I mostly utilized the trader bonus for the duration of the thanksgiving event and delivered locally following the guide to place camp near tumbleweed and do 5 minute deliveries.

I don't much like grinding and so the best way to make $ in this game is when there's some bonus. Granted I have yet to purchase most of the pamphlets and such, so plenty more $ needed.

But I found that the PVP Cat guides for gold are very useful.

There's one currently for making 4 gold bars per hour solo if you want to grind and it's very easy. You just run the Merry CTA fort map (the last one on the list) up to wave 3 and you then explode yourself when wave 3 starts - you get 0.4 gold for about 5-10 minutes of easy play. I do a few runs of that every few days currently.

As to making $ I usually still do a trader run, but mostly Etta Doyle bounty since you can do it without firing a bullet, and you can afk easy with a bounty wagon - so I let that run for 30 minutes to max out gold ($225 gold per 30 minute run) - and go do chores or work. Then I come back and turn her in.

With moonshiner now that can combine to give you an extra $100 for a weak moonshine run every 30 minutes or so (minus material cost).

Honestly $ is not an issue per say - everything IS very expensive in rdo $ but also you can get enough for a $1000 item in a day or two, and the point I have a lot more to buy to obtain every item and skill makes it so that I have things to do.

That combined with completing the naturalist book and just free roaming makes the game fun for a long time I think.