Don't trust your encyclopedia

[Blizzard]

I'm probably the most paranoid about goofing up on this game. I've got printed out lists of everything. Well, I took what I thought was my last fish to the museum and Blathers said nothing. I did another check by reading each display. Apparently I had caught two (easy) fish but had not taken to museum. OMG. Luckily they were year-round ones, but just because it's showing in your encyclopedia doesn't mean you've donated it.

 

[Dembonez19]

Donating immediately is habitual for me. The only time I didn't donate first was when a villager asked for something easy to find (a dab), and I gave them the one I caught. I still need the horsehair crab, blow fish, football fish, and giant spider crab. I really hope I find them before they disappear forever because I don't want another scorpion/tarantula & salmon/king salmon situation like I had in City Folk.

 

[Jennifer]

I also pretty much donate on reflex @-@ So when I finish with my encyclopedia, I always complete my museum too. Nice to have it done.

 

[itzafennecfox]

I try to donate ASAP, but once I accidentally sold a fish instead of donating... I still don't know which one it was.

 

[Gummysaur]

I'm too carefree about last-time catches, so I don't have the tarantula, scorpion, or king salmon :c

 

[J087]

If the message pops up that it's new I donate it straight away, even if it's of high value.
I didn't donate my first Stringfish however, because a villager asked for it and I was close to getting it's picture. I donated one later.

 

[oath2order]

I donate on reflex.

Imagine coelacanth selling.

 

[saehanfox]

Donate right after catching a new specimen so you kill two birds with one stone.

 

[JellyBeans]

The encyclopedia doesn't say whether you've donated it or not, does it? :3

 

[Jennifer]

I try to donate ASAP, but once I accidentally sold a fish instead of donating... I still don't know which one it was.

If you check the sign, you can compare the fish donated to your encyclopedia to compare.

The encyclopedia doesn't say whether you've donated it or not, does it? :3

It does not.

 

[Blizzard]

I was new to the game and sometimes if at the island and by the time I made my way home, I'd forget what was donated. I'm pretty much in a pickle now. Checked the display items by each tank in museum and the outdoor exhibit guide. I'm missing a deep sea creature only available in July, August and September. So very mad and sad. Phineas did give me badges because encyclopedia said it was full.

 

[aetherene]

I donate on reflex. Especially if the fish is new, I will purposely rearrange my inventory so I can separate what I have to sell and what I have to donate. That way, I won't accidentally sell something that was not meant to be sold.

 

[Rosalina]

The first thing I do when I get a new catch is donate it to the museum, but in my first save file I didn't do this and it messed me up bad. I hope in the next game they fix this in future instalments of AC. They could easily fix this by putting a little symbol next to things you've donated to the museum in your encyclopedia.

 

[DarkRose407]

I have a pretty good memory so after every gathering trip unless I went to the Island I go straight to Blathers. Oh and while playing just now I learned you can check what you donated by reading the museum sign.

If I go to the island I take all new things straight to the museum before I forget.

 

[PlasticPinkPiggy]

I donate basically anything I catch off the island.

But if I'm fishing in my town, it's because a villager asked for it or im low on cash

 

[Improv]

I donate on reflex. Especially if the fish is new, I will purposely rearrange my inventory so I can separate what I have to sell and what I have to donate. That way, I won't accidentally sell something that was not meant to be sold.

I do the exact same. Most of the time I put the ones to sell on the bottom row and move up until I have too many to sell & to donate, so I separate by a sea shell.

 

[kasane]

I donate every new specimen I caught ASAP.
But as for furniture, I made a list to try and complete my catalog (good luck ;- and not get duplicates XD

 

[Anya]

I try to donate everything straight away, except for when I had to enter a pike and a tuna for the fishing contest, but luckily I caught another tuna later on.

Still no pike though. ;-;

 

[ZJP91]

when i first played the GC version i was young and stupid, but now i donate everything right when i get it, that way i dont have to worry and can just sell whatever i get.

 

[Ras]

When I first started playing, I didn't auto donate. Actually, I sat down and compared the museum sign to my encyclopedia (pro-tip: the museum sign is in exact encyclopedia order, so you can easily see if you've missed something) and found I had somehow missed donating just three things: the oak silk moth, the sea bass (!) and the honeybee. The reason I even thought to crosscheck was that I was donating something and saw the dang sea bass was not grayed out--I was lucky to have just happened to have one on me. And, I was in luck with everything but the honeybee, which is out of season for a few more months.

On my second town, which I started right before Thanksgiving, I'm obviously missing a ton of bugs and fish due to many of them being summer only. I was able to get all of my diving stuff but two. One is coming up in Feb., I think. The other is the same one Blizzard is missing, only available in July, August and September. I'll either have to wait or ask around for somebody who's town is in those months. I wonder if that stupid horseshoe crab is on the island, but I dove a long time and didn't find one.