Early in New Horizons, Tom Nook will contact you to let you know that it will cost you around 50 bells to pay your move-in costs to the island and buy your own home. The good thing is that you can pay off that debt with 000 Nook Miles as well.
Nook miles are similar to real-life airline miles and are a bit easier to grind. There are many ways you can earn nook miles, such as completing activities and completing Nook Miles stamp cards. Here are some great ways to earn Nook Miles to pay off your move-in debt.
The best way to earn Nook MIles is by filling out buffer cards and completing island tasks. You can find tasks and stamp cards in the Nook Miles app on your NookPhone. Once you've completed a task, you can claim the miles in the app and get other rewards like title keywords. While task cards give you a unique reward, stamp cards can net you a ton of miles for long periods of grinding.
You can complete tasks to earn up to five stamps on each stamp card. Each stamp will reward you with a few miles with the reward and requirements gradually increasing. The process is relatively simple but very cranky. Here are some tasks and cards to complete to quickly earn the 5 miles needed to trade in your tent for a house.
Free Miles
When you have access to the Nook Miles app on your NookPhone, open it. You can get 500 miles for free when you open the app for the first time. Simply click on the option at the top left when first opening the app to claim the miles. The option will have the name of your city with the word "miles" next to it.
Play on your phone
You can earn miles only by using your NookPhone. Keep checking it out and playing in the apps until a new card appears in the Nook Miles app. Claiming it will earn you 300 miles. As you explore the village, you'll also end up with a bunch of unwanted items that you don't need. These articles are useful for the next way to earn miles.
Be a social butterfly
Talk to the villagers of the island and explore the village. It's usually a good idea anyway, so you can find new tasks and features that can earn you even more miles.
Sell your junk
After exploring the village and starting to fill your inventory, you're bound to end up with a bunch of items you don't need. Sell Timmy any extra Trash you have in your inventory in the Resident Services Tent to earn extra Bells. After selling certain items the first time, you will be able to claim 300 miles in the app.
Sell other stuff
As you run around the island you will find a lot of things on the ground like fruits and weeds. Sell 20 fruits to Timmy to earn 300 miles. Don't sell all of your fruit, as it can be used to earn a bunch of bells later. Each island can have a different variety of native fruits. Fruit from your island does not sell as much on your island as fruit from overseas. You can visit other islands that have different fruits than yours and sell them for more. You can also bring back fruit from these islands and sell them to Timmy for more than the fruit native to your island.
Eliminate your island
Chances are your island is covered in weeds. You can remove them from the ground and sell them for 10 bells per weed. You can create huge stacks of up to 99 Weeds in your inventory, allowing you to sell them all at once for 990 Bells. Beautifying your island this way will also earn you a bunch of miles. The first 50 weeds will gain 300 miles, 200 weeds will gain another 500 miles, and the miles and weeds will continue to gradually increase from there.
Break your tools
For this stamp card, you have to carry certain tools until they break. Head over to the DIY Recipes app on the NookPhone and check out what materials you'll need to craft new tools. Go get the materials you will need to craft new tools, then grind them with your old fragile tools until they break. Once you start breaking your tools, you'll also start earning buffers and miles, starting with 300 for the first tool you break.
Make new tools
This stamp card goes hand in hand with the one above. Once you've broken your tools, create new ones using the DIY Recipes app on your NookPhone. By creating new tools, you will earn stamps and miles. The first stamp will give you 300 miles and the rewards will increase from there.
Bulletin board
The bulletin board is next to Resident Services. Interact with her and create a newsletter. You can enter whatever you want into it. Once the newsletter is complete, you can claim 300 miles in the Nook Miles app.
Using the camera
The NookPhone comes with a camera feature that allows you to take selfies in the game. It can also earn you miles with the Island Shutterbug pad card. Just take a photo, any photo, and you can earn 300 miles.
Update your passport
Once you have access to the passport app in your NookPhone, make changes to it and add a comment. You can change whatever you want. Once you've confirmed your changes and commented, you'll be able to claim an additional 300 miles.
Be an artist
Open the Custom Designs app on your NookPhone and start drawing something new. Click on a blank canvas and let your artistic side come out. You can draw whatever you want and take as long as you want or just put a few dots on the canvas and call it finished. Name the design whatever you like to complete the task. Once you're done, you can save it and claim 500 miles.
Become a zoologist
You can earn DIY recipes from Tom Nook by flipping creatures you've captured while roaming the island. You can also earn miles this way. Use your net and fishing rod to catch bugs, fish and other creatures on the island. Return the creatures to Tom Nook for a bunch of useful DIY recipes. Tom also hints that Blathers could be on the island or arriving there soon. The tools themselves are very useful for gaining more miles later. Once you've unlocked 10 of the recipes, you'll get a stamp on one of the stamp cards and be able to claim 300 miles. Keep earning revenue and you will gradually earn more miles from this card until it is filled.
Go fishing and catch bugs
A good thing about earning all of those recipes from Tom is that you will get better fishing rods and aim for another fishing buffer card. Find a good place to fish and catch as many fish as possible. After catching 10 you will earn the first stamp on the map and 300 miles. Like all buffer cards, you will continue to gain more miles over time as you continue to fish.
The same process used for fishing can be used to catch insects. Run around the island with your net and start pestering the local entomology. Catch as many bugs as you can, you can catch the same bugs multiple times and it will always count. After catching 10 bugs you will earn a stamp and 300 miles with the required miles and number of bugs increasing with each stamp.
Decorate your island inside and out
Fill your tent with items to earn a stamp and more miles. You can do this easily with all the bugs and fish you catch. You can place insects and fish as decorations in your tent or home. As you continue to decorate your tent, you will earn more stamps and more miles from 300 miles for the first five items you place.
You can use this same method outside of your tent to earn more miles. Place a bunch of fish, insects, and other objects outside on the ground. After placing 10, you will be able to claim an additional 300 miles.
Get your home!
After all this grinding, you can finally pay off your debt and get your home. Head to Resident Services and talk to Tom Nook. Choose the “About my moving expenses…” option to get started. Tom will take 5 miles from your balance and give you the option of replacing your tent with a house for 000 bells.
