How To Get Doll Money: The Master List of Ideas!

Thank you for this thread I have one of those big coffee ground tubs that I keep coins in. It's really slow to fill up but my friend had two of them and she emptied them both at the bank and got around 250$ So that's definitely a way but maybe not quickly since it takes a while to save up that much change. Also selling stuff you don't need/use anymore is good too. I have about 15 years of video games I went through today to sell and I'm selling clothes and anime figures too. Also, like @RavenNight said I rarely spend money on my card because it doesn't feel like it's real money I'm spending.

 

I do babysitting for my neighbours children and babies quite often and when they pay me in cash I place it into an envelope so it doesn't go into my bank account and I accidentally spend it! So I have savings that i can put in when I want to buy something special.

 

I work part time at a vet clinic, and luckily I do not have any living expenses right now because I am with my parents. I put about $50 out of my paycheck to the side in savings for my first doll, and any change I have from buying necessities I put in a jar for clothing and accessories for her.

 

Hi! I am new, so it may be a stupid idea.

I am a firm believer that it is way easier to save money that to win money.

Frankly, fresh out of school, while I was doing an internship, I lived for a year in some small room, with no hot water, no heating, no light and with the toilet and crude shower in the basement while the room was upstairs and I had to go outside to use the toilet and shower or to get water. (Very fun in winter when you want to wash your hair!) I also cooked with some camping equipment on the edge of my window and used a ricecooker to cook everything from pasta to cake. It was urban survival 101.

It was in a city where rent was so expensive, so in comparison, it was a very cheap deal. It was also in a city where such living conditions may not be entirely legal (for the homeowner, not for me) since there are minimum standards. I saved so much during these years (alas not for a doll, but for necessary studying expenses). While it may be a bit extreme, there were rooms just a bit pricier but with a rent low enough to save on it, I just decided to go all the way in my saving plans.

In my humble opinion, if you work more, you will earn more, but you will also be more tired and be weaker to temptation to some degree. (There is also the fact that I am currently cumulating both a fulltime work and studies, so I would rather do something enjoyable or even sleep in my spare time. XD) So it is easier to get used to lower living standards, like cheaper coffee, cooking rather than eating out, walking instead of going to the gym, etc.

I also remember that during these years, I never spent a coin without thinking at least twice so I definitely was a little bit too obsessed with the idea of saving up.

While I since have a better income and can live more comfortably now (yay for tepid water!), I still have the habits of prioritizing things when I get money. I do the following, in this order:

I will always save half of it in a special bank account. It is the money that I won't touch unless someone's life is at stake or something dramatic like that. If I have to buy things for my studies of for my work, I will get it from that fund, since I consider them to be essentials.

Then I pay my rent.

Then I pay my bills.

Then I put away the money I owe to taxes (it can be paid once a year in one lump sum in my country).

Then I look how many times I am expected to go out with my friends and budget my eating and drinking money accordingly. (I don't like to be the person who orders only a salad at a restaurant when everyone else is having full meals).

Then the money left is my "hobby" money, up to me to spend or save for non-essential things. If it's gone, it's gone and I won't get to spend anything until my next paycheck.



I tried selling stuff I don't use anymore, but I lost way too much time in comparison with the money earned. It is more efficient to buy non-essential things with the keen awareness that it will be a sunk cost anyway and to ponder if it is still acceptable.


As I said, it may be completely dumb, but it worked for me!

 

My other passion are succulents.
They require little maintenance and most varieties can propagate from leaves.
Once they start to root, pot them up and when they get large enough I sell them on the marketplace.
It is literally money growing on trees (or plants in this case)

 

I notice a lot of really amazing photographers here. Has anyone tried making/selling a photo book? I'm working on a Kindle book and am not sure if it will be successful but am interested to hear from any others who have tried.

 

Sell old stuff that you no longer like/use, especially if it's in good condition. People search for old electronics (ipods), furniture (rugs, lamps), toys, books (textbooks), car tires, unworn shoes, pet accessories, craft supplies, home decor (planters, picture frames, anything with macrame/rattan will do since it's in style)...I sold some of the most randomest things on the internet and made money that way.

It's easy money because you don't have to put in much work, all you have to do is take a couple of good pictures, write an accurate item description and answer prospect buyers emails. Depending on what you are selling, you can earn something like $50 with 10 mins of effort.

 

Not dumb at all! I think this is a really smart way to manage your money and I like how conscious you are about it.

I want to put more thought into money management now that I’ve picked this hobby back up!

On a side note, I also prefer my hobby budget to take the hit instead of my food budget!

 

You should add swagbucks to this list. It’s somewhat time consuming, but it adds up after a while.

 

Wow, that’s such a nice thread,
and it caught my eye just in time, thank you all so much!
But to be honest, for me the most interesting and pleasant way to earn money for a new doll is to do something for the dolls with my own hands. You can say: oh well! As if we ourselves did not know, plus this does not suit everyone. But damn it, this is such a cute way to unite with your favorite hobby.

 

For me I'm working full-time, but after the expenses to keep myself alive I do find myself wondering how I can get more money for doll's stuff lol
Right now I'm running a little Etsy store selling crochet dolls, business's not that great due to Covid, but I do get some money from that. Personally I also know you can help walk the neighbor/family/friend's dogs to get extra cash! Working part-time is always an option as well.

 

*deep breath*

Facebook marketplace. Advertise what you have. 80-90% of the people that contact you won’t reply back-but I have some people interested in buying and as such it can be a great way to make money. I live in a small area but still have had 20+ locals contact me, so I mean? I downloaded Facebook just for this. Also great BJD sale groups-though fair warning make sure to check if they allow recasts or not.

 

The methods to fill up one's budget for dolls are all so varied. Coming out of full time work where pay was reasonably good to unemployment was a real wake up call. Other than existing on online marketplaces in hopes that extra items can be picked up, to simply taking the time to save, I'd say that I was way more of a market troll when it comes to dolls.
Nowadays, since the bankroll is near stalled, I'm re-evaluating income streams. The pull for dolls is hard to reign in.....

 

Another idea for earning money for dolls if you can drive! You can work for a rideshare service or a food delivery service app!

 

Thats a good idea, thanks! we have our own little succulent nursery and my dad is a potter. We could sell little succulent gardens for some cash.

As for my own suggestion, if you have some artistic talent and a decent following (500+ followers), commissions can get you a bit of money. Its not always consistant enough to live off of but it adds up if you save it.

 

I like this thread! I believe this is an important thing that every BJD hobbyists care. Firstly, we need PASSION. When we have passion on this hobby, we'll work hard to earn more money. And, we may start to try to make doll stuffs by ourselves, such as clothes, furnitures, or even a doll room. If you are not good at making DIY works, you can try to sell some things that you have but you rarely use. Besides, because it could be a high-cost hobby, you’ll start to have an awareness that saving money is important. So I don’t buy things that are not necessary in my daily life.

 

It's soon to be snow shoveling season, depending where you are! You can make money, help out the community/elderly and get a good workout in. Oh and if your customers are old people, they'll probably invite you in for a hot drink and some cookies lol.

My go-to way of earning doll money is to make stuff for dolls and sell it on etsy. There are some really easy and cheap to make things that a beginner can do, ex. choker necklaces made out of ribbon, tote bags, headbands... the possibilities are endless.

 

Another good one would be to get into making and creating stuff to sell. Like hitting up your local craft store and making doll props, wigs, clothes etc. There are a lot of Things that are easy to make.
Also a good one is selling old clothes, shoes or other stuff you don't Need anymore

 

I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned this one, but here it goes.

Over this past year I used one credit card to make most of my payments with. (This particular card has cashback rewards that build up with the purchases you make using the card. The rewards can be applied to a purchase and save you money. You could end up paying nothing if the purchase is the same amount as your rewards) I didn't use any of the rewards until the end of the year, and I had saved almost $150 in rewards that I used on my most recent BJD purchase. (It made a $600 doll now $450) Now I realize not everyone is comfortable with credit cards (and I totally get where you are coming from!), but I figured I'd put my two cents in.

 

One thing I do, since I'm an educator and enjoy doing it, is freelance tutoring. There's always someone who could use a little extra help, and then you can put the money aside for dolls.