I just joined today and would like anything that could be helpful  in any way at all. This includes small donations of money, tips as to how to play the game effectively, any help at all. What should I look for, and what should I buy? Should I save my energy potions for later, or do pets ever have more than 10 energy capacity?

pets have 10 energy max unless they have a gene in "organs" called tireless heart.  This brings the max energy to 15

Hey there, I've seen you around on Flight Rising! (I'm Sumatra over there, but I tend to mostly lurk.)

Some useful resources for new players, if you haven't already found them, are the FAQ and this exhaustive guide by Timain. The main thing to do when you first start out is just to explore a ton, since that's how you'll get most of your resources. The daily quests also pay really well, so you'll want to gradually work on amassing some pets that can fulfill them. 

While some people prefer to breed their own pets from scratch, I'd recommend looking to buy some with good genes and preferably GP if you can find some at a decent price. Also, don't buy any blueprints from the State Store: they can be found in Explore and most players have a ton of them they'd be happy to give you for free. (I've got plenty myself, just ask which you need.) 

Some pets can get up to 15 energy using Tireless Heart or certain rare items, so using an energy drink on one of them would be more efficient if you wanted to wait until you got one. Energy drinks can also be bundled into energy packs to use on the Battlefield. Or you could just use them now; you'll likely find more in Explore anyway.

Sorry this got really long. My inbox is always open if you have any other questions or want advice. I'd also be happy to breed you a good quality unicorn for Explore if you're interested. (I find unicorns to be the most reliable.)

This is good advice. Thanks ^^

Sumatra, that's cool. I may have seen you once or twice. I got referred here from someone on Windrose.