How much do you think you've spent in total on your dolls?

My thoughts exactly.

 

Dolls are what made me return to art.

I had basically given up on myself as an artist due to being so tired and constantly demoralized in my free time due to a career that was well-paying but super physically and emotionally brutal. I had saved up quite a lot of money by hiding so much of myself, giving away my hard work, and supporting people often doing questionable things in those abusive environments, and for a long time I believed that wringing myself dry in that way was the only right way to live. ... Getting laid off due to Covid was probably one of the best things that happened to me even though it really hurt at the time. I looked at my financial situation .. and while it wasn't perfect, to be honest, there were actually some buckets of savings I just didn't want to even HAVE (emotions are complicated!!). And so, somehow after lots of down days, I said to myself, "If I could invest in anything, I want to get 'Artistic Me' back."

So.... I've spent an awful on my dolls - but I don't think I can assign a monetary value to the feeling of actually being inspired to create again. I had wanted BJDs so much as a teen, and purchasing them has filled a set of needs that went entirely unmet back then. To me, the dolls I have represent a major commitment to self care & a real shift in how I prioritize what is important in my life.

 

I think somewhere in the area of USD$2,000. I only have three dolls and they each have only a few wigs, sets of eyes, shoes, and clothes. I have had them all for a long time but haven’t been actively buying things for them for most of that time.

 

How much have I spent on dolls? A nice down payment on a house.

Bearing in mind that I started collecting in 2008, I currently own 71 dolls and I've never sold a doll (yet), my total for dolls, wigs, eyes, mods and face-ups (but not including any clothes, shoes or shipping) is... $27,081US ($33,248CAN).

I make about 97% of the clothes for my boys and at least a dozen of them wear wigs I made. Quite a number of them also wear eyes that I make. Shoes are bought but I also don't have a huge shoe collection for them either. It's hard to estimate costs for the clothes I make as I've gotten fabric scraps from my mom, I re-purpose clothes I can't wear anymore and I'll frequently pick up fabric at the 2nd hand store. I rarely buy fabric from the fabric store but sometimes I will if there's a sale or a fabric is just too pretty.

Like a couple of others have said, I don't have any other real money sinks. Dolls are basically what I spend "fun money" on. I do spend $60CAN every 3 months on my ESO Plus membership but aside from that, it's basic life stuff (rent, groceries, internet, etc.) that I spend money on and nothing else.

I don't drink or smoke. I don't go to clubs/bars (when we used to be allowed to do that). I don't go to spas/hair salons/the gym. Even before Covid I went to an actual movie theater maybe once a year. I rarely eat out anywhere including fast food places. I've ordered in food twice in the past 3 years (and only because I had 40% off coupons). I don't even frequent coffee shops (Timmies/Starbucks, etc.). I buy manga/books but only on series I'm collecting (about 3 series, so even that's rare-ish). I don't travel (when we were allowed to do that, too). I don't drive/own a car. I hate shopping so do that as little as I can get away with.

 

@AidenEsparza Thanks... I appreciate that.

 

Purchased dolls: two, costs about $1500, the second one is a full set; Purchased accessories & DIY materials for the first doll: $350 for eyes, $150 for wigs, $300 for outfits&fabrics, $100 for props and stands; Purchased make-up commissions and DIY items: $200 including a practice head;
So, around $2600 in total and I don't considered it that bad. I am not going to have the classical expenditure justification part. Anyway five dolls would be the max number I am comfortable with, which means one more pet doll and two additional 70cm+ dolls. I would give $500 budget for the pet doll and $1500 for each 70cm+ dolls. In total, $3500 in the near future. Plus a camera and a taller body for my first doll, hopefully I won't spend more than 10k in this hobby

 

I would say $3000 on things directly from VOLKS alone...
I don't know if I actually want to calculate it and find out though

 

I'm almost embarrassed to say how much. Definitely beyond 3k.

 

I’ve kept a spreadsheet since the first thing I bought but I don’t want to talk about it :p I’ve only been interested in BJD since last October and I’ve already spent thousands.

 

Hmmmmm probably almost 2k AUD for dolls, clothes, wigs and shoes. Ignoring any craft supplies I already possess.

It terrifies me to actually tally up that money properly.

 

I think I'm around $2.5k in the past 8 months! However, I don't feel guilty about it. I've been homebound for years due to my health problems, I cook all our meals, I budget strictly. And hobbies like this (plus, you know... love) are what make life worth living for me. They bring joy and meaning to my life, and allow myself to express myself creatively. 2.5k is easily worth a fuller, happier life when I'm in pain and exhausted every day, and can't otherwise live anything close to what most people consider a 'life'

 

I’ve deliberately avoided keeping track of what I’ve spent over the years. I feel guilty enough about all the money I’ve spent on myself, seeing the actual number would negate the joy I’ve gotten. Even without keeping track, I do know I could have bought a nice used car, lol.

 

I've only just started this hobby and already spent far too much. But it's also helped get me back into art--like @maxxxamillion said, I think I'm starting to get the "artistic me" back and I'm excited about that. I'm remembering what made me the "artsy kid" back in school, and everything I gave up when getting my computer engineering degree and focusing on being useful to a capitalistic society. Still, I don't exactly want to keep track of how much I'm spending or I'll be very guilty about how much this hobby costs me--despite having other hobbies that cost plenty, and aren't as resell-friendly.

 

Ima say in the ballpark of 10k. But I took about 7ish years off the hobby. I’ve only been back into it for about a year or so? But ima put it around that. Honestly I would probably spend more, but I have a toddler and a tattoos/clothes/handbags/jewelry addiction LOL. I have to balance how much I spend on this hobby and how much I spend on things that make me happy with myself (work out gear, manicures, hair salons, music festivals, going out with friends and traveling, tattoos, etc ). When I originally got into this hobby I didn’t spend money on myself and just bought things for my dolls and I realized that was really unhealthy. Now I am older I find a balance.

 

I haven't got an actual running total, but estimating my doll spend over the 6(ish) months I've been into BJDs has kept me from making multiple impulse purchases. It's a wild hobby for me to have picked up when I'm otherwise a pretty frugal person... I can afford what I've spent, it just feels very strange when I think about it compared to what I've spent on literally anything else recently. My compromise with my frugal side is to try to pace myself a bit!