Do you ever stop and think "WTH am I doing?!"

I feel a bit guilty when I don't buy used stuff vs new. It's very rare that I will go out and buy anything in terms of BJD's that isn't. I have such a thrifty mentality, something that was drilled into me by my parents, that's it really hard for me to buy anything that's not on sale, that I don't have a coupon for or that is something I don't really need. My Miro dolls/bodies some of them were new but even then I bought them on sale and Miro dolls aren't exactly expensive to begin with compared to most. I did buy a bunch of shoes from them too but they sell shoes about as cheaply as I have ever seen, so no guilt there. I have one SD sized RS that I bought new. That was a splurge, but again low end doll.

Most of my BJD accessories like wigs, eyes and clothing either I had it, it was given to me, or I bought used. I do most of my face ups myself, make my dolls their jewelry. A lot of the time if I buy dolls, BJD or non-BJD I sell off their clothing so that I can buy other dolls or make back the $$$ I've spent. I just make them outfits myself rather than keep the more expensive factory clothing. It's how I can still afford other dolls. The dolls themselves are far more important to me than anything else, because when it comes down to it I can make almost everything for them if I absolutely have to and I do. My dolls have a lot of stuff that I've done myself. That's how I keep costs down and guilt too. :P

I'm a bit of a doll hoarder. I've been collecting the BJD's for a couple of years now but other dolls for nearly a decade and a half now so my doll collection as a whole is pretty formidable. I do budget fairly tightly to be able to afford to get dolls. I don't go out a lot, or go the movies. I only have basic cable. I don't buy CD's, DVD's or fancy coffee. I don't buy very many new clothes. When I do buy it's on clearance or via thrift. I definitely make my $$$ work for me. I have a full life offline. I'm ill a lot. I have several autoimmune diseases and severe arthritis in my back because I've gotten in a couple of car accidents and have had to have several back surgeries. Other than work, and mostly I work out of my home actually, I don't get out much. On top of which I'm also a caretaker for an elderly family member who lives with me now. Without my dolls and my pets I think I'd go stark raving, seriously. The doll therapy it keeps me sane, and I don't apologize for that. Real therapy is a lot more expensive. :P

 

With the rest of my life, yes. With my dolls, no!

I have collected different types of dolls my whole life but I always kept my collections fairly limited, because with many collectible dolls there's not much you can do with them besides stand them on a shelf.

And then I found BJDs and it was like -- BAM! -- there was the thing I had been looking for forever. The versatility, the poseability, the insane level of detail, the art projects and artisans, the global community of like-minded collectors. Finding BJDs was like coming home, and this hobby is the only thing in my world that makes sense some days!

 

I do not regret spending money on the dolls but to think some days; even sometimes when I have saved enough money I think of everything that could buy for me but when I see the doll I want to buy, you pass me

 

Haha simple answer is yes XD the first post on this thread describes me in almost exact detail, though I'd say I am probably slightly less poor now that I've graduated and gotten a job but still... ugh. I feel exactly what you are saying!

 

Yes, after I buy a doll or put one on layaway I'll just think "Why am I doing this? It's so much money"
But when they arrive I usually change my mind.

 

I feel it sometimes...not so much guilt but I feel like maybe I could have spent the money on something else. But eh.

 

LMAO.... I think it frequently... especially with the dollar being what it is..... then I remember "It's cheaper than paying for counseling/therapy' ... You think I kid? I checked out the cost of seeing a psychologist V.S. what I have spent so far (not a small amount either ><)... The dolls worked out to be cheaper. AND, unlike a therapist you may get to see for a bit less than 2 hours a week. I get to spend most of the day at least being able to admire them if not play with them. I plan for them, work on projects that have to do with them, go places with them, and spend time with others because of them (meet ups monthly). They also are my way of detoxing from stressful things... They ARE my therapy. ^^

So ultimately, even when I question what I'm doing... I just look at my resin family (they sit where I can see them from my pc ^^) and think my heart, mind and soul are better off for having them... no matter the cost as long as I have the rest of what I need taken care of. ^^ The only time i 'really' question it is when my back is griping about lugging around my resin kids... (I have mostly dolls from the larger "heavier" types lol)

 

ALL the time! I often think about how I could have spent that amount of money on a more productive hobby, like gardening, or on my dogs lol. (>_<)

 

I only feel that way when I think what I spend on my own clothes as compared to what I spend on my dolls' clothes. I would NEVER buy myself a pair of $50 shoes, heck not even a pair of $30 shoes. I live in flip-flops. But one of my dolls has not one but 3 pairs of shoes that cost over $30 each. Sometimes I think I've lost my mind. But most of the time I don't worry and just enjoy it.

 

That always gets me, how much more we spend on our dolls than ourselves. Like I said above I'm very thrifty, but still my dolls have a better shoe wardrobe than I do. They get custom made clothing, gorgeous wigs, and fancy face-ups. Me, my clothes come from the thrifts or are bought on deep clearance, I pay under $20 for most of my shoes, I buy most of my makeup discounted and I cut and dye my own hair to save money. I spoil my dolls and my animals rotten comparatively speaking...

 

Back when i started collecting i couldn't face spending so much money on them when i could do it on myself, and in some way i thinks that's because they wernt the dolls i absolutely loved i just brought them because they were bjd's. Until this year at the beginning of the year i found the doll ive always wanted and love for sale on ebay with a beautiful face up but she was expensive and i was scared to ask my husband for help as i thought he wouldn't understand, then we were talking about bjds over dinner with my mum and i said there was recast mirwen and they both said no as its not what i wanted so then i quickly said well there is this other mirwen but its expensive blah blah blah and he said just get it, i was like are you serious, he said of course if it makes you happy, i was so so so happy, i think i love him more now lol (kinda went of subject abit sorry) but i guess what i am trying to say is if you love them and they make you happy then who cares, at the end of the day you need to find your happiness before anything else. Thats how i see it now, sod whoever thinks im stupid for buying stuff for my amazing hobby. I used to waste my money on stupid stuff like DVDs, cds, crappy jewelry etc.. Now my money is going somewhere special

 

I'm actually going through this, ever since i started being in the hobby. My doll barely has anything fancy for them, but its because i cant let myself get wrapped into a hobby while i neglect myself. And im not saying that anybody who gets wrapped in and spends a lot of money are neglecting themselves, but for me it makes me feel awful. It was why I spent like a year deciding which bjd to buy, i wanted one that wasn't a ton of money that i would still enjoy. I spent most of the money i had last year on my doll and things for it though, and it made me feel pretty crappy for a while.

 

Not really, to be honest. The way I have always chosen to look at it is that it makes me happy, I'm not hurting myself or anyone else with the way I buy dolls and doll accessories.
I cover all of my important expenses, I have no dependents with mouths to feed or expenses to pay, and whatever I have left over at the end of the month gets split 80/20 between personal savings and doll funds.

I have had moments when I kind of look around and do a mental tally and just think "Wow, that's a lot". But I've never had the thought that there is anything wrong with what I'm doing.
The way I look at it, how is it different than any other frivolous way people spend money? Like video games, card games, partying, traveling. It's all the same thing to me. You spend money for short term or long term enjoyment.

Are there better ways to spend that money? Of course there are. But I'm just not interested in those other avenues of spending my money.

 

Yes, I do!
I'm generally torn between "What am I spending this money for? This might be a huge mistake" and "Who cares, I spend this money on something that makes me happy and that's good enough"

With someone as expensive as these dolls, and all their accessories and things, it's really not possible for me to just shrug off the cost.
But I try to tell myself that it's okay as long as I don't get into financial trouble, and spending money on your hobby which makes you happy is something everyone does.

Still, my BJD life is a rollercoaster, one week I'll look at sculpts and work on my wish list with all these awesome dolls I want in the future, the next week I'll feel like I have enough dolls damnit, I shouldn't buy any more! x'D

 

I have only two dolls but yes, I do stop and think "What the Hell am I doing?"
Mainly because they are expensive and my mom bought my second one for my birthday :/

Honestly, no matter how guilty I feel, I'm gonna continue buying dolls until my family is complete.

 

Sometimes but then i look at her pirctures or start doodling outfit ideas or browse through shops and it all goes away

 

I understand about investing in supplies to create things and make back money. I've invested time and money into wig making, outfits/sewing, faceups, and even eyes. Haven't made anything worth selling yet!

I've spent about $50,000 on this hobby in the past decade. This hobby, for me, has been like an elephant in quicksand. I recently decided I'm not into it like I was before so I've been selling dolls. Made back a measly $1000! But I have lost much of the love and admiration, which makes it easier to "look but not touch" so to speak. They're pretty, but I don't need them all. I've finally reached a different level where I'm able to concentrate more on the craft side.

 

Sometimes I add up the cost of *what I paid* for all the dolls on my shelf and realize when I could have bought with all that cash, but then I wouldn't have the simple joy of looking at so many different representations of beauty every day.

 

Yes, but rarely.

I once sat down and figured out I had spent for dolls over the years, and thought, yeah, I could have taken that European vacation I am always talking about for what I have paid for the dollies. But at the end of the day, I am a "bird in the hand" sort of person and I madly adore my dolls, and can't really imagine being happy without them. I spend all my free time making clothes for them, painting them, making them jewelry, shopping for them, socializing with my doll friends...and I am happier than I have ever been in my life. Strange but true. I may be crazy, but I am HAPPY CRAZY!

 

Not about the dolls, for me they are a no brainer. I love them and they make me happy, that is all I need to be good with myself about them. I also have other interests that are expensive so their price was never something I debated, art is expensive.