Kind of a grab bag of advice I've given on that...
ahem...
other forum;
- Don't rush. The game doesn't have a hard ending so you're not under the gun to get everything done immediately.
- Do what you want. Everything you do has some kind of benefit, from being social (which nets you lots of gifts and recipes) to fishing (the fish sell for a lot and you'll often find treasure) to foraging (a good way to make money early) to mining (tons of materials).
- Always check the TV. Weather reports, foraging tips and free recipes.
- Rainy Days are good days to fish and mine since all of your crops are watered and some fish only come out during rain.
- Don't rush into livestock immediately, they're time consuming and expensive if you're not prepared. Always make a silo first and give yourself plenty of time to harvest grass with the scythe for hay. I like to upgrade to the deluxe barn / coop as quickly as possible for the auto-feeder function too.
- Sheds are great if you need storage space as they're way bigger inside than out. Good place to store stuff (which, really, you should try to save one of everything) or set up all of your artisan crafting stations (cheese press, furnace, etc.).
- Check the traveling merchant who appears to the left, past the big tree, in the woods south of your farm. She shows up Friday and Sunday only, and sells a lot of stuff out of season or earlier than you'd normally be able to get it yourself. Two of the biggies to watch out for are Sprinklers and Battery Packs (which are used to make sprinklers). Sprinklers = automation = more time to do other stuff.
- Upgrade your tools in the winter when you won't really need them.
- Every 5th level in the mine has an elevator door so you can return to that floor quickly.
- You can find stuff in the various trash cans around town, just don't get seen doing it or the villagers will react badly.
- The village bar usually draws a ton of people after dark if you want to try to maximize your social interactions.