Q:
(edited by Felivastus.2470)
What Should I Be Spending My Money On?
All of the above.
Purchase tools and salvage kits as needed, keeping in mind that you can sometimes find these from karma vendors too.
You should be able to get good enough gear between monster drops, karma vendors and crafting. If you do buy something from the trading post, keep in mind you’ll be swapping out gear about every 5 to 10 levels, so don’t spend a lot of money on the high quality (and expensive) gear.
At level 11 you’re going to need 10 silver to buy your first training manual and unlock the use of traits. Plan and save accordingly.
When you start crafting, you may need to purchase a few extra materials from the trading post. Only do so if it won’t cause you to go broke and not be able to afford your training manual. In my opinion, being able to use traits is a higher priority than crafting gear.
Actually, I’m still pretty much following this at the higher levels too. My general priority is:
1. training manuals
2. salvage kits and crafting tools
3. crafting materials
4. gear (that I can’t craft for myself)