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

Really useful thread Lizzard! Great minds think alike Anyway here are a few suggestions. Sorry if I've repeated any

A few saving tips

• Put a picture or some reminder of what you are saving for on your piggy bank
• [FONT=&quot]Write a money diary and then look back at what you spend your money on. Try to learn what you could do without buying and what you could save money on by buying cheaper alternatives[/FONT]

Simple Money methods

• If your hair is long and you have it cut sell your hair on ebay or use it to make doll wigs

Make Doll Accessories to Sell or Use

• Bunny ear headbands
• Flower hair clips, food etc

If you are good at faceups maybe you would enjoy doing faceups for children? Try opening a small stall at church sales and do face painting for children. Every child wants to look like a tiger! And if you charge a more than reasonable price mums won't mind either

 

There is a site called paperbackswap.com where you can get books for free. The only money you pay is when you are sending a book out to someone. Here's how it works in steps:

~ When you first join the site and list ten books (not mandatory) the site will give you two points to use. Each book, hardcover or paperback, is only one point. Audio books are two points.

~When you send out a book to someone, you just pay the shipping. When that person gets the book(s) you get the point(s) and can use them to get books you want.

~You can make wish lists for books that aren't in the system so when they are listed, you get notified. You also have a reminder list for books that are in the system but you may not want yet.

~While you are sending out and getting books, the site keeps track of this and tells you how much money you have saved. I've been using this site for a couple months now and have already saved over a hundred dollars.

~There is also a link on their site to another one of theirs for swapping DVDs. I haven't done that one yet as I don't have many I don't watch all the time.

I think the site is worth checking out if you are normally one who buys books all the time. They have every genre and that even includes comics and manga too. (which made me super happy).

 

This is kind of a variation on the "sell something you've made", but I thought I'd post it here anyway.

For those who have some graphic design, illustration, or photography skills, uploading your work to a site like iStockPhoto or Zazzle can be a great way to rake in some easy cash. Signing up with an account is free on both sites, and you collect royalties any time someone uses one of your uploads!

I have an account on Zazzle, a t-shirt printing site. You can upload designs and make them available for the public to order on a shirt, bag, mug, etc. For each item purchased, Zazzle pays you a royalty fee. The license is non-exclusive so you maintain the right to use those designs elsewhere if you choose. If you make more than $20 a month, you get paid at the end of the month. If it's less than $20, they will hold it until the amount either goes over $20 or they will pay out at the end of the year.

I uploaded a handful of designs a while back that were basically Adobe Illustrator doodles, and every so often I find a nice little extra bit of funds in my Paypal. It's one of the laziest ways to make money! Once you upload your work, all you do is sit back and let the money come in.

 

I've been making my spending money from online surveys for years. Depending on the panel company (I'm a member for 5 of them now) and how often I check my email and do the surveys, I can make $25 a month.

Rewards can be Cash, Gift Cards, or other items. Gift cards are my choice when the panel does not offer a cash pay-out.

Example: $5 Amazon.com/Barnes & Noble/Blockbuster. Use the $5 gift card from the panel company and put your $5 cash in your BJD saving fund.

www.surveypolice.com rates panel reward companies and provides user reviews.

I personally belong to:
Harris Poll Online
E-rewards
My Survey
Opinion Outpost
Survey Head

 

With it being winter a good way to make $$$$$ is to clean peoples drive ways off and side walks. 20 pur-house or x amount of money pur-house depending on how much there is

 

i dont know if anyone has suggested this, but for any sporty people out there, particularly runners, competing in road races, like 5Ks and 10Ks could be away to make some money.

This past Saturday, I competed in a 10K race for fun and after I finished, I was told there was a cash price for the overall winners of the race. Apparently I was the overall female winner and got $100 in cash.

Now, if you your not the sporty type, dont worry. A while ago, I was volunteering at a small community race. There were only about 10 people signed up for the 10K event and the first 3 males and first 3 females to finish got a cash price [$100, $75, and $50]
Well, there were only four females, so three of them got the cash price [even though two walked the whole thing].

So if you dont mind running, or even walking, you could get some cash there. Altough for most of these races, you do have to pay some amount of money to get a bib number, but its not that much. If you want to try this idea out, look for small events with cash prices where not a lot of people go. That way your more likely to win.

 

If you're a student at a university/college it's pretty easy to get a job tutoring. My schedule had a 2+ hour break twice a week, so I got a job tutoring math. You don't have to be really advanced in your subject even since most of the people who need help are the ones who are struggling. Most of what I actually did was just watch people do their homework and assure them they were doing it right. One day when it was slow I fell asleep and got paid to take a nap!The pay isn't bad and instead of wasting my time playing games in the computer center, I got about $80 a month.

If you really don't think you can handle tutoring, many larger schools will have information desks that they need people to sit at. Keep in mind though, some schools require you to apply for financial aid before they hire you. (My college hired me even though I didn't qualify for aid!)

 

My husband came up with this idea- Start clipping coupons & using grocery store rewards cards. The receipt from your grocery store will tell you how much you've saved by using your coupons & their card, and you can put that amount in your dolly fund. Sometimes it's only a dollar or two, but once I saved over twenty in one trip to the store! It adds up fast.

Also, if you're too young to get a regular job but want to make some cash, get together with your friends & have a collective yard sale. Old toys, clothes, shoes, books, etc sell really well and your parents may even offer up some stuff for you to sell, too.

 

For people with performing talents (especially instrumental, singing, acrobatic or magical) you can busk in your town during the warmer months. Be careful to check your city's laws on busking though, 'cause in some places you need licences while in others they'll let anyone busk. This works especially well in bigger cities. On a good day if you're especially good, you can make a few hundred bucks! Also, keep an eye out for festivals or celebrations of some sort. For a small price they'll usually let you busk at the festival grounds, and you'll make a HECK of a lot more than just busking on the street.

 

I like to check the "Gigs" list on Craigslist when I want to make some spare cash. They have anything from helping code websites to making patterns for clothing to taking pictures at a birthday party.

Usually one-time gigs that pay either by the hour or have a set amount for the allotted time. It's got such a wide variety of listings that it's kind of hard not to find something to do there. Especially since so many people in the doll hobby have sewing and photography skills etc.

 

I actually just turned on the TV and the show Clean House came on and gave me a great idea. I know a lot of families with garages full of junk that just want to have it clean and spacious, especially during the winter when cars on the driveway get iced over each night and have to be scraped every morning.

You could offer to help your neighbors go through their garage, price items to sell at a garage sale and then you can organize what's left when you're done. A decent sized garage sale for a full family can rake in a lot of cash and the only problem is that most families don't have time to do it for themselves.

If you've got a free weekend, you can make some serious money. You could either agree upon a set hourly wage before hand or a percent of the total profits from the sale (With a minimum payout, just in case the sale bombs...).

The best part about it is that they'll be paying you with money that doesn't come out of their wallets! Everyone profits

 

YOU CAN SELL YOUR HAIR!!!

Lots of people donate their hair when they cut it to "Locks of Love" which makes wigs for cancer patients. But did you know you could SELL your hair to wig makers too? You can post a listing for free on thehairtrader.com and people will buy your hair! Some people can make 1 or 2,000 on waist length hair.

If you want to do this, here are some tips:

-Don't dye or perm you hair. People want to buy "virgin" hair that hasn't been treated since it makes more naturally looking wigs.
-Don't cut your hair until someone had paid you. Many people have listings with already-cut pony tails or braids but these don't sell as well. Besides, you don't want to get rid of all your hair until someone pays you.
-Promise to cut your hair at a professional salon, this sells better.
-Don't wash your hair every day, it takes away the natural oils which makes it healthy and shiny. Washing every other day is good (and saves you money on shampoo/conditioner).
-Eat healthy foods, it will make healthy hair.
-Don't do drugs or smoke because it will effect your hair, and smoking may make your hair smell like smoke.
-When you're ready to list, take good pictures. Your pictures are mainly what people will decide to buy your hair or not, you want to make them memorable and stick out.

 

I love all your ideas on how to save up money for new dolls.

My family gives me a bunch of gift cards usually for holidays and birthdays.
I have set up a paypal "Doll Only" account, and now they do that instead.
I sent them all an email of the doll they helped me get, and now I have caused 2 of my aunties to be dolly addicted too.
It beats getting gift cards for places I rarely go.
And they appreciate that I am getting something I am really excited about, and they can do it from their home.

My brother also mentioned to me that he would buy the gift cards I still had, to help with my doll fund.
What a sweetheart!

Just an idea.

Thank you all for sharing your fun ideas too...
hugs~

 

Here's what I do:

I have a difficult time holding onto my money because I tend to want to spend it all very quickly. So, when I decided I was going to do the whole 'save for a $300 doll' thing, at first, I was extremely tempted to spend! However, I decided - because I have no income, or credit cards of my own - that I'd keep a designated $20 in a different part of my wallet to hide. This was my 'just in case' money; you know, money I had to use if I found I needed gas, or a taxi if my car should break down. The rest, I took out of my wallet, and stuck onto my cork board. It helped, but every day, I'd see the money tacked there, and my mind would think about all the ways I could spend it. It wasn't good.

So then I decided to get out an envelope and write "Bobobie Mei" (the doll I had wanted at the time) on it, stuff the money into it, and stick that up instead, so that I wouldn't see the money; instead, I'd see the envelope. And it actually helped me to forget how much money I had, and it helped me even to forget there was money tacked to my wall! I mean, I didn't out and out forget it; it's just that I could see the envelope, and go about my business without thinking about it.

Unfortunately, I ended up deciding not to get Mei because it seemed more trouble than I could do. But now, I'm in a process of saving for another doll, a little less expensive then Mei, and I'm hiding my funds in a bag inside one of my draws so that it's not in my wallet and I go spend-happy with it. I know how much is there, but I don't obsess over what I could get with that. I concentrate on how much more I need for my goal, and nothing else. And it really helps keep me on track!

 

i make money by making and selling stuffs (jewelry, furniture clothes etc)
and also **cough** i sell chores in MMO's.
for example, my brother pays my $5 per character to get their "extra skill point (called exploration, a max of 25 each month) to 15.
depending on luck and such i can do this in half an hour to 2 hours.
Or i sell quest items that are in high demand and low supply, i also sell rare items (like rare weapons or clothes that are impossible to find, i collect rares too!).

On another MMO i would raise characters to level 45, without choosing their job class and then sell the accounts so that the buyer could make the characters into whatever they wanted. Sadly that one is dieing off so this method became worth alot less for the time and effort it took to achieve the end product x.x

though i didn't know at the time that was a nono ^^"

 

Cash Saving Idea

My mother heard this one day at work so I decided to give it a try:
I consider $5 bills 'unspendable'. Not five singles, just the $5 bills. At the end of the day, if there are any in my wallet, I put them in a little saving space. I managed to save almost $70 in just a few weeks with my usual spending habits.

 

I'm so frugal, this is right up my alley >

The starving artist's money saving tips:

Bank it
1. Set up a savings account with a decent interest rate. Meanwhile you're saving up, your money is growing on its own. Check http://www.bankrate.com to compare rates.
2. Use a checking account that earns interest, too - every little bit helps.
3. Set up automatic withdrawals from checking to savings - as little as $20 a month can add up to a doll before you know it. Just be careful not to empty your checking, leave a safety buffer.

Cook it
1. Learn to cook- cheap staples like rice, potatoes, pasta, and canned tomatoes can be turned into tons of tasty and quick dishes. Even students can cook decent microwave meals with a bit of creativity.
2. Brown bag your lunch - a fresh sandwich or homemade bento is healthy, too.
3. Make your own drinks - tea and lemonade are easy, and skip the bars for a cocktail party at home.

Cut it
1. Ditch cable TV- watch shows free online, through a netflix subscription or via itunes.
2. Downgrade the cell phone - use a prepaid plan and pay for only what you use.
3. Stop renting movies and buying books - check the library and used bookstores instead.

One more tip: Write the name of the doll you're saving for onto a sticker, and put that on your credit card or wallet. Every time you buy something, consider whether you'd rather be saving that money for your dream doll

 

Ok I actually have several ideas that I've wrapped into one, (some of which are already mentioned)

I am over weight and I have very little money. So I'm making myself a jar (already mentioned) and giving myself an incentive plan. I'm paying myself (into my doll money jar) for working out and for pounds lost. I'm paying myself small change (usually 25 or less) for working out for 30 min, maintaining my weight for the week, Skipping a desired or planned snack. Larger amounts (no more than 2 dollars) For dropping inches and pounds. In order to keep myself Honest and keep track I made myself a weight loss Journal and set up rules in it, I have a page for pictures of both my starting self and the doll I want in it for motivation ^_^

With how many people are overweight in America I think it's nice to be able to reward yourself for loosing weight in a more real and tangible way (especially with how hard it can be with our generally sedentary lifestyle). Better yet, it can be altered to be insentive for any habit or lifestyle change that you should desire. Reward yourself for skipping a cigarett, for doing the dishes or other household chores you hate. Better yet if you can use it to slow or quit smoking or pop with how much those cost, you double your rewards.

I think the savings or doll journal could help people regardless of what they are doing to save. I like a physical journal, but some people might enjoy a blog for it ^_^

Just my thoughts ^_^

 

i don't know why i never thought of this before, but i am going to start this soon. if you have a paypal account, there is an option to "add funds" from your bank account. with each paycheck you can set aside a certain amount to put into your paypal account. that way, you can't easily spend it to buy things day to day. you can pretty much only spend it for things on the internet. each paycheck i think i'll set aside $20 or $25 dollars to put into my paypal account for dolls and doll things.

 

I don't know if you covered this, but most employers offer direct deposit. This means that your paycheck is automatically deposited in to an account (or multiple accounts) that you specify. I have my paycheck set up so that a certain percentage goes in to an account I don't touch and the other remaining percent goes in to an immediate spending account. This system helps with the problem of having to cash your check and then divi up the amount manually. That, and it goes by percentage, not a set amount, so your always ensured that a fair amount of money goes in to each account (For example: if I had set up the account to deposit $40 each paycheck to my doll fund, that might be problematic to my immediate spending fund if I only make $50 that period).

 

Okay so this may not help everyone but here are some of the ways I save money

1. Grow your own vegetables and fruit - even if it's just a few herbs that you normally spend a couple of dollars on for each bunch it adds up

2. Put the money your saving into a separate high interest savings account - mine takes a few days to show up properly after transferring but it means I'm less likely to spend it on impulse

3. Make yours or your children's clothing - not everything as some things are pretty cheap but jumpers and pants can get quite expensive

4. Make bulk meals and freeze them into serving sizes ie spaghetti bolognese, chicken curry, stew, chicken cacciatore etc

5. Be smart when it comes to your electricity use - ie turn off lights, computers, televisions etc when your not in the room. Use the airconditioner or heater less often - use ceiling fans or rug up. Have shorter showers.

6. Save money on petrol. Go shopping for food less often - make a list and don't go when you're hungry or in a rush. Try walking to the shop if you can.

7. Get some chickens for fresh eggs. They taste better than the shop, the chickens are relatively cheap to feed, they all your scraps and are great for pest control.

8. Instead of wasting money on a gym membership that you probably won't use that often take your pet dog for a walk and get a set of cheap hand weights or rubber bands and get your resistance training that way. There are plenty of free workouts on the internet

9. Won't apply to most people but were about to buy some land so we'll be putting some lambs on the overgrown property and will fill our freezer later

10. Again won't apply to most people but we're also getting a goat(s) to milk and we'll have our own milk, cheese and butter

11. Shop at wholesale butchers and go to farmer's markets for fresher and cheaper produce (cut out the middle man)

12. Make your own dog's food. It's very easy, saves money and I have 2 very picky Siberian Huskies that don't like anything else except raw bones and meat

I could go on but I think I need to go paint something - there's 13 dolls screaming at me for a face-up

 

If you're over 18 and you have time to spare, a slow (but effective) method to earn some (Paypal) cash is Mystery Shopping. I found out about this because the company I work for uses Mystery Shoppers and I've received several "evaluations" from them before and started looking into it.

I started doing some mystery shops last fall and rather enjoyed it. There are several reliable mystery shopping companies online (beware any site that asks you to pay first or take a "online course" for a "online certificate" - it's a scam! You're trying to earn money, so you shouldn't need to pay anything first! Also, be careful about where you share your personal info online (SIN number, address, etc) - most mystery shopping companies only require this info after they approve your online application to see how well you can write a report). I won't post any links in case it's against the DoA rules but a online search will give you a lot of info about mystery shopping.

This is what I do when I go out for a Mystery Shop:

Whenever big clients want to check up on their stores they go to the mystery shopping company and it gets posted online and you apply for it. You basically go to a store, restaurant, kiosk (whatever) and follow the instructions. Sometimes you have to try on clothes, chat with the sales associate, indirectly ask about promotions, etc and then write a report about your experience. Some "shops" involve buying something (like a birthday card, fashion accessory, etc.) or a business card and then you email a photo of your that with your report and get reimbursed and get paid a shopper's fee (ranging from $8-30, depending on the type of shop) directly to your PayPal 30-60 days later. It feels like forever but then when it arrives it ends up getting spent so quickly! It was a bit confusing at first but since I only did a few when I had time and it suited my schedule I sometimes fit 3 of them into a day. That was an extra $35 just because I happened to be downtown anyways!

You won't get rich fast doing this since you can't mystery shop at the same location too often (30-90 days) and also I'm pretty picky about which ones I'll do since I don't drive. If it'll take me a 3hr bus ride to get there just to earn $8 it's not worth it to me. Sometimes writing the report can take a while since there are lots of questions and you have to have a good eye for detail and good command of written English. However, if you have a car or have a lot of time this is a legitimate way to earn some cash on the side.

 

Here are five more that I haven't seen here yet (unless i missed them?):
1. Open a Keep-the-change account (NationBank and other big banks usually have them). This is a savings account that works like this: Every time your use your Visa Debit card for a purchase, the change over the amount bought goes from checking into your little keep-the-change savings account. So if you buy a candy bar with your debit card for $1.89, there goes 11 cents into your savings! I have mine set up so that $25 from each pay also goes in there. It really adds up! In a year, I have over a thousand dollars in my fund!
2. Drop your designer coffee habit, if you can. Around 5 bucks a day can go into a fund for a total of $1500 a year!
3. Stop smoking for similar savings and it's the healthiest thing you can do for yourself.
4. Do your own manicures, or just polish your nails with a buffer, which is the latest look. Most dolly people are talented and creative enough to do good nails. That's $20 a week!
5. Join Swapbot and share your art supplies with others. You get things you can't find in your area that way, too. I make all kinds of amigurumis and jewelry and swap them with other crafty types for all my yarn and other art supplies. Swapbot it hot!

 

-I myself do not even believe in Starbucks, so I consider myself fortunate enough to work at a place that gives us free Peet's coffee (10x better!). However, I do have a yen for sparkling water & those fancy bottled hippie nutri-drinks-- which can add up to yea bucks if I indulge a lot per week. A kombucha or frappucino once a week won't hurt your bankroll, but they do add up. Kick the habit of pre-prepared coffees AND bottled beverages, and your monthly savings will increase much more than you think.

-Ditto prepared foods! This has already been mentioned numerous times, but bringing your own lunch to work instead of eating out will save you tons of money per week. Especially if you live in a big city where downtown lunch-prices run to the ridiculous (we have $8 sandwiches here in San Francisco).

-But my first advice to anyone if you want to save mucho dinero per month: Get rid of cable TV. You don't need it anyway. It's 1500 channels of brain-rotting crap. ^^ I just pay for internet, because there are priorities. And these days you can get a lot of TV online, anyway. Not only do you save big bucks, but you'll notice a new quiet space in your life where cumulative hours of commercials used to shout at you. Quiet space you could use for playing with your dolls.

 

For those who live in Texas, a law passed September 1st of this year that makes it legal for people to sell home-baked goods from your home.

The only catches are that the payment has to be made inside the baker's home, and you can only sell baked goods.

Which means you can only do local sales, no online payments, and you can't sell non-baked foods like fudge.

You CAN publicly advertise and you can have a website for the menu and for contact/placing orders.
Also from what I read, you don't have to worry about charging taxes because the ingredients used to make most home-baked goods fall into a tax-excluded list.

You have to label all goods with your name, home address, and a note saying items have not been inspected by the health department as a precaution.

You don't need the health department come inspect your kitchen because they can't without a warrant since its a residence and not a commercial building/kitchen.
However they will keep track of any complaints which may result in an inspection warrant and possible shut-down of your home business.

Don't take my word for it 100%, its always best to do the research yourself but for those in Texas or other states where selling home-baked goods from your home IS legal, its a thought~

 

I'm sure it's likely been already said but I recommend keeping a money journal for two months so that you see where all of your money goes.

Also... there is a really really really good book out there on Financial Management. It's directed towards women but the advice in there is AWESOME and really applies to everyone. I'm actually planning on starting a once a month gathering with my friends as a kinda book club. If it goes well enough I'll be starting a monthly workshop on it. It's called On My Own Two Feet by Manisha Thakor & Sharon Kedar they also have a second book directed towards couples called Get Financially Naked that focuses on how to merge/mingle finances.

Another piece of advise I have is to well give yourself a bit of cushion but to do this you need to keep a check Register and checking your balance daily on the atm doesn't count. ;P Each paycheck take off 10 from what's deposited. Also if/when you get a check refund (assuming it's at least 300 dollars) take off 100 and record it as 200 dollars that you got. This cushion acts as a buffer and helps guard against small little overdrafts. -Friends argue that this cushion method also requires a strong will, to others this is a simple and easy step-

 

If you'd like to be a guinea-pig for experiments like the first post suggested, you can try if the psychology major of the local university is looking for test persons. There are lots of students who need to do some kind of experiment for their education and they are always looking for volunteers These tests are usually easy and harmless. The amount of money you receive depends on the hassle and the time it costs you. I got €5 for a half-hour computer test and €22 for a three hour test that involved EEG. These tests are usually quite interesting and you're actually helping someone while making money!
If you've got spare time you can also sign up for testing medicine. These usually require that you stay at the hospital or research facility so they can monitor you, but in return you can make lots of money. Usually the medicine has already been tested and is regarded as safe; they just need to know what side effects it may have. So the information they get from testing on you is what ends up on the instructions leaflet. I haven't tried this myself but I've heard good stories from others. The test persons well-being is definitely the doctors' main concern; if you're not feeling well the doctors will run to your aid :P

And another tip:
Even if you've got a car, consider walking, cycling or taking public transport to your destination. Petrol costs a lot of money and is bad for the environment!

 

here's something that might not be on the list... i logged into my Second Life account today for the first time in a few months and i had earned over $200 while i had not been playing.

explanation: in Second Life you can buy virtual money with real money, and sell virtual items or services to other players for the virtual money, which can then be exchanged into real world currency if you want to. there is a set exchange rate.

before i took a break from playing, i had set up a shop in the online marketplace for Second Life. i sell mostly very cheap items that always cost under $1 that i have an infinite stock of (but people can only buy them from me and can't resell them to other people)

so while i was away from the game my shop was still functioning... so people were buying the things i had left for sale there. i wasn't making new items, advertising, or doing anything to encourage people to buy because i wasn't playing the game at all, but i still made <$200 (i didn't have $0 on my account when i quit, but the number was low)

anyway, it all adds up to what could be a down payment on a doll if i wanted to exchange the virtual money i made into real money.

*i stress that making money fast in SL is hard and that this was just money i slowly earned over a few months*

to make money in SL you also need to be smart enough to get over the learning curve of how making things for Second Life works as it was very confusing to me (and still is, i only made very simple objects, the game is very hard to work with sometimes)

you also need skills:
if you can program, know 3D modeling & animation, can use photoshop, and if you like designing clothes or objects such as trees, beds, accessories, props, etc or if you can draw or have experience creating textures for 3D models then you can use these skills to make items you can sell in the game.
you can even upload audio files to sell that people can play in-game (or sound effects and stuff) but you have to hold the copyright to everything you upload to sell it, or the company will usually freeze your account.

one of the simplest things you can learn to do is sell images: you could upload a photo of one of your dolls, turn it into a virtual poster, then put it for sale in your shop & people might buy it to decorate their rooms with (Second Life is a lot like The Sims...)

there are some other easier and also more complex ways to make money on Second Life but i won't cover them here. also, it's not "quick easy money" unless you make something that becomes very very popular or have a unique idea. if you have any of the skills i mentioned and want to earn some pocket change on the side though, it isn't bad at all, and making things to sell was just something i did for fun.

 

I don't know if this has been posted before, and I don't think I recall seeing it on the main page, but I've managed to make a bit of money testing apps using an app called feature points!

You can get more information on how the app works here basically, all you do is download the FeaturePoints app, download different apps through it to get points, and redeem those points for Paypal funds. And you just delete those extra apps afterwards!

Getting money dropped straight into your paypal is honestly a great feeling. ;D

 

Something which I haven't seen here is online transcribing work. My town has a severe job drought, and honestly it's a decent way to make some extra bucks if you're good at it. Amazon has it's own service, Mechanical Turk, which only accepts US applicants, but CastingWords accepts people from all over! All you do is listen to an MP3 file and write down what it says- there's a style guide, but it's pretty easy to follow, especially if you just write it all down and then format it afterwards.

 

A few things to waste less money (and save the enviroment) :
1-Use a menstrual cup on your periods.
2- Wash your hair using the no poo, low poo or water only methods.
3- Use diluted soap bar as shower gel.
4- Use as a deodorant a potassium alum crystal.
5- Use olive oil as skin and hair moisturizer.

These day care hygiene things are cheap, easy to get, really long lasting, healthier and MORE EFFECTIVE than commercial products.

On the internet there are also a lots of tips for eco/cheap house cleaning, etc.

 

I have another idea for those who live in the USA. You can go to your State Controller's Office website and find their "Unclaimed Property" section. If you search your name, you might be able to find unclaimed property under your name. Here's a quote from the California State Controller's Office Website:

"The State acquires unclaimed property through California's Unclaimed Property Law, which requires "holders" such as corporations, business associations, financial institutions, and insurance companies to annually report and deliver property to the Controller's Office after there has been no customer contact for three years. Often the owner forgets that the account exists, or moves and does not leave a forwarding address or the forwarding order expires."

Technically, it's not making money, since it's your own lost money-- but it is very nice to find it when you need it. Hope this helps!

P.S. I had like $50.00 and that went straight towards a new outfit for my BJD.

 

This may not be "getting money" but a way to budget out a layaway without interest, and literally expand out the repayment period than the layaway time itself. PayPal (PP) Credit has it where if you make a purchase over $99 then you have 6 months to pay same as cash. You could put a doll on layaway with DDE, and as long as your payments to DDE are over $99 then each consecutive payment would be interest free. So if you have a 4 payment layaway, you start out paying using PayPal credit and the last(4th) payment to DDE would be 3 months later, and each payment made using PP Credit would have 6 months to be paid off with PayPal Credit. You definitely would want to still make a budgeted monthly payment anyway to PP Credit so as to not end paying any deferred or back interest. But this could be an effective way to get a total of 9 months to pay off a doll, but you would need to be sure to pay it all off before each 6m charge amount expires, as they will charge all the back interest.
Per PayPal itself using PayPal Credit.
Purchases of $99 or more - No Payments and No Interest if paid in full in 6 Months:

​

• No Payments and No Interest if paid in full in 6 months on eligible PayPal Credit purchases of $99 or more. Interest will be charged to your account from the purchase date if the purchase balance is not paid in full within 6 months. You will get a monthly email reminder telling you when your payment is due.

 

This might sound like an advertisement, but it's not Still my appologies if you feel it does not belong here.

Postloop is a great website for making spare money in your spare time. They pay via paypal with minimum cashout at $5. You earn this money by chatting on forums. There's thousands of forums to choose from, and the topics are really wide. But my favorite ones are anime and videogame forums. Since many dollie people also like anime and videogames, I thought you guys might be interested.

Postloop.com

Or if you're feeling nice, you can use my referral link? It won't affect your earnings at all, but it will help me out ^^

http://www.postloop.com/invite/Xenokitten

And the site really does pay, I make about $5 a week, by posting 10 times on 3 different anime themed forums, which isn't much, 30 posts for 5 dollars, for a topic I genuinely really enjoy chatting about

Also, if you're a webmaster (maybe you have a dollie blog, or selling your crafts, clothing, etc as a way to fund your dollie hobby) and you need to get some traffic to get your site off the ground you can instead convert these points into traffic for your website (your points will be distributed to other users posting on your site), and you retain control over who can post, can ban people from earning with you this way, and also review the quality of their posts.

It's also an international site which is great for us here, since we have many international users in this hobby. Not sure about the age limit there though.

After you sign up, you have to make a few posts in their "training grounds" before having the chance to earn money, you'll receive your initial quality rating, and then be allowed to join various forums based on that rating. I have a 4.5 (out of 5) right now, but I started with a 4. So you can also improve your rating by writing more. So if you see forums you want to join, but can't yet, because you don't meet the criteria, just keep writing and eventually you'll get better!

Hope it works out for you guys It's enough to get a wig or outfit or prop or something once a month, or save up all your moneys for your next doll ^-^

 

Hello DoA lovelies!

I read some of this thread, but it is awfully long so I haven't trolled all 32 pages. This may be covered, but I really recommend coming up with a budget.

Budgeting can be hard, especially with how living costs keep rising, but wages aren't. There are many online classes that can teach you how to budget, but since I get paid to do this for other people I thought I'd give a quick tutorial and offer a budget template to y'all.

I graduated university in 2010 with $65,000 of debt.

As of this very moment in time I owe $4,430 of that debt left. That means in the past four years or so I have managed to budget and pay the banks $60,570 total. Here's the part that might blow your mind: for two years of those 4 years I wasn't even working! I was unemployed and unable to pay my debts anything... only my basic needs. The amount of time I've gotten rid of my debt is actually really small!


How do you do it?

First step is you have to find incoming money, which is what I think this thread is all about. Finding a part-time or full-time job would obviously be the best idea. You can even start your own side business if you think that would help, or sell you time by doing odd-jobs around your neighbourhood (mowing the lawn is something most people hate doing, for example).

The next step is to make the budget. Luckily for you I have a template made up, and I am going to make it public on my Google Drive for everyone here to access. I have filled it in with examples of the types of incoming and outgoing numbers you may see. Remember, this is a budget for someone that isn't living at home anymore, so you might not need the "regularly monthly expenses" section of the template.


Google document link

Some notes about this template:

1. The items I plugged in are just random things I thought people may relate to, but obviously those are things you would change according to what payments you have going on in your life. Obviously you should put whatever you have in your life here using the real amounts you deal with.

2. At the very bottom of the template where the payment schedule dates are listed is where the magic happens! If you scroll to the right you can see why this budget method is awesome: you can EASILY see when you have an influx coming in to you, when you will have just enough for food for the two weeks, and when you will have a negative amount. I tried to show examples of each case happening.

3. When you see a negative amount you know that you should save up some money ahead of time to help yourself out then instead of spending it.

4. Don't be afraid to include things in your budget other than dolls that you think you'll want to do, like a night out! You deserve you time!

5. LASTLY, you can check the amounts you have left owing on specific bills any time by subtracting the total planned payments from the total amount owed. I did this a couple of times in the sheet to show how it works and so you can see the formulas I'm using.

Feel free to copy and paste this template into a new document, or use it as a reference.

I hope this helps you easily save up for all your doll needs!

 

Alright, so lots of good ideas on here. I was especially interested in the plasma donation thing since we have one in my area, and decided to try it out. I'm just sharing my experience and maybe it will help someone else decide if they want to do it. On their website (Biolife), they have a list detailing if you are eligible to donate plasma. Something that I didn't see on the website was vein size. I'm a fairly healthy individual who doesn't drink or do drugs so I figured I'd be a good donor, but when I got there, they said that I needed to have one good vein in each arm because their needles were bigger than your average needle (since they put your blood back into you). Anywho, I wondered if that would be a problem before hand (it usually takes several tries and several nurses - ouch), but I didn't think it would prevent me from being a donor. Anywho, I was kind of relieved since I'm not a big fan of big needles anyway. I told my sister about it and she decided to go to their local plasma donation center (she's in Arkansas). She had a 5 hour wait (I guess it was first come, first served there) and when they put the needle in, she felt faint and nauseous then when they started taking her blood, she started vomiting uncontrollably. So....yeah, just something to consider. I think that's why they have you eat a good meal and have lots of water before you go (but like I said, she had to wait 5 hours). Hope that helps some of you decide if that's something you want to try. If my veins were big enough, I would have definitely given it a go, although the first time, we only got paid $20. If you do it again the second time the same week, we would have gotten another $30.

 

What great ideas! It's so nice to see people helping one another out. I've got a potential idea for some of you as well.

I didn't see anyone mention it, but working as a crossing guard is a reliable and quick way to make some extra cash most months of the year. It pays me $22 for only 45 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the afternoon ($11 a shift). At least where I live, you just send them the shifts you can work every weekend and they'll tell you what school(s) you'll be working at the following week and if the times are different than what is normal. There's also a chance of working a shift that's a solid hour or a little more, where they'll pay $15 instead.

Sure, you'll look a little dorky, but I think it's well worth it. Not a ton of social interaction (I don't care for children but they don't usually talk to me anyway since I'm a substitute), no being called into working a shift at a moment's notice, no long hours or anything like that. It also forces you to go outside and get some vitamin D, which is great if you spend a lot of time inside like I do. And getting to drive around so much has let me find lots of interesting places that I could definitely use for photoshoots someday. If it's 20 degrees or less outside, you can sit in your car too.

All in all, I earn $100-$150 a week if I work every shift, and start earning more than $100 if I work the slightly longer ones. All you need to work for the city is to be 18 and prove you can hold a stop sign for more than a few seconds. It's ideal if you're a student or work another job for filling holes in your schedule.

 

Lots of wonderful tips here! I'm really appreciative to see them all. Since I recently had to quit my job because of health issues, I'm going to have to get by on disability, which obviously means not much to put out for spending money. Really love the tips on this thread though, I'll have to keep an eye out for more, too.

One way I've found good for making a little extra cash online is by using a site called ClixSense. You get payed to do things like taking surveys or doing tasks. I've earned around $58 on it. I really like taking surveys though, so I find it enjoyable. If any of y'all like that sort of thing too, I'd recommend the site for sure! It pays through various methods like PayPal or by cheque. Not necessary obviously, but if you do end up signing up it'd be super cool if you'd put me (niightwind) as your referrer by clicking here!

 

The company I work for is a high school exchange organization (International Experience USA) that places students with host families all over the USA. If you refer a new host family to the organization that has never hosted for us before, you'll get $200 once a student is confirmed to be hosted with them.

The referrals can be shared with us here: http://usa.international-experience.net/make-a-referral/host-family-referral-200/

Or you can PM me for more info. I'll help as best as I can!

 

Hi guys! So I just tried this out, and they paid me $10 for an hour of filling out surveys. They sent the money directly into my Paypal account, so I am super excited about it. Use the link below, so I get a referral bonus. It is actually really easy and awesome! I spent the whole time drinking coffee in my PJs and after one hour got $10! Whoohoo!

MintVine (full URL = https://mintvine.com/users/register/45dcd702538c7871617db6bd7 )

 

Cleaning can sometimes turn up a little extra cash. I was cleaning out my childhood room so my parents can sell the house, and I found a jar of money! I'm hoping it has about $60 in it!

UPDATE: It turned out to be just over $100!! Woohoo!! Iplehouse, I'm getting closer!!

 

I've picked up a summer job as well, and it's really not that enjoyable, but I'm saving at least half of everything I make- I only deposit half my check and pull the other out in cash and put it in the jar. Since here in the States pretty much every transaction is done in plastic, I've found it's a lot easier to save money when its not in the bank! I never carry cash with me, so the little expenses like starbucks and fast food add up in my debit account, but the cash in my jar remains safe

 

There's been a lot of posts about survey sites and similar, so I apologize if it seems I'm jumping on the bandwagon, but I have an Android tablet and use this app called Google Opinion Rewards. The surveys are usually 1-4 questions and award 10-40 cents per survey, but they show up fairly often. You just have to wait around for them to show up, so if you use your phone/tablet a lot for other things it doesn't hurt to install. However, the money awarded can only be used in the Google Play store- it's actually just Google Play Credit. But if you have an app that, say, costs money to get power-ups for, you can spend the credit you've saved instead of real money. I've gotten about $24 total and I've had the app for a couple months, so it's not as fast as some of these other things claim to be. There are usually 1-3 surveys every two days or so. It can be slower or faster. The main reason I feel like it's enough to share here is I managed to earn enough to buy a really good game for about $18 (The World Ends With You Solo Remix, if you're wondering) and even though it took a while to get there, it saved me from spending my real savings on something I wanted to get when I had the chance anyway. And if you're impatient like me, at least it should help with those pesky in-app purchases.

(one thing I've heard though, which I haven't had a chance to confirm, is that you can't mix Play credits earned through the app, with credits bought with real life money. So you'd have to have enough Play credits for the entire purchase of whatever it was. I don't know if this is true, and to me it seems a bit implausible given that I can't tell the difference between types of credits when I'm actually shopping in the Play store. But it is something to consider)

 

I've seen some threads about saving money in the past, but I cant quite find them now and I want a more specific help, so I hope its ok if I bring this topic again.

I really want this doll which is being selled for 600R$ (its second hand, and there is already more 3 person wanting to buy it from the girl who is selling), but I currently have no money. I'm a student, so I don't really have my own money. My parents dont like the idea of me working while I'm still studing cause they think I need to focus. But they spent a lot of money with me this month already (I'm going to our local genfest, I needed new clothes, I'm doing a special vacation curse @ uni, I bought two other "expensive" dolls this month already, I had to change my phone - after I waited quite some time with a older phone with broken camera) and that without mentioning other things they had to spend with this month (like castration for 4 of our cats, and there is still more 4 in the queue to go), so they cant get me this doll.

I have put some itens for sale, like a camera, clothes, sport itens, but I don't think they will sell as quickly as I need. I kind wish there was a safe method to get some lend money to pay later cause I can get the money, but not as fast I need to. I thought about doing vector art comissions, but I also dont think I can find enough people looking for this service as fast.

Does anyone knows a method to get fast money, even if its to pay later on (with not a lot of interest hopefully)?
I have like, four days!

 

The only (Safe) Way I can think of getting money quick, is seeing if you get accepted for paypal -bill me later- service. It's like a credit card, but through paypal. There WILL be interest fees, and you need to be smart on payments and not overdoing it... but that's the only option for a potential quick relief.


That being said, Theres a chance teh doll in question could pop up for sale again. Start saving! Save all your change in a container. It'll add up fast! Do little odd jobs when you can, pop them in the container. Know that money is for your own special purchase so you aren't compulsed to spend it on anything else.

 

I only recommend this if you are absolutely sure you will pay it off, but if you have a credit card linked to your PayPal account, you can get approved for PayPal Credit. My first approved amount was around $1,000, now that I’ve used it for a long time and have never been late on payments they allow me up to $3,000 (but I do not use it all up, I’m mindful of what I can actually pay off and don’t go above my personal limit).

PayPal Credit gives you 6 months to pay interest-free on purchases over $99, but the interest is still calculated over those 6 months. If it’s not 100% paid off, they will charge you the full interest on top of the cost of the item. I hope this makes sense!

There is a catch that it is not available in every country, I’m in the US and have it, but my Canadian friends don’t have this option. So I’m sorry if the advice is for nothing I hope you find a way to safely get your doll if PayPal Credit isn’t available to you.

EDIT: PayPal Credit also only applies through a checkout process (meaning simply sending the funds manually, you only get one month to pay, not the 6 months.) If they send you an invoice for the item, then you can select PayPal Credit as the payment method, and you’re golden! But again this may be country restricted and you won’t know until it’s tried

 

My mother was a financial advisor so I very much advise AGAINST instant credit, mostly because they are faaaaar too easy to end up in massive debt with. their APR is usually ridiculously high and unless you can pay them off monthly you're sure to spend more in the longrun. Growing up hearing my mother talk at dinner about her clients who were at risk of losing their home because of loans or credit just.. really put me off ever having any sort of credit card, ever.

Quick money, I usually sell things on ebay or do some emergency commissions if you have a talent you can sell. It might also be worth seeing if the seller will take a layaway to spread the payments but at the end of the day you have to ask yourself this simple question "do you NEED this doll"
Another WILL show up secondhand at some point, this one deal isn't the only deal out there and is it worth potentially putting yourself into massive debt over?

At the end of the day, it's a doll. It's not a necessity. It's very easy to get caught up in the material desire but there are times when you simply have to step back and say "i have spent enough this month, I have to pass".
It sucks not having infinite money, but that's life. Most of us just don't have a huge slushfund of near infinite cashflow to play with.

What I can suggest for saving is to have a secondary account, either use your paypal account as a bank account or open a second one if you can without fees. A second account will allow you to send a small amount of money from your "I need to eat and pay bills" account into your "I deserve some fun money" account. It's important for your mental health to have a fun money account. Into this account goes however much you decide you can afford each month as well as any extra money you make selling things/skills. The advantage of this is that it removes a lot of the "Oh there's money in my account, I can cover it" temptation that can then leave you unable to make rent. It's very easy to look at a bank balance and think "yeah, I have like a grand, that'll be okay" and then oops, you forgot about a bill that comes out or you are hit with an unexpected extra expense.
Having a "fun money" account means you can ONLY spend money from that account, which reduces the temptation to overspend.
Being strict on yourself and ONLY allowing yourself to use that account to fund purchases also means you limit yourself more, it avoids the temptation of the perceived "free money" of the credit card and forces you to really consider each purchase and budget.

Budgeting was a huge thing my mother taught me. It means my desk is often covered in bits of paper with maths all over which is me working out how many months I have to save to afford a doll and how much my income from things i'm selling is earning me after fees and so on. I can sit and say "okay, I have a layaway I have to pay the next installment of on this date, how do I get the money in time? Will I have enough by that date or do I need to start selling stuff again?" because with layaways it's also very easy to forget that you still owe on that purchase. For instance, take my current situation. I bought a bjd on 2 part layaway spread over 3 months. So I paid the first half (£100) to the dealer and my second installment is due July 1st.
Problem is, I look in my "fun money account" and i've got £150 so my brain goes "whoo money!" and I buy some other stuff and then whoops, suddenly I have overspent in the 2 months since. So then I have to do maths to work out how much I need in my account at the end of June to have £110 in my account when my monthly stipend goes in on the 1st.
It would be very easy to forget I had to make that payment and then I could end up short if I wasn't constantly on top of it and checking things.
It's better to have more in your account than you thought than less, ALWAYS.

Remember, pretty much EVERY get money fast deal has a catch, usually that catch is a massively huge APR, which means you end up paying in many cases up to 5000% (yes five THOUSAND percent!) in repayments. I mean they are a massive money making scheme, they wouldn't do them if they couldnt' make money off it. Even pawning stuff they take interest because otherwise why would they loan money? (either they give you peanuts for the thing because they gotta make a profit, or they hold it knowing they can sell it for more and you have to buy it back for slightly more than they gave you.) Nobody will loan money for nothing, it's better to simply not be in a situation where you need a loan.
Fast cash always means you pay more in the long run, it's just not worth it. I know it's tempting but don't fall for it.

Remember, it's JUST a doll. It's not a unique one of a kind item, it's not a once in a lifetime deal, another will come up for sale and another chance will happen. In fact, in my experience, often the deal you pass on or miss turns out not to be that great a deal anyway. A better offer usually crops up. Its interesting how life works that way.

Don't put yourself into debt for a doll, it's not worth it. Take a breath, take a step back and accept that maybe this time you'll have to pass. Next time though, next time you'll have money right? Next time one will crop up at just the right moment.

Good luck and happy budgeting!

 

I would not recommend buying this doll. There are, unfortunately, some situations where you just aren't able to stretch your finances enough to afford to buy all the dolls you want.

I'm considering buying Dollmore's new Trinity girl, but ONLY if my current job extends my contract another six months. I'll still be employed regardless, but I'm only going to buy her if I'm guaranteed a one year in this position entry on my resume.

 

-This is good life advice, not just for someone in a doll hobby. Great response! I'll definitely be taking this to heart myself

 

Thank you for the further explanation for the paypal credit card! I was confused on it because I thought about applying for it to help build credit but I wasn't to sure of the full terms/didn't have the best understanding of what it entailed.

 

When I was new to the hobby (well, I am still new, but not as much as then) I met a girl who told me something like: "I don't buy almost anything for myself and I eat junkfood to have money for dolls. My boyfriend pays for everything we need and rent for our flat just to give me the opportunity to buy dolls and things for my dolls". DO NOT GO THIS WAY. Love dolls, but don't let them to be your obsession.

There will always be dolls you like. There will be plenty of them. You can't have everything. Focus on your studies and when you graduate, try to find a good job and become independent. You want a toy. Just a toy. You really won't die if you don't get it in four days. You are still lucky to get two expensive dolls in one month. If they are blank, maybe just think about buying/making them some clothes or wigs - finishing one doll is always helpful when you think about another one.

I wish you all best!

 

Wow, I'm happy with so many of you guys trying to help and giving great advice!

@Fate I'm quite resposable with my money (in fact I'm taurus, and people say I dont like to spend money to the point its bad), one of the dolls I got this month was with friend-lended money and I already paid off. I do support some ongs when I can though, but I would rather join events and work voluntary when the money is short. I would never not-pay, but I'm not really sure about paypal fees since its a international site and it probably needs money convertion, but I will check anyway, thank you!

@Cuteasadoll oh, if paypal will only work through paypal I dont think I cant use than. I dont think the girl accept this method, we dont use paypal a lot in my country (I only ever used to international purchases).

@purple_monkfish Yes, I'm pretty aware how those things work, I'm really caution with this kind of thing, I never did something like this formally, only through friends, but I dont have anyone who can lend me such ammount at this moment. I do really want this doll though. Its a slinky neko, so its not easy to find it, especially with this price and already inside my country.

I do think about not having it, I agree its a luxury. But I want to check all the other options before giving up.

Also, I know it seems I'm expending too much from what I told, but I'm actually holding myself since the start of the year, its only that all the great opportunities showed up in the same month XD

I know about some people who lend money, but I know about having a catch too, I dont want to get involved with people that can get me killed or in something dirty, so I'm not considerating this kind of thing.

@Layn even when the price is so good? As I mentioned, I do think about giving up, I just want to make sure I will be able to get over it cause I'm quite psychologically unstable and this kind of thing can make me feeling regret for a long time.

@Skolopendrokot I would easily become this kind of person, so thank you for the advice! I'm not someone who like to have many dolls, but when I like one is hard to get over it (also the other dolls I mentioned are not bjds, I guess my problem is liking different dolls cause I buy one of each and it ends up being the same as having many dolls). And do think of it as a priority and wouldnt mind not eating some meals to save money, or walking long distances to save transport money... As I was telling purple monkfish, some people see me as frugal. Which I also know its not health.

I agree I'm lucky and privileged, its just that having grown like this is hard to see from another point of view sometimes. Thank you again!

 

I sell things all the time and based on how popular it is and how valuable it is I can sell my items pretty quickly. Places like craigs list are a godsend for fast selling. Its not really worth it to get into credit card debt if you know you can't pay it back.

 

Even if the price is so good. Remember, the doll will probably come up for sale again, and even if the price isn't quite so good, by the time it comes up again you'll have had the opportunity to save up more money and become more financially stable, so buying it won't be as much of a hardship. And you won't be stuck paying off the massive interest rates that short term borrowing generates. That could very quickly add up to several dolls worth of money thrown away because you couldn't wait a bit.

 

@purple_monkfish <-- the hero we need