Looking for doll no-buy buddies

I am happy to offer support to those on a no-buy or low buy situation. I'm in a no buy indefinitely at this point.
I think it gets easier if you can keep yourself excited about and always thinking of projects with the dolls you have. And I am happy to listen to creative ideas.
I'm reachable by messages here.

 

Sounds like a great idea, good luck!
I'm too weak to resist the urge to buy new dolls, especially when they take so long to arrive - it doesn't feel like I bought anything at all! So it's always like: Need more

 

@MaleficentMrsofEvil .
I too have had to make this choice. I need my savings account to get back to what I consider a healthy number before I can consider larger purchases again. I did purchase a head for a body to share though. (I bought from @LupusDarkmoon and she was able to accept my offer). I plan to spend this next year refining the dolls I have with sewing, face-ups, and diaramas. I remind myself this is to be a 'hobby' too, and not just a collection. But yeah, I still look at dolls endlessly and sometimes the temptation is very real. My man tells me I could have spent that money on getting the gutters clean. Guilt! But my Mom tells me to enjoy my hobby, it's important distraction from the gloom and doom of the nightly news, and lifes many worries. So, I'm trying to find the balance. No more box openings for me. I'll just have to share my little dolly joys here on DoA. For instance, "made some cute tights for my girls! Woot!" *wink*

 

Do you mean any dolls or just BJD? Because I have no problem with the latter. I was sure I would never purchase any more for over a decade -- I did purchase one mature tiny last winter, because my weakness are 30cm mature dolls. However, I am pretty certain that I won't be purchasing any more BJD in the foreseeable future (I am guessing another decade or so). (:

Any and all other kinds of dolls, I have major issues stopping myself from hoarding. DX

 

I’ve been desperately trying to stop buying dolls of any kind for over a year. There is just so many awesome dolls being released in all categories, I just can’t keep up. Or, I shouldn’t keep up, lol. Like right now, after 9 months of being good and not buying any on topic resin bjds, I’m seriously tempted by the new DV release. I really don’t need another doll to dress, or the expense. I’m thinking of waiting and seeing if DDE gets some in six or more months from now. That is the best option as by then I probably won’t care anymore. It’s hard!

 

I don't feel like I need to be in a "no buy" club, but I do keep myself in a "extremely selective buy" club. I now will no longer consider a doll I can see myself ever wanting to sell. If I'm not positive I want this doll in my life forever, I don't buy. This way I don't buy multiple dolls per year and fill my house with dolls I think are only "good". I have enough dolls I bought on impulse that I didn't need at the time and have no plans on selling now.

I think it's better to be picky about these things. It sure saves me a lot of money and space. I hope some revolving door owners who aren't happy with being revolving doors can pick up this mindset too. I'm decently successful at not buying impulsively now!

 

I feel like I've been listening to myself and others talk about buying less and downsizing for so long now. It's been a meandering path for me most of which I don't want to get into, but I have a deeply emotional relationship with my doll hobby. the things everyone is saying here is familiar for me, though at this point my economic situation is a lot worse than it ever was. We currently feel accomplished being able to keep getting some groceries and relatively healthy food for our cat.
I found personally, a lot of things made trying to stop indulging and consuming over the years much harder. The social arenas of the hobby are often strongly dominated by people showing and discussing new releases, talking about what they are buying and receiving even if not dolls, other hauls for them. It feels like if you aren't ordering things you're a weird outsider. Finding any community that isn't focused on that part of the hobby is pretty vital sometimes if you want to feel included and not feel bad. I don't see it for myself as much of a specific FOMO but more like chasing that high of "if I do ___ then I will feel happier etc."
So if you still like the hobby without buying a the time, those are areas to focus on. Maybe have close friends you can talk to about characters, work on all kinds of crafting or photography. I hear people say that not everyone can craft... And maybe it's true but I think there are at least some more accessible hobby activities besides buying that each of us can get into and enjoy. It's not like we all have to be great at everything! And a good social circle, if you have one in the hobby, would be supportive regardless.

 

@MaleficentMrsofEvil I would like to see your house! I understand loving everything you buy. It makes it really hard to get rid of anything! I'm going to have to move sometime in the next few years and I'm already overwhelmed with my 10 dolls... plus the rest of the junk I fell in love with.

@AlisonVonderland It is so helpful to find people who value the creative side of the hobby more than the acquisition side to surround yourself with! Any compliments on your work are worth 500x more than compliments on your purchases.

I want to say the hobby felt less acquisition focused back around 2010, but honestly I was ultrafocused on WHICH DOLL DO I BUY NEXT. I did sew for them so they all have clothes, but a lot of my dolls are severely lacking in the eye, wig, and shoe department. I'm thankful I've calmed down a lot, but only 2 of them could be considered spoiled with multiple pairs of eyes and wigs.

I really wish I had picked more carefully back then and focused on the few I loved the most. Luckily I had a child's income and couldn't go insane at the time. Otherwise my (mom's) house would have probably been filled too!

Over many years and many many photos of dolls I've been able to develop a very specific taste which is probably saving my butt now though. I also had no income for many of those (college) years so the temptation was always there but I had no way to act on it. I like to think I've seen at least 70% of dolls that have been released at least once and that's helped me pinpoint the traits I like best, so most other dolls don't get me too excited anymore.

 

Everyone’s advice is so helpful! I’ve been in the hobby 12 years and the last four have been the hardest to resist buying as there have been more and more new companies that are my style. Especially the resurgence in anime sculpts. I just need to focus on getting the dolls I have ‘complete’. That is enough of a money sink itself. Plus I’ve been putting off face ups way too long (like 6+ years).

 

That's a big part of it I think, the difference in place between early hobby times (if you have the income to spend) and later years. For most people, continued fast pace acquisition is not sustainable, so the way oldies are doing the hobby vs newbies is bound to be different.

 

@MaleficentMrsofEvil - That Tumbler community sounds wonderful! I only follow one account on Tumblr because I find the site rather confusing, but I'm glad to know there are peaceful communities there. I love Instagram, though - it is heavy on consumerism, but I spend a lot of happy hours just looking at pretty photos and gathering ideas for future sewing projects

It helps that I am EXTREMELY picky, however. I have sold most of the dolls I've purchased (even some I was sure I would love). My wish list is really short. And like you, I want to learn to sculpt myself. I have a few floating heads that just don't fit any body I've tried, and I would love to sculpt heads as well (especially for my Japanese/Korean, Indian, Latino, and African-American OCs).

Admittedly, I have spent a fair bit on fabric this year, but that's part of my ultimate plan to work this hobby into a financial benefit (health issues prevent me from working full time so I need my self-employed work - currently embroidery and art, but bjd-related projects could fit well and expand my audience).

You're so right that too much computer time can lead to hankering after the "greener grass" (I am definitely guilty of this!) whereas spending time actually working on your current dolls can help with feeling fulfilled.

Fortunately, there are so many fun crafting avenues to explore! DOA has a monthly sewing challenge that I hope to join when I get the time, and there are knitting/crochet circles, etc. I would love for these areas to become more active.

 

Aside from a find at a thrift store I haven't bought an on topic doll in years. Being that it's spooky season, at the time of typing this, I can easily turn my thoughts to spoiling dolls I already have. Xavier, in my icon, was born on Halloween so I always want to make or get him something.

What make not spending easier is-Xavier is very very picky, his stuff needs to be the right scale for him, and it's very hard to come by. I never say never but I do say that fabric print is too big or it's too silly/kid friendly for his tastes.

 

Your printer project sounds really neat

Have you heard of Spoonflower? It is a company that prints custom fabric! You can design it yourself and print in a variety of materials. A yard of cotton fabric is around $11-12 (if I recall correctly). I'm definitely planning on designing some patterns with small florals and similar. And you can even print pattern pieces - for example, a T-shirt front with a design on it, which you can just cut out and assemble. Pretty cool!

And if you want to try your other idea, I highly suggest looking into companies called LDInk and SimplyInk, because they sell refurbished ink cartridges at a MUCH less expensive rate than the brand names. I believe that using them in your printer might violate warranty, but if you have a cheap printer that might not matter too much. I know that I've purchased from both companies for years and have been very happy.

Condolences on the "no-buy" set back! But I hope that you'll enjoy the dolls + head when they arrive!

 

They make inkjet printable fabric in rolls and sheets already prepped for your printer and at the end of the day it's pretty reasonably priced, I get mine at Joann and they will take coupons for it. The only drawback is it's 8 1/2 inches wide. Follow their instructions to set the image and in general use it should do well. It's the kind of stuff they use to put photos on quilts.

The key is to used 100% cotton fabric.

I did some Inktense painting directly on to some blank cotton hankies meant for tie dying. If you have watercolor skills Derwent Inktense is water activated ink and one it's been set it isn't going anywhere. I rinsed it and gave it a good hot iron just to be sure. I haven't tried it around a doll yet but it's used by a lot of fabric artists.

 

@MaleficentMrsofEvil we all have setbacks, as it’s hard to resist a special find! I know all too well, sigh. Lately I’ve gone back to my first hobby and bought a couple dollhouse kits. Where am I going to put them?!

 

Don't get me started on dollhouses and where to put stuff...

If you narrow down buying rules around quality, style, and reminding yourself you deserve what you truly want then you can get control over things. There can be exceptions, tiny art supplies so my dolls can be just like me are a weakness, but you have to tell yourself tiny Faber Castel not tiny Crazy Art.

 

@MaleficentMrsofEvil this sooooo much!!! I’m a sucker for a good deal.

 

Can I be in on this??? Rah was a surprise and I still have Dio on the way (someday, Miracle Doll will finish him but probably for not another six months and I can wait I promise).

Khafra (Rah) will need faceup+body blushing at some point, and Dio is also going to be blank. I need to save up for those. I don't wanna buy any more dolls. I have plenty to spoil.

Yes, I'm looking at you Vine. I do not need you no matter how pretty you are.

 

I am currently facing a no-buy and say bye-bye dilemma with colored pencils of all things. (I have a fine art degree so it's not hoarding, it's for the job I was trained to do, lol)

It started with searching for a replacement for Prismacolor Premiere, was heading for maybe I could do comparison videos for the internet to share my journey, a bit of life got in the way, and not as many big sets as I thought later it's which sets do I really want to keep because I'm actually going to use them and which ones can go. But only local, I'm not shipping these critters.

The cheap answer is Goldfaber, the more pricey answer is Pablo, the clone is Derwent Coloursoft.

 

Fabulous!!!! I need moral support lol

Oh no! Stay strong!! You can whittle it down just a little bit!!

I could never choose a favorite cat, that's blasphemy!! (It's totally Turkey. Everyone knows it's Turkey. Even if I'm not his favorite person xDD)

 

I'd be happy to participate in this club. I very rarely rehome dolls, and I there are other aspects of the hobby I'd rather focus on for now.

 

You're supposed to be our leader!!! How can you do this to us xD

 

Can you hop back on?

 

One can always hop back on the wagon without fear of judgement. If we weren't meant to be human and experience setbacks and challenges in life there wouldn't be a wagon to begin with.

 

If only the Babs was a petite MtM in the lightest color...

For a project and to learn sewing why not make some doll quilts? Make them big enough to wrap each doll like a burrito and that will give them extra padding for protection.

 

You don't need it!! Be strong!!!

 

And it's blank, @MaleficentMrsofEvil -- it'll need someone to paint it, if you're not up to the task. Just sayin'... tryin' to help here.

 

I will give it to Mattel to try and be decent when it comes to getting bodies out there. I waited for purple yoga top to come down and they just decided to make a million more. They tend to bring face molds back too.

Looking forward to seeing the doll sewing.

 

@MaleficentMrsofEvil you don’t need it! Save your money for next year, I’ll bet by then you will have gotten stronger and dolls won’t be such a temptation. I’m trying this strategy and so far it’s been working. Only one recent temptation (DV’s Neil) and I’m almost over it. I just need to stay strong until the 22nd when the pre order is over.

Edited to add: Volks is trying so hard to wear me down. I almost entered the Dolpa Kyoto 19 clothing lottery and made it past the deadline (phew), but now the outfits are for sale on the Volks USA website! No, I must not! Thankfully just doing the math has sobered me up, but, gee it’s hard.

 

All I'll say about the lottery is- Would someone else out there want to make an order for themselves if you gave them the chance? Arrange the rules between yourselves. When I got tickets to one of their events in a lottery the person I added was super happy.

And I'll umpteen about saving money if you can. On the rainy day side it helped me get thru a computer situation, on the sunny day side it's not even Halloween and Gift Giving Season is approaching with things you didn't even know you wanted.

Or totally save up for some good doll face up supplies. A lot of us here can point you in the right direction.

 

I love this idea and would be happy to join! I have engaged in far too much retail therapy in the past few years, and really need to stop and finish some of the dolls I already have.

Also I should really put together sales threads for a few so I can focus my collection a bit more.

 

This is perfect! A dolly support group! I 100% need this!!!

 

We can resist the temptation, I believe in us!

 

If you need to mindlessly scroll got somewhere to legitimately download free public domain books and stuff. You get to satisfy the seeking and gathering urge and check out like old fashion magazines with inspirations for your dolls.

 

I’m going to clean up my doll display area so the dolls I’m keeping look nice. I use my dresser and I’ve let things pile up and it looks chaotic and un inspiring. I also need to do some research into doll stands so my girls can stand up and show off their pretty outfits.

 

My main problem is that I go shopping at work. I have a lot of down time (I work in a lab, so while the systems are running I sit and twiddle my thumbs). So it's not something where I can pick up a dolly related project and work on that. What I can do is scroll endlessly through dealer sites or Etsy and look at things I want to purchase lol. I spent a great deal of time looking through this forum at the beginning of the year, so much so that at this point I've caught up on the things I can think to hunt for so it doesn't fill the gap.

Mostly what I do is read fanfic this last week, as I've been trying to avoid the hunt. So....more fanfic for me??

 

I popped back in to see how everyone is doing with their no-buying I like this challenge idea!

This week I've been doing a lot of general life fretting to keep myself busy, (which is not fun) but I have a lot of inspiration for new dresses to sew some of my "regular people" characters (I have three girls sitting next to me before making them some new stuff next). I cycle through endless sewing projects to soothe and occupy myself, and I started two project journals for two of the non boring regular people outfit projects but like I said, always cycling around.

I do think there are levels of no-buy goals and needing to curb retail therapy. So I don't know where everyone is at with their no-buy level goal. Mine was "no new dolls" for a while but sometimes I stress bought them anyway, and often for years bought some stuff for my dolls instead of dolls, but now it's code red until somehow things improve. I've always been at or near the bottom financial end of this hobby, so I'm sure I can handle it. It's nice to have a little non-spending company at this point.

This week I did buy $11 worth of fabric, which was my big treat for my mental health, and I'm very much looking forward to making more cool things

Aside from sewing I'm also trying to brainstorm anyone I want to repaint and maybe tattoo etc when the weather finally cools a bit and keep working on out of the house photo expeditions.

 

If you're having a hard time I'd suggest making categories, no buys for things you want to stop, half-buys for things like supplies to go along with dolls you already have but want to work on buying less off, and okay buys that you don't need to question as much.

When I got in to bigger dolls, and minis for the smaller ones, it helped me look over and make better choices with my spending.

 

It is incredibly boring! It takes so much more effort to look busy than to actually be busy and I hate it xD

That was not what I was expecting from that article, but I got a kick out of it lol. I can definitely do Phase 1 while I'm at work, and leave Phase 2 things for when I'm home and have the spoons - thank you! These are all excellent suggestions and I think I'll get started on some of them today 8D

I do have a 3D filament printer at home, and have some giant collections on Thingiverse lol. It's one of those evil sites where I scroll endlessly and lose sight of my original mission but darn I found some good stuff along the way lol. I need focus. Intent. Project journals will give me that, yes..... And I need to nail down a style for Leander so he can start getting some homemade stuff of his own. I feel guilty cause Khafra has been getting all the love, while Leander's just staring at me going "I want things to! You promised me eyes and a wig that is more me and I want comfy clothes that are me"

 

Just remember if you want to really save something have an offline back up. Internet black holes aside if Google sneezes who knows what could happen?

And what do we do between collecting underpants and profiting?

 

I have successfully not bought any more dolls since joining this thread, but I did buy a wooden chest to keep my dolls in! Unfortunately, I underestimated the volume of dolls I own so not all of them fit in it

I'll keep keeping my eyes out for any antique toy boxes that would fit some tinies. My mom won't let me take my grandma's!

 

You might want to make your toy boxes, old ones can smell and have the ghost of Irish Maggie who never had a doll of her own. If you've already committed to supported a haunted ecosystem that's different.

There's a sizable brown paper treasure chest shaped box with a handle at the craft stores. I printed out antique advertisements to decorate mine with and it's held several hobbies that have grown out of it. Those paper covered storage boxes in the clearance section will redecorate too. I keep looking for a book shaped one that's the right size.

I bought an 18" doll carrier and travel bed combo at the junk store which any of my Mini sized dolls can fit in nicely. The Dollzone couple look forward to cuddling in it.

 

I have been "sad" looking at dolls a lot lately. I want to buy something just to have something to look forward to and I don't even WANT more dolls right now I just want something to fill the hole in my life.

 

When you have a sad it's a great time to get out the dolls and take pictures.