When you first start out as a newbie or even just an old/new player on a new server in Meridian, shills are sometimes hard to come by.
First thing you do before you start fighting is go to the Innkeeper in Barloque and make a command alias that says, "Do you need a courier, errand, message or favor?"  He will most likely give you a love letter for Madelia who is in the Princess Castle.
After you give her the letter, ask the same thing of her. "Do you need a courier, errand, message or favor?" She will give you a love letter as well.  Just keep doing this until you don't get it anymore.  You can usually get at least three runs with it and have a couple thousand shills to start off with.

Here is what you do...you most likely (unless starting out with a pure mage) you won't be using  any reagents, so at Main Gate of Tos kill the rats and centepedes and collect all the regs.
When you are full...run inside and sell them and if you have over 2k go deposit it since  at your low hps your money isn't really secure on your person.

Some people don't want to stop killing when they are full and take the time to go sell.  But it only takes a minute to do & if you don't take a minute to do it you are giving up money you can use for armor, food, whatever you will need.

Once you get strong enough to fight in the Grave Yard of Tos (approx 30 hps give or take depending on your exp. in the game) collect all the red mushrooms you can.  Paddock will pay you a fortune for them. Don't try selling your regs over broadcast, most of the time it's a waste of time and much faster to just go sell them to an NPC.  Unless of course you see someone  looking to buy something that you were planning on selling to NPC.

And if you see any chain armor drop in GY...grab it...Barloque Smithy will give you almost 600 shills for it.

When you get a little bit of padding to safely take a couple of hits from a troll, spider, tusked, skelly, (or even a Fire Ball from the Ghost) etc.  run to CV and if anyone is Throne Room...this is where you will need to withstand a FB =P If noone is.   I think out of the 100 times I've gone into the TR with the ghost there I have avoided an FB from him approx 5 times.
If someone is fighting in there...collect flawless long swords, knight shields and any regs you see laying around unclaimed.  Just make trips straight to Barl Smithy or Roq in Barl Sewers.