Did owning BJDs turn you into a shopaholic?

I have to say yes, the hobby changed me. I used to be a conservative spender but now my dolls want for nothing.

 

[sigh] Yeah... It's becoming harder and harder to save, haha. Why are my hobbies so expensive...?

 

OMG yes! And mostly an international shopaholic at that! I get at least two or more packages a WEEK from Russia, China, Korea, Japan, Poland, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Bulgaria and sometimes the UK and France. The bulk comes from Russia as I am in love with Russian art dolls and clothing at the present. My partner says I am probably on some government watch list someplace because I get so and ship so many international packages. I love getting goodies for my dolls!

 

yes. I find that I only really feel like I am being "active" with my dolls when I am buying them stuff... I really resent that about this hobby

 

I just started filling my cart on etsy with MSD clothes. I may have a problem.

 

Nah. I'm generally a very conservative spender when it comes to my doll. Heck, I only have one doll, even though I have more than enough to buy a few more. I try to remind myself of how expensive things are by comparing them to items I actually need. Like if I'm looking at a shiny pair of BJD shoes, I stop and remind myself, "You could buy yourself a new pair of shoes with that money!" because I think it's more important to make sure your own needs are taken care of before a doll.

If I feel that my own wardrobe is lacking (clothes getting worn out, etc), or my shoes are getting old, or I'm running out of art supplies (I'm an art student), or I don't have enough money to buy birthday/Christmas gifts for the people I care about, that takes priority over my doll. Easily. Or I'll remind myself that that money could be going towards a plane ticket to another country (I've always wanted to travel abroad). I don't spend too much on my BJD because it's not my only hobby and I have other goals and dreams I want to pursue (which require money).

 

I don't buy too much, compared with other BJD owners. But I definitely buy for the dolls much more than for myself. I like to buy stuff that is not intended for dolls but can suit them well. For example, it's a pleasure to buy a pair of car air-fresheners that look like doll boots or a bunch of erasers looking like doll food, all this crap

 

Definitely yes Its actually more fun to buy for them, they can wear a lot of stuff I wouldn't wear myself or try things out on them. So I shop a lot more than I used to (especially online)

 

I'm already a shopaholic, and this hobby is just shifting the focus of my buying a little.

 

Yeah, I've become a bit of a shopaholic- mostly because I keep buying them! I'm on my third year of owning BJDs, have nine dolls and a body at home, and have three dolls and a face-plate ordered. Now I really NEED to buy face-up supplies- soon there will be seven blank dolls waiting for me to paint them. And I've never even repainted a Barbie... And of course they all need eyes and hair and clothes, only one of which I can make.

 

.....Yeah. It totally has. Used to be so good at saving too. But I also think having a job I hate isn't helping. Bad day at work? I'll just look at/maybe buy some doll things.... Dangerous stuff.

 

It's funny that I rarely buy things for myself. Most of them are spent on BJD hobby. Yes, I admit that owning BJDs do turn me into a shopaholic because owing BJDs allow and inspire me to style them whatever I like. I love taking photos by changing different dolls with wide variety of wigs, faceups, eyes, clothes, shoes, and accessories. As a result, they ended up taking some of my spaces. Due to limited spaces, I've to clear out some of them for my other collections. That's why some of my collections come and go like air flowing in and flowing out from heart to ensure a good balance.

 

I never used to be a shop-a-holic, but now in a way I am. I look through thrift stores and garage sales regularly for items for my dolls. I am always on the look out for props, dollhouses, clothing or fabrics only for them.

 

Actually, it was quite the opposite with me. I used to shop quite a lot when I was younger before I knew about BJDs. I couldn't resist a sale, and would buy tons of stuff/clothes I didn't really need or use. Once I started saving for my first doll, it weaned me off of that habit, and I realized how much I was spending each month on things I wasn't using. I started to sell the person-size stuff I'd accumulated to add to dolly funds, and when my doll was paid off and arrived, it also got me to use up some of the craft supplies I'd be hoarding for the longest time.

When all was said and done, I had a lot more money than before I started collecting BJDs, and to this day, it's been a good source of income/savings for me, as I've bought dolls that need TLC, fixed them up, and flipped them for a bit more than I invested. That's not to say I'm completely cured of my love of shopping, but these days I shop for ideas and patterns rather than items; I'll fill a digital shopping cart with things I like (for me or my dolls), and either buy the pattern or draw some designs of my own using them as inspiration. My dolls serve as encouragement to make new things, help keep money in my pocket, and create the occasional income for me. They've had a very positive effect on my life, overall.

 

Yes.

That and the fact that my dolls already wear clothes more expensive than my own.
And I've only had them for a month or so.
This is going to get me in trouble...sigh...

 

See I have this problem of... I will go ages and ages without buying a single item and then I'll get a new doll, or I consider getting a new doll and all at once, I'm buying this, buying that, BUYING EV-RE-THIIIIING, sometimes even before the doll has made it here! Although I can say, I think bjds have made me a smarter shopper? I'm always on the lookout for stuff I can use for my dollies and sometimes, I'm able to get some really, really awesome deals. I think I get more excited over a good sale for doll clothes than I do for my own clothes! Lol~

 

It has turned me into an obsessive seeker of things. I want certain things for my dolls so I search all over the internet for them. If I can't find them I commission them, so far with good success. If that does not work then I buy stuff and MAKE it myself. It has expanded not only my already pretty large tendency toward "retail therapy" but has focused my shop-a-holic ways.

 

I have commissioned clothes for my dolls that they have never worn because I like the clothes themselves too much to mess them up. I have some amazing gowns and things that cost well over $300 USD and up, shoes that cost $150 and they have never been out of the special boxes I put them in. Yes, trouble. But maybe museum pieces one day.

 

I was already a shopaholic! I tend to go in phases between buying things for myself and buying things for the dolls. Right now I'm assembling and furnishing a dollhouse for them.

 

I've always been a shopaholic I collect many different things.