Sorting out doll budgets / priorities?

event dolls are a problem for me - I've just bought a doll which, although I really liked and have wanted for years, I'd decided not to get, as I only had budget for a different doll (which I still want to get ASAP). So the doll I wasn't going to get ever, suddenly they have a cute event doll with it and I order now Now I can't buy the doll which was next on my shopping list So although I'm happy to be getting this new doll, I think maybe sticking to a plan is a good idea because now I'll have to go over budget to buy the doll I originally intended buying in the New Year, or forget about it (impossible!)

Sorry no advice on budgeting from me - I'm hopeless at it

 

I currently have a budget to help fix up my only BJD that I have and I am refusing to let myself partake in any doll events or sales so I don’t break that promise. I have a list written down on a word document of what I want to get and how much it’s going to be after the exchange rate (and after I cry at the price jump), I slowly work my way through it.
Currently I have gotten her faceup commissioned and she is with the artist and I am about to put a pair of jointed hands on laway whilst they are on sale for Christmas. Next will be getting her some clothes commissioned after a little save up from Christmas killing my savings.

I think the best thing to do if you are bad with budgeting is using the layaway systems some companies have after working out every monthly payment to make sure you can do it. As easy as it is to blow your budget and buy that doll, you’ll then find you’ll struggle and feel guilty afterwards because you broke your list/budget. If that makes sense.

I think the only time you should ever break for a LE if its one of those dolls that screams at you to get and you know you wouldn’t be happy if you didn’t get it. If not you can always put it on a grail list and look for it second hand.

When it comes to savings I have an account that I can’t touch unless I go in to the bank that I deposit savings in to every time I get paid. It’s amazing how quickly it fills if you just forget about it lol. After a few months I should have enough money for either more things for Meg or to get my second doll.

 

I have the same problem. I have my current wish list that I very much want to get over with but it is ignored whenever a new doll (or two) that I like is released. In my first year in the hobby, usually I cave-in and buy the new shiny doll (or dolls), thus my wish list was ignored. But, I find that when this happens and I receive the doll, I don't like the new doll very much and I suddenly have bonding problems with it.

This is why whenever I get caught-up in all these events and emotions run high (the "I want" phenomenon), I take the time to really think about it. The difference between a new doll in the market and the one's in your wish list is that you don't really have enough time to contemplate whether you would die to have the limited edition or not. As for the dolls in the wish list, it's in your wish list for a reason. Lesson learned is that think about it really hard. If you can afford the limited edition and can wait for the other dolls on your wish list, I say go for the limited edition. But if you're having second thoughts and is undecided after thinking about it, for me, this is a good indication that I might pass on the limited edition this time.

 

This is why I passed up (passing up) a limited edition from Soul Doll, I was so in love with him (still am), but I just keep second guessing it. I am always going back on to the website and looking at him. So it really is a struggle to figure out if second guessing is a good way of knowing you really don't want the doll or if you are only fearful because it is a lot of money even with the layaway and because of a bad experience with the last doll.

 

I have a wish list to I gues.
But if I have saved up for a doll and a limited edition that I like a lot aperes, I go for that doll first.
I was saving for an EID Bichun that is on that wish list but at that time my grail doll were rereleased in limited quantity so I got this doll first.

If a doll is limited and on my wish list for example I am searching for another sculpt. I liked the merry doll round fang a lot but later on I saw souldoll swinte and now she is on my wishlist instead.

Its because first I am not rich and second I dont have space for to many dolls.
So I have to decide clearly what I do and want. I hope that makes sense

 

I set aside money, but if like something comes out when I already want another doll that is LE or something I would get that one and wait for the other one because I could probably get that one later.

Otherwise if I really need something, I will try and re-budget by eating cheaper food or selling old stuff I don't want.

 

For sure, I'm in the same boat. I wanted the Limited Edition Red King from Ringdoll (ever since his prototype days). But after seeing him, the magic disappeared and I was suddenly having second thoughts after initially pining for him. I still want him and there's a part of me that is already regretting the decision of passing him up but I know, in the future, there will be more dolls as handsome and creative as him. There will always be more in the future. That's why I love this hobby.

 

I feel somewhat happy that I live in Australia because the exchange rate kills pretty much 99% of my BJD dreams LOL, so that's probably why I am giving up the wolf sculpt that Soul Doll has at the moment.
The red King is a stunning doll, but I know all about the magic disappearing after you see a doll. My only BJD I fell in love with and brought only to have her magic die when I saw her. But thankfully I'm carefully redesigning faceup and clothes and such to make her in to another character.

That really is the magic of this hobby. That there will always be another similar and creative sculpt out there. And if not there is always the doll market

 

Most of my dolls are characters and hybrids, so I have less of a problem with limited edition dolls and fullsets.

I also planned for years (two? three?) which dolls and bodies I would like, so that isn't really a decision anymore (with an exception for new heads that come out to replace my old ideas).

I also saved for a while for BJDs before getting into the hobby (wanted to make sure that I could save enough money to buy some before starting).

I make it a rule that I can only buy one doll at a time, and actually often do layaway, although I have the money for the full doll, because then it takes longer for me to set my sights off for the next one.

I also wait to buy until the last day of the ordering period (usually for a sale) because then I can spend the whole period making sure I'm convinced it's what I want. (Although usually the only

My only rule I occasionally break is that I wait for one doll to arrive before buying the next.

I always wait for a discounted price, so sometimes I buy/start paying for another doll before the other one arrives at my home, but this happens rarely.

 

Out of my income, half goes into savings immediately. I can't touch it. Then the other half is divided--half of that (or a quarter of my income) goes to dolls and other large purchases. I have a giant wish list, and yeah, my doll plans get shuffled a lot. I'm already planning for a limited that gets released on about 24 hours (looking at you Ringdoll.) basically, If I don't have all the cash, it goes on layaway, because I have a guaranteed job till June, or I live without. I don't have a quota or rules about how many I can order.

 

If I want a doll I make extra money by doing extra work and that's the money I use to buy it. None of my normal money goes to dolls or doll stuff, because I keep any extra for if I have a bad month. (freelancing has it's ups and downs.)

 

My husband manages the money and I have a $20/week "allowance" for whatever I want, and the rest goes to bills, savings or for us to go out together sometimes. Any gift money (like for holidays or birthday) is mine to spend as I please. Because of this agreement, it's impossible for me to just splurge at random. If I find a limited doll or one at really good deal that I need to buy asap, if we have enough extra money, sometimes I can go ahead and buy it, but that means no more allowance until I've paid back to savings whatever I spent.

 

I'm really bad at this, lol. I ended up getting a RS Yi from JS during their christmas sale. I figured all would be well because I had a few more months to pay off my layaway.. nope. A few weeks later I got a message from Clover Singing saying she got my doll in early and will ship it once the final payment was made.. XD So I had to dig into my savings to pay it off early because I didn't want to wait for him because I ended up spending about $150+ shipping on another hobby of mine before I got the email about my layaway. I think my issues is budgeting hobbies.

 

I have issues budgeting. x_x I try to plan out my needs, wants and the stupid stuff. It doesn't always work, but I try. I lucked out this year and was able to order my first doll using my tax money. Unfortunately, I was planning on doing the same thing next year but it looks like that won't happen. I'll have to put it towards hotel for conventions, which while nice.. get expensive. So right now I'm trying to save up for conventions, trying to upgrade my pc, and another doll. We'll see how this goes...

 

i only have one right now, and another on layaway, both from a fb page. cost is an issue of course. i stick to the ones that are less than $300, and come with wig/clothes etc.

 

I have a couple of personal doll rules and they help a lot with budgeting/planning dolls. I have a savings account that I put aside money off each cheque. The account is set up so that I can't do any point-of-sales purchases from it and if I want to use a bank machine to access it, I need to use a bank machine specifically of my bank. Because it's harder to take money from that account, it tends to remain untouched, which was the whole purpose in my setting it up that way.

One of my rules is that nobody comes home who isn't already a character, so the impulse purchase has only happened to me twice in the 8 years I've been in this hobby because I'm actually pretty strict about that rule. Because all my dolls are characters of mine, that also (thankfully) eliminates fullsets since they are never what I envision, so the extra involved in that doesn't happen for me. I also very rarely get the default face-up since it typically doesn't work for me. But that does mean extra cost for me in the way of getting a custom face-up (and the shipping involved) so I likely don't come out ahead on that score.

No money? No doll. Period. It doesn't matter how much I want it. If I don't have the actual cash on hand so to speak, the purchase doesn't happen. To me, buying dolls on credit is the slippery slope to dolly hell. I already have waaaaaay more dolls than I ever thought I would and don't need any help/encouragement adding to the horde.

Make sure I'm buying what I truly want. That sounds simple and kinda no-brainer, but do I want the doll because he is 'X' character or because he's just so darn pretty and if I don't leap at him, I'll miss out on getting him later? Like somebody else mentioned, I'll typically wait until the final few days of a sale to make sure that I really am buying the doll for the right reasons for me.

 

I only have plans to get dolls if I can shell my OCs to them, rather than just sporadically deciding to get a doll because they're pretty. So I'm hoping that I won't run into too many budgeting issues; I'd probably be in more trouble with all the beautiful outfits I want!

 

I usually ask for layaway when i buy a doll, mainly because i don't like the thought of that doll not being there when i can finally save up for one, but i always make sure that I'm saving my money on things i really need and make sure i know what the difference is xD

 

No doll budget for me. If I'ii choose my next doll, I'll put it on layaway, because that's the only way for me, what is works. I always spend my savings on my household or pets. Birthday money almost everytime ends like the savings.