Genocide2099: Thanks! I'll keep that in mind when dismantling stuff. I'm already in the second area and did a few contracts but I still have like 200 gold. I think I messed up when I dismantled a lot of stuff in one go.

piramidion: Yeah, gourmet skill is essential for both hp and money. I didn't buy food in the beginning of the game at all (2nd playthrough on the Death March difficulty). With it on you'll be able to sell food instead of buying it.

Also I never dismantle items - it's too expensive, and later on you'll find everything you need for crafting, or you'll have enough money to buy it.

Also look for the better prices. Usually it's like this:
* Armorers pay more for armor (including gauntlets, trousers and boots)
* Blacksmiths pay more for weapons (armorers and blacksmiths in the cities have the best prices); they also buy crafting components, and you can sell those you have plenty of, but be cautious with selling the expensive ones - they're expensive for a reason.
* Iirc, the inn keeper in White Orchard pays twice as much for any food you have (2 coins for each raw meat or a bottle of water, while all the other inn keepers offer only 1 coin per the relevant item)
* Some merchants specialize in selling junk items, and that means that they have higher prices for things like animal skins and pelts.
* Herbalists and alchemists offer good prices for alchemy items (but try to keep at least 10 pieces of each item at all times - you might need them at some point)

You could also use a monster trophy that grants 5% more gold to whichever sum you loot from chests (and possibly corpses)

The other way to earn more coin is to negotiate about your reward for completing a contract (I didn't use that option a single time on my second playthrough though, and I'm currently lvl 22 with over 30000 coins)

EDIT: oh, and don't forget to meditate to refill your bombs and potions (don't throw them away to craft new ones).

Genocide2099: Just curious. Why 10 pieces of each item?