Let's be real. Running errands for your nagging wife in a trailer park isn't exactly a high-paying career. If you've spent any time at all in Paradise, Arizona, you know that the "Postal Dude" starts with basically nothing but a bad attitude and a map. You need cash. Whether you're trying to buy health pipes, enough ammo to survive a riot, or just paying off that library fine so the building doesn't explode, money makes the world go 'round in this twisted sandbox.
Getting rich in this game isn't about getting a 9-to-5. It's about being a chaotic opportunist.
I've played through Postal 2 more times than I care to admit—from the vanilla release to the Paradise Lost expansion—and the economy is weird. It’s not like a standard RPG where you farm monsters. Here, you’re basically a scavenger. You’ve gotta know which houses have the loot and which NPCs are carrying the fat stacks.
How to get more money Postal 2 style: Looting the Neighborhood
The fastest way to get your bankroll started? Home invasion.
Look, the developers at Running With Scissors didn't put all those enterable houses there just for decoration. Most players make the mistake of just following the "To-Do" list and ignoring the side streets. Don't do that. Almost every house in the residential zones has a kitchen or a bedroom with a stash. Check the cupboards. Check the bedside tables. You’ll often find stacks of $20 or $50 just sitting there.
The "Bank Job" Strategy
The Bank is obviously the holy grail, but it’s a death trap if you aren't prepared. On Monday, you’re supposed to go there to cash your paycheck. It's a measly amount. However, if you head to the back areas—specifically the vault—you can find thousands of dollars.
The catch? The moment you touch that money, the silent alarm goes off. Security guards and the police will swarm the building. If you’re playing on a higher difficulty like "Hestonworld" or "Insane-o," this is basically a suicide mission unless you have a few cat-silenced shotguns or a literal cow head to clear the room. My advice? Grab the money and run for the air vents. Never try to fight your way out the front door.
Killing for Profit (The Morally Questionable Way)
If you're wondering how to get more money Postal 2 offers via NPCs, it's simple: kill them. But not just anyone.
Random pedestrians usually drop a few bucks or some donuts. It's chump change. If you want the real money, you need to target the NPCs that actually have "jobs."
- Store Clerks: When you kill a shopkeeper, they usually drop a significantly higher amount of cash than the average person on the street.
- The Gimp: If you find the hidden areas where the Gimp spawns, he's often worth a decent chunk of change.
- The ATF and Police: While they are dangerous, they often drop combat gear and cash.
Actually, the best targets are often the protesters. Whether they're protesting books or games, they tend to cluster together. One well-placed grenade or a Molotov can turn a crowd of angry NPCs into a literal pile of cash. It sounds dark, but hey, that's the game.
The Secret Cash Stashes You’re Missing
Most people don't explore the verticality of Paradise. If you see a ledge or a rooftop that looks unreachable, there's a 90% chance the devs hid a "Mega-Health" pipe or a pile of cash up there.
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There's a specific spot behind the Lucky Ganesh grocery store. If you jump over the boxes in the back alley, you can find a hidden crawlspace that leads to some extra funds. Also, don't sleep on the sewer system. It's disgusting, and you’ll probably get attacked by Tally-Ho guys or mutated creatures, but the loot down there is way better than what you find on the surface.
Why the ATM is a Trap
You might think, "Hey, it’s a bank game, let me just break the ATMs."
In many games, that works. In Postal 2, ATMs are mostly indestructible set dressing. Don't waste your precious shotgun shells or grenades trying to blow them open. You’re better off kicking a newspaper vending machine. It won't give you much, maybe a couple of bucks, but it’s better than wasting ammo.
Playing the "Good Guy" (For a Price)
Believe it or not, you can get money by just... doing what you're told. Sort of.
When you go to the Pharmacy to get the meds for your "condition," or when you go to the Laundry to pick up your clothes, you can actually pay for them. But if you find the cash hidden inside those businesses first, you're essentially paying them with their own money.
The Lucky Ganesh Loop
Krotchy’s shop and the Lucky Ganesh are gold mines. Instead of just running in and out, go behind the counters. There are usually cash registers that you can interact with (or just blow up) to get the contents. If you do this early on Monday and Tuesday, you'll have enough money to buy all the body armor you need for the mid-week difficulty spike.
Understanding the Difficulty vs. Reward
The amount of money you find doesn't drastically scale with difficulty, which makes it even more important on harder modes. On "They Hate Me" mode, everyone is out to kill you the moment you step outside. In this scenario, money becomes a secondary concern to survival, but you still need it for health pipes.
Honestly, the best way to handle the economy is to spend nothing on Monday and Tuesday. Scavenge everything. Use the shovel as your primary weapon to save on ammo costs. By Wednesday, when the town starts going to hell, you should have a bankroll of at least $1,000.
Does the "Paradise Lost" DLC Change Anything?
Yes, a lot.
In the Paradise Lost expansion, the map is changed and the economy is a bit tighter. Money is scarcer, and weapons are more expensive. You’ll want to focus on the vending machines and the new "vending" mechanics introduced there. The same rules apply: loot every building, kill the shopkeepers if you're feeling "postal," and keep your eyes peeled for those blue cash stacks.
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Pro Tips for Maximum Wallet Padding
- The Shovel is your best friend. Don't buy ammo. Ever. Use the shovel to decapitate NPCs and take their stuff for free.
- Check the bathrooms. It’s a trope for a reason. Cash is often hidden in stalls or behind toilets.
- Use the "Quick Save" before robbing the bank. Seriously. The AI in this game is unpredictable. One minute you're rich, the next you're being tased by five cops at once.
- The Library. When you go to return the book, explore the upper floors. There are offices there with desks that almost always contain money.
Actionable Steps to Get Rich in Paradise
- Immediately exit the trailer and check the surrounding lots. Don't just run to the first objective. There are at least three houses in that starting area with cash in the kitchens.
- Head to the Bank on Monday. Don't wait until later in the week when the police presence is heavier. Do the "vault run" early.
- Target the "Rich" NPCs. Look for characters wearing suits or better clothing; they generally drop more than the guys in t-shirts.
- Burn the protesters. It’s the most efficient way to collect a lot of small drops in a short amount of time.
- Never pay for anything. If a mission asks you to buy something, look for a way to steal it or kill the clerk. The only thing worth spending money on is stuff you can't easily find, like specific high-end ammo types later in the game.
Ultimately, getting more money in Postal 2 requires a shift in mindset. You aren't a customer; you're a force of nature. If you stop treating the game like a linear objective-chaser and start treating it like a dumpster-diving simulator with guns, you'll never run out of cash. Just remember to keep some "health pipes" on hand for when the inevitable police shootout starts.