Quitting your hobbies because dolls are expensive

i have a hard time thinking about hobbies as being 'quit', i guess i still like the things i like even if im not actively spending money on it, yknow? i think thats why i dont really like to call myself a collector. i still like furbies and dice and knitting the same as before i started getting into bjds, but i treat all hobbies the same, i'll spend a little on it when i feel like there's something special i want or need, but i spend more time enjoying what i can make myself and what i already have.

 

I kinda stopped collecting Sailor moon to get into playline dolls (monster high, pullip), as well as some other reasons, but then I sold most of those off to get into bjds... lol. So I've kinda went to collecting certain dolls to other dolls. |D So I'm not entirely sure if that counts! I also collect a lot of video game merch, usually figures/statues and they've taken a back seat for bjds, but I haven't "quit" it.

 

I've always been on a modest budget, so I'm particular about what to spend money on. The only hobby I 'quit' is active cosplaying, due to constraints of time and space, and the frequency of the costs (what fun is it if you can attend one con every two years?).
I'm not a collector-type of person, also not with BJD. Buying a doll merely delays the saving I do for other expensive hobbies, mostly tattoos (a mid-size quality tattoo easily runs the same price as a doll, and in all honesty I feel more comfortable shelling out €800 for a tattoo than even €400 for a doll, no matter how beautiful).
But besides the tattoos, my hobbies don't require frequent purchases --good art supplies last for ages, a musical instrument lasts a lifetime if taken care of, fabric can be thrifted. So I didn't have to quit anything to get into BJD, I just made a decision to take a little longer to save for other stuff.

 

I can't really think of anything I've given up on due to money, but I have stopped collecting things over time due to shear volume of what I got. I used to collect phone charms and pins big time, but as my collection grew my space decreased and led me to start to get extremely picky about ones I get at conventions or order online.

Other than that, most hobbies I have given up I didn't really do long enough to call them hobbies. there was a lot of "oh that looks like fun" and doing it once or twice before becoming statufied with it.

oh, tho succulent collecting I stopped cause a mix of money and not getting enough sun in my room to keep them alive so I turned to fake plants for all my green needs till I can get a place with more sun

 

I collected anime figures and manga before this. I sold pretty much everything to give money towards the BJD hobby. I do miss them but I prefer my dolls and ability to customize and have a creative outlet.

 

I gave up making mascot costumes and cosplay a little while before sinking further into the Bjd hobby, it was not as a trade off but because of how expensive I found them for little return. I had stopped going to conventions around that time due to waning interest so was never getting to wear my expensive creations and it seemed so wasteful. I ended up with money that I had never previously had so I sunk myself into dolls.

Now I am now finally able to balance time between dolls, drawing and dressmaking. Before I would do one for few months then swap over to another hobby and had no balance.

 

I used to have four aquariums with rare fish, but I sold two biggest ones to compensate the costs of getting my first doll. I also have 70 houseplants. When I started spending more money on doll hobby (aka when I started having 3 dolls on my wait list at a time), I began to sell cuttings from the plants to keep my hobby costs lower. I have a booklet where I mark all the plants and how much their cuttings sell for, and I sometimes sell the plants that don't produce enough.

 

Not really. I don't have much in the way of expensive hobbies besides dolls. The only one that I guess would count would be traveling, and I haven't stopped, their funds simply come from the same pot, so at any given time I have to choose between one or the other. And in the case of cons they sometimes overlap.

 

I have only two expensive hobbies: dancing and dolls. All my other hobbies are things with lower start-up costs and can be thrifted (tabletop gaming, collecting picture books etc) so I just pumped the brakes on buying new things related to the less expensive hobbies but I still add a new art book or box of dice every once in a while. As for dancing, I've had to stop taking classes and performing, but I haven't stopped dancing entirely. I just can no longer take a workshop series AND save for a doll at the same time.

 

I've downsized my OT fashion doll collection for my BJDs. I've let go of crafts that no longer have much meaning for me.

 

I too collect Anime figures and character merchandise (really cool to see that there are quite a number of fellow collectors here ♡) and even though I don't see myself quitting that completely, I've both downsized my collection as well as hesitated with new preorders since I want to have more disposable budget for my dolls. I still appreciate my figure collection a lot but I just have a lot more fun in the doll hobby and really cherish the interactive part of it, compared to the rather static figure collecting.

 

For me it was more like dolls just kind of took over the things I already loved. I bought my first sewing machine for cosplay, but it turned to sewing for dolls instead of humans as soon as I got into the hobby because they wear what I make for them for more than a weekend. My photography started becoming more doll-specific because they’re great little models, and I stopped collecting the action figures I was really into for a while after I got into BJDs because little plastic figures I never touched didn’t measure up to dolls I was customizing and photographing constantly. I’ve since gotten into shows that have more poseable action figures lately so that’s on the rise again, because they don’t just sit on the shelf the way my old collectibles did.

I find I don’t buy a lot of the silly little cutesy clutter I once did, because I’d rather spend it on something that feels as meaningful as the dolls do, but that’s about it.

 

Not exactly but adjacent and better in the long run, but I stopped spending money on mobile games (especially Love Nikki, lol) because I’d rather have it for dolls. Especially because dressing up dolls is more fun than dressing up Nikki; I still play but only for free.

I’m getting back into sculpey again too thanks to my lovely dolls!

 

I used to cosplay a lot more (9-12 new costumes a year) and I've scaled back quite a bit. Doll money wasn't the only reason, but it was a big one.

 

My love of crafting has spilled into outfitting and equipping my BJDs. I bum off of my husband's or brothers DnD books when we play, and cooking is as essential as it is fun. While I may have had to economize on things, I haven't given up other hobbies to fun my BJD enjoyment.

 

I had a huge disney collection. Im selling a fair part of it to afford my dolls.

 

I seem to be having the opposite problem - weening myself from the BJD hobby because I've been spending more time and money on my resin craft business lol. I've really culled down my collection and I have really pushed myself to look at my BJD stuff and think: does this spark joy. does this get me excited? The answer has been "NO" very often recently as my resin business requires more and more attention. I wouldn't necessarily say I am "quitting", just taking a break. Luckily I still have two MSD girls who I can spoil!

 

I have considered this many times, as I was gaining more interest in BJDs and less interest in my other doll collections (I collect reborn dolls and customized Blythes as well). It's hard to let any of them go, honestly. Even though I'd like to sell the ones I no longer give attention to, to fund a new BJD. So for now, I have just halted collecting any other dolls besides BJDs.

Sadly, I'm about to stop thinking about any doll collecting in general, since my financial situation has changed and saving money will be practically nonexistent for awhile

 

well, actually no. But I am learning to be wise with money to spend in various situations. I would restrict myself from implosive buying, only get things I really need. from earlier this year, I started bookkeeping, which gives me a very clear breakdown of my spending and better control.

 

This hasn't really happened with me intentionally, but I have basically stopped buying new fashion dolls just out of a lack of interest in most new releases, which has allowed me to buy more stuff for all of my dolls in general. Honestly, if I think I made a spending chart for all of my hobbies, BJDs would be right in the middle. I definitely spend more on fashion (sorry, dollies, but I'm the priority here ) and gaming. I'm super picky about what I buy in this hobby, so that probably helps a lot. I also got super lucky and managed to get all three of my grails in my first year, so that's definitely going to cut back on spending from here on out. I can't really see myself buying more dolls than what I currently have, so it'll just be clothing/accessories.