you can also find 2 pieces of furniture and up to 5 beehives! If you want to avoid the bees then open the gates to your town before starting. Bees will not spawn when your gates are open.

Planting money trees[edit]

If you plant money with a gold shovel, there is a chance that a money tree will grow. The larger the amount you bury, the greater the chance that the tree will bloom. If it works the tree will bloom with 3 bags of bells that match the amount you buried in the first place. The maximum that a money tree will produce is 90,000 bells (3 bags of 30,000) so there is no point burying more than 30,000 bells at a time.

Once you shake a money tree, the money will not grow back; the tree will become a regular tree!

Money Rocks[edit]

Money Rock with hole formation

Every day, there is one money rock in your town. Find it, and hit the rock with a shovel or an axe and money will come out, you can get up to 16,100 bells if you hit it continuously. When you hit it, your character will slip backwards a little each time, which can lead to you missing the rock and breaking the chain of hits. To hit it continuously, just dig three holes (see below) behind any rock so that if it is a money rock, you won't have to move forward when you bounce back.

Hole formation for money rock[edit]

Icon In-Game
O Hole
X Rock
G Grass/Ground
P Player
Formation 1
Formation 2


Every day, there will a rock in your village that wasn't there the day before. Striking this rock with your shovel will break it open, revealing an ore inside it. This ore can be used to refurbish certain furniture, giving them a shiny finish, but it can also be sold for a fair amount of money. Additionally, you can sometimes get ores from the money rock instead of Bells if you strike the money rock with a silver shovel. Here is a short list of ores in ascending order of value:

  • Amethyst - 2,000 Bells
  • Ruby - 2,000 Bells
  • Sapphire - 2,000 Bells
  • Emerald - 2,000 Bells
  • Silver Nugget - 3,000 Bells
  • Gold Nugget - 4,000 Bells

Selling fruit[edit]

Selling fruit is common and easy way to get money in Animal Crossing. You will start out with a native fruit that sells for 100 bells per piece. If you travel to the Island you can get other tropical and palm fruits to plant in your town. Another way to get new fruit types is by visiting the towns of your friends and swapping native fruits.