Has doll collecting stopped you from reaching your potential financially?

It's the opposite. Dolls (and the rest of my hobbies) encouraged me to work harder. I'm super proud of my career, and it's always nice to be able to reply with the "You spend that much on a doll?" comments with "Just because it's expensive for you doesn't mean it's expensive for me."

 

I've saved money all of my life and didn't even imagine going on vacation, buying nice things or well, anything. I was pretty much raised that way and I still worry that there will be some huge emergency and we'll end up with nothing. So when I started showing interest in dolls, my husband was really encouraging. He even goes to doll shows with me. I'm still a big penny pincher in every other way. Anyway, I would say it hasn't had much of an impact. But of course, any money spent could have been saved/invested.

No one can predict the future. I had friend die young and I'm grateful that he went on vacations, indulged his interests, collected his favorite things and lived a fun life. I often wish I had a crystal ball and knew what I actually needed.

 

I can't because I'm on disability, but I try to limit the amount of money I get every month when spending it on dolls, layaway helps a lot, I'm not rich and it's hard to drop a lot of money on a doll in one go.

 

Jokes on you, I never had any financial potential in the first place

To be honest, dolls aren't that prohibitevely expensive. Surely there's an investment, but you don't have to buy a million dolls and be a "collector". It's a hobby that can be rewarding even without constant spending.

 

I use to pay on layaway my dolls so I can earn my own money at the same time. In fact I only buy a doll when I aerned at least half of the cost because, sadly, I've lived with just the exact money for the month so I will never commit the mistake of waste money like I did on my 20's.

 

Yes the reality is that especially nowadays one can find sd dolls with less than 350$ new and even 200 in marketplace second hand smaller sizes for even less for God's sake all that when even playline fashion doll prices go higher and higher p.e. a barbie extra may cost 35-40 euro in my country and they are meant for kids if one buys through events or second hand may snug a 1/6 bjd with 120euro including shipping so 3-4barbie extra playline for a kid= a small used bjd it's expensive but not like diamond ring expensive or Gucci expensive people just freaking because they are dolls and adults collect them.

 

Doll collecting is a hobby for me and the hobby budget is the last priority. After bills, savings, investments, and necessities are paid I set aside money for hobbies and entertainment. My doll budget definitely does not affect my financial potential.

 

This is how I handle it as well.

I always thought that the biggest hurdle that kept me from reaching "my potential" was never money to begin with - it was/is my health. It used to make me angry and sad, but I don't look at it that way anymore.
Because in a few decades (could also be tomorrow - you never know), I'll be dead. So I decided to just steadily work on reaching my goals while I do things that make me happy. No stress. All in time. There's no guarantee that I'll ever make it there, anyway.

That said, in the past there were times when collecting dolls (not BJDs at the time) affected my life to a dangerous point.
Spending money over my limits on things that I thought would make me feel better only doubled the stress I had to begin with.
So I learned the hard way that budgeting is one of the most important life skills.

 

Yes it has. I have already spent thousands of dollars which could have gone towards investment for retirement someday, or paying off our house. But it doesn't stop me!

 

Also wanted to explain what I have already shared when I was buying actively I was making a good salary and also saving my savings though was taken in one day from a common account by a person whom I trusted it was more than 10000 in one day,persons I am in familial relations also here and there take away of my current income for their needs anything I sell off from my collection or my jewelry goes to fill those holes. Someday I will have nothing to sell and when this happens I will be nothing to those people that is why I laugh at the cost I am not spending on me or dolls anymore but it never destroyed me the fact I can't have boundaries with people destroys me and I don't think I ll get better on that cause I am a loser by nature.

 

The dolls obviously are not cheap for what they are - entertainment. On the other hand if a once in a while expense of a few hundred to few thousand can wreck the whole financial landscape then the problem is not the dolls. As others already have said there are many socially better accepted hobbies that drain finances much worse.