Farming for Landlubbers
Intro
MapleStory is, afterall, an MMORPG. That means that all characters of all levels are going to spend a fair amount of time farming for gold, XP, loot, or whatever else. While there may not be a way to guarantee you'll get that Stump's Teardrop within an hour or two of trying, there are some ways you can reduce what it costs you to finally find it.
Why are you Farming?
The first thing you need to think about before you even set out is why you plan to go out farming. It may seem obvious, but farming for mesos, farming for XP, and farming for specific items are all very different tasks. What you want to bring with you, what you're going to fight, and where you want to go will all vary greatly on what it is you are trying to get.
Farming for Mesos
Mesos make the world go 'round. Contrary to what you may have heard, they don't tend to grow on trees. With all due seriousness, when farming for mesos, the most important thing to remember is that pretty much every drop is worth something. With the exception of arrows, and event items for events you're not involved in, its usually worth while to pick up anything. That being said, once you get to the place you're actually planning to farm, dropping one tree branch to pick up a few silver ores isn't a bad plan.
The next most important thing to remember is that everything costs mesos. Your HP, your MP, and your ammo (if applicable) all have an in game cost. Depending on what items and passive skills are at your disposal, they can change in relative cost. For example, a Magician with mastered Improving MP Recovery (Magician) who can sit on an Ice Chair has far cheaper MP because its easier to recover than for most people. HP, on the other hand, is pretty cheap across the board because almost everyone has a relaxer to sit on to recover it at a decent pace. Potion and food costs also reflect this assumption with HP cures costing less than MP cures. But while farming for Mesos, its generally best to avoid needing potions all together.
Farming for Loot
When looking for a specific drop, the most important decision to make is where to farm. While there may be a slew of monsters that can all drop the same item, you want to find an area with the highest concentration of a monster that drops it. Quantity over quality is key. If it takes you 4 or 5 attacks to kill a monster with a slightly higher drop rate when it would only take 1 to kill a snail that drops it, you are probably better off just going for snails.
I'd also recommend looking for places that offer good synergy. When looking for Bronze Ore, you might want to go somewhere with monsters that drop Steel Ore as well (since you're probably going for screws anyway).
Farming for XP
This is actually less in the scope of this guide than you'd think. I'd suggest using one of the other helpful guides on how to farm for XP. A few quick points though: while big monsters may be worth big XP, being cautious with big monsters can be slower than going after a bunch closer to you in strength because you can be a little more reckless. If you can find a monster that's easy to trick with a ledge, kill it and all its family, and remember that its ok to burn through items to fudge the big monsters rule (unless you are also trying to save some cash).