What Dolly Rules Do You Set For Yourself?

My main rule is that the dolls I get have to fit into one of my two ongoing storylines. But the problem with that is I keep thinking up new characters to go with the sculpts that I want. So getting them still fits in the rules but I keep ending up with more and more and more characters to shell XD.

 

As of right now, I am not allowing myself to have more than five dolls, spend more than 600 dollars on a doll (this will probably change in the future), buy a doll without having a backstory and character for it, and absolutely love the sculpt.

 

The only rule I have at the moment is to not own more than one of the same sculpt, which is relevant to dollmore catish dolls more than anything!! I have one with the dreaming head sculpt and am now waiting for a standard head girl to arrive. I could do with more rules, but what's the fun in that!!!

 

My only rule is to set aside no more than 400 dollars a month for BJD related purchases.
It works like a BJD credit for me. I can spend above or below this amount, and the balance is rolled over to the next month. If it goes into a negative sum (due to a doll purchase), I will have have to wait until I pay that off before I can buy anymore BJD related stuff. :'D

I used to not have this rule before, but then I noticed how much of my savings I've been splurging in just 2 months. OTL

 

I don't really have any set rules for myself. I'm just enjoying the hobby as it comes~ I don't want to be strict with myself as I don't want to limit my creativity.
Though I guess one financial rule for me is, no buying dolls on credit xD

 

As of now the only real rule I have for myself is I'm allowing myself to seriously consider only bjds in the mini size mainly because I like them that size and it's easier on the wallet and displaying/storing since I collect other things as well.

 

My only rule is to not buy any doll I don't really like. Even if there is very good offers or massive discounts for the dolls that might be nice, I won't buy them because I'm not sure if I like a doll only because it cost (much) less than normally. I have noticed I love SD size dolls and although they cost more than little ones it does not prevent me from buying them. It might be a little silly but I consider buying something that I don't really like as waisted money because I cannot spend anymore on the dolls I really adore.

 

Some of my rules:

1. I try to give my dolls names that start with different letters and aren't too similar - this goes for both first names and last names. For instance, I have named my Peak's Woods Rosemii "Rosalie Mayfair" and I thought of naming my incoming Sionna "Willow Fairchild", but I just don't like that both last names contain the word "fair", so I will probably change it.

2. I don't want any of my dolls to have the exact same wig and eye color. If they are both blond there must be a distinct difference in the color, and if they both have green eyes it must not be the same kind of green. And I want the combination of eyes and wigs to be different as well - no redheads that both have green eyes for instance.

3. Right now I have a "no tinies" rule. I'm just more into the larger dolls, and I think I would end up selling it again if I ever got one.

4. No fantasy dolls. I don't mind vampire teeth or elf ears, but I don't want dolls with fantasy parts like a centaur or mermaid. That does not mean I don't like them. I really admire other peoples's fantasy dolls, but they are just not for me.

4. I had a "no floating heads" rule, but right now it seems that my Sionna will be bodiless for a while.

5. I'm trying to only buy SDs, but I might break this rule some day.

6. I promised myself that I wouldn't buy anymore dolls till I got my first one, but a month later and I had a second one coming...

 

I try to keep the level of girls and boys neutral, I don't like having more than one or the other. I only have two dolls so I haven't really had time to screw that one up. I also swore I would never get an SD and yet here I am, with an SD as my second doll.

 

So, far my only rules are...

• Only buy dolls second hand from people in my country, or an official dealer in my country.
• Pukifee dolls must have their sleeping faceplate with a matching faceup.
• No SDs and probably no MSDs until I move out and live on my own.

 

My rule (more of a resolution really ...) for the coming year is to stick to the dolls and accessories I plan to buy and not get distracted by "ooh a shiny new doll!!" and blowing my budget. Therefore I have made a list ready for 2016 of which dolls I want to get. Sounds quite boring but I like a plan of action

 

If I cannot buy two of them. dont buy them at all!

 

One of my rules is, "never buy a doll unless you have a character in mind at the time of purchase." I've broken that rule twice...Also, "never buy a doll without telling Mom and Dad." Also broken twice...

 

My only rule is, "No impulse buying." I've broken it so often that I've lost count.

 

I have to be eyeing a doll and thinking about it for a few weeks before I'll get it. It's kinda easy-ish to not impulse buy with BJD's because they often take so long to arrive that there's zero instant gratification.

At this point I'm sticking with large dolls. They're expensive and take up a lot of space. I won't crowd my dolls on a dresser/shelf or keep them in boxes. If I get a smaller doll, it needs to be in proportion to the larger dolls so that they can exist in the same "universe."

 

My only hard and fast unbreakable rule is that that the dolls I want to group and photograph together *MUST* match in scale and sculptural style.

Trying to pair something like an MSD with an IpleHouse EID? No. 'Full-stop not happening. I don't care what the "story" is. They would look completely out of scale and pants-on-head stupid together. Putting a very anime-esque stylized sculpt like an F-14 with a bunch of more realistic ones and calling them siblings? Not a chance. They don't even look like they belong in the same universe, much less the same family.

I'm not against any of the dolls individually, mind. I have a few in my crew who really DON'T match anyone else... But they're never, ever posed or photographed with any of the others. They're on their own, where their differences and odd-ones-out appearance are a feature, not a bug. It's only WITHIN groups that I'm picky about matching scales and harmony of styles.

 

I do not have a lot of rules but only a bunch of them and they are usually really easy to follow:
- No SD or bigger dolls.
- No white dolls (this is a rule and personal taste, because I know they look well in company pics but I find them odd when I got them in hands and I don't know how to properly photograph them. I'm sure I'll break that rule in a future).
- No dolls that cost more than 450-500$ (that's a rule and a limitation imposed by my own budget).
- Never buy a doll by impulse (I only broke it once).
- Never buy a doll if it hasn't a name, style and story planned.
- Never buy a doll if previous doll haven't, at least, one outfit for summer and one for winter (I have broken this rule once too).

 

I've set up a few rules for myself last year and I hope I can follow through:
- no more than 4 SD sized dolls - if I want a new one, one of the older ones has to go
- no more spontaneous purchases - now I have to think about buying at least for 1 week before I actually do it
- keep the names short - only 2 syllables
- never buy on layaways!
- only resin eyes, no more acrylics

Until now, I've followed them

 

My one and only rule is to not order any dolls until I receive the one I've already ordered. This is difficult to achieve especially when it takes months to receive them from across the sea, haha.

 

Oh no that one is too hard I try to stagger it though.