In other craft-heavy games, I tend to set a specific item as a target, and build toward it, saving cash and hoarding materials in order to get there. At launch, Starbound offered a huge web of possibilities, from humble farming to exploring the galaxy.
The penguins at the spaceport pay loads for batteries, you see. Every day I teleport down to my little farm, collect all the wheat and cotton and kiwi fruits that have grown overnight, and fill my pockets with double-As.