What rules do you follow to curate your BJD collection?

No rules or restrictions. In a hobby that, at least for me, involves no one but myself, it's hard to see any reason for either. Then again, I'm pretty bad at following rules in the first place...

 

If I keep going back to look at a doll again, and again, and AGAIN, for at least a few weeks, if not months, then it's ready to come home.

 

A rule I have set for myself is to make most of my purchases during promotional periods. This is to help save money, of course. There are exceptions to this, like when it comes to companies or artists that don't really have promotions or buying second hand, but generally I try to abide by it and it has saved me hundreds and hundreds of dollars.

I also don't buy dolls purely because they're on promotion, but rather wait for one I already want to have one. This helps save me from impulse purchases, as the one time I did buy a doll purely because of the promotion I definitely had some buyer remorse. He's still one of my lesser loved dolls, as I don't have a vision for him, so he kind of just looks generic. Have owned him for 6 years now, though, so I guess I guess I love him enough, haha.

 

My only rule is: Must have a character for the doll. Either OC or shelling an existing anime/etc character. I collect 1/6 and SD. MSD dolls don't appeal as much to me. This helps cut out impulse buys, although sometimes I have been impulsive to shell a certain character only to sell them and reshell again.

It helps a lot of sculpts I like are from smaller artists that only release a few times a year or I have to hunt second hand for them.

I have a few OC characters I have made just from seeing a sculpt but they were characters I was thinking of making but as soon as I saw the sculpt the story, etc just automatically came together.

 

I definitely have the same mindset. Some of my dolls definitely don't 'look good together' but I don't care.

The only thing I try to do is taking my time before buying. That's to avoid impulse buys.

 

My main rule is to keep my collection small, especially because I collect more than BJDs. I also stick to the MSD size.

Due to this I am very picky to who gets added to my family and like many have mentioned above I try to stick to more basic faceup so I can really dress up my dolls.

 

My rules are nothing bigger than MSD, must not go over $400 for a basic nude doll.
Must have normal human features, so no vampires or elves.
Dolls should all be proportional to each other, so no mature tinies or big MSD babies.
No closed eyes. No giant Barbie boobs, lol.

 

Financial restrictions are the main governing factor in my collecting habits. Also space. Currently I am only renting a room in someone else's house. My space is limited to my bedroom only.
Despite those limitations, soon after I began collecting I realized I wanted to create doll couples and family units. Unlike most of you, my dolls are not based on characters from my writing, but I do have backstories for each of them in my head.
I prefer dolls in the 58 to 62 cm range. My SD size dolls make up several family units: 3 married couples, a lesbian couple and a single mom with child. I have a few YOSDs representing the children of the married couples.

Until I move to a larger place, which may happen by the end of this summer, I can't buy any more dolls.

 

I have a few rules for myself, although my collection is fairly small so it's definitely subject to change.

1) 1/4 scale only. I have 2 Minifees and a 1/4 scale boy, and I like that they can pretty much share everything with only a few exceptions
2) I generally avoid fantasy dolls, only purchasing elf eared or vampire dolls if I have a specific character in mind
3) If the doll isn't a grail, I have to have a character in mind/solid reason for picking the sculpt
4) Nothing over $500, which is relatively easy since I only really buy blank nude dolls.
5) NO FLOATING HEADS!! I get so much anxiety over the thought of having two heads share a body. If I were ever to acquire an event head, I would have to immediately purchase a body for it.

 

I just bought my first bjd, and she has not yet arrived. My rules going forward will be the same as my rules for any other interests/hobbies I have. It has to be in budget. That's really all.
I have a small income, I do not exceed my income. I make lists of thing I want, for hobbies or art or life, and I prioritize. I do sleep on my purchases. If I buy something as expensive as a bjd I've been planning it.
Sadly real life/medical needs always come before happy pretty things.
Once I have enough money to go toward another bjd, I'll get the one I've been pining for the most.
Ad infinitum.

 

It's not really a rule about doll collecting specifically, I actually do this for all purchases, sometimes I describe it as prudent behaviour but it feels more like superstition sometimes.
Like right now I'm talking with someone about buying a doll from them, and I'm taking a week off just to think about it. I tend to be emotional about purchases, certain things grab my interest immediately, but I still need to be careful and ask myself if I really want it. Then if for some reason the timing doesn't seem right I will drop my plans, like how I wanted to order from Luts with the summer event but it doesn't sound right anymore because I can't find anyone to order with me.

 

I think I'm very much a curator of my dolls. Curation is kind of built into the which dollmakers and new releases that I pay attention to, and how I make decisions about which dolls come home. I didn't plan any of this, it just kinda arose as I bought dolls and then reflected on how I was making choices.

No repeat companies in my collection. I like variety and I want to handle different dolls, but I also don't want to own a lot of dolls or turn into a revolving door collector. So the way to maximize variety in a small collection is to have every full doll represent 1 or 2 (through hybriding) dollmakers whose work I'm really passionate about owning, and/or (usually for bodies) made something that checks off my list of desirable traits. None of this is exactly planned: it just seems to be how I'm choosing which dolls to buy, I haven't gotten multiple dolls from the same dollmaker so far, and I'm pretty contented with this. (The exception are my two oldest dolls that I bought as a BJD newbie - 1 full doll and 1 hybrid body from the same company. This company influenced my taste a lot, but I've kinda moved on from them too.)

I like buying from dollmakers whose whole body of work appeals to me. Of course I'll buy a doll that I like. But when the doll is also a piece of work made by a particular artist(s) whose entire body of work/"house style" I admire, there's something extra satisfying about having them. Some of my dolls I bought after I followed the dollmaker and admired their work for a while, and then they released (or I rediscovered) something I fell in love with.

It's similar to how I curated my book collection... I love borrowing books from the lending library to read, but I'm more picky about which ones I own. I buy only books that I'll reread, and I've gone out of my way to find specific editions/imprints of some books. Turns out I curate my dolls similarly: most dolls I'm happy to enjoy in photos, it's only specific ones that I like and want to own. Even better if they can be 'representatives' of their dollmaker's entire works in my collection.

I use my doll characters and story to decide which new one is worth buying. This is my most important criteria. My dolls all embody characters, they're one cohesive cast in a single big story. This story is 'live' in my imagination, and I play and take pics of them a lot. This is the way I'm now enjoying them and I want to continue this status quo, so any new doll must join the status quo and add to my enjoyment. If they don't, they get sold - and the dolls I've sold have been ones that haven't inspired, or stopped inspiring characters or story in my imagination.

So I ask a potential new doll: are you setting my imagination alight? Am I so passionate about your face and the potential character I see, that I'm willing to make room for you in my collection AND in my head (because my headspace is already full of the current doll characters and more) AND invest my already limited energy, time and money into realizing your potential? If not, I'd rather pass -- I have plenty to do already with my collection.


I think that's how I curate. I have other criteria for choosing dolls, but they're more downstream to these thoughts. They're not really hard and fast rules, more like recurring methods. I'm currently quite pleased with my doll collection and how I'm spending money on resin, so it seems to work out for me.

 

When I see a doll and I throw all my carefully laid out plans with lots of rules and criteria out of the window, I know that's the one I'm getting. No joke, I've embraced it.
I've got a hard-ish limit of 5 dolls, and having only 2 spots left is making these decisions matter more.

 

I have a few hard rules around here!! The first is that I only do SD sized dolls—I’ve stretched this for an Angel Philia body with an SD sized head, who I’m treating like a small SD, but no one shorter than Toni makes the grade. On the flip side, no one bigger than Liriel (79cm Soom Mecha Angel hybrid) is allowed. The queen of Hell has to be the tallest doll in the collection.

So far, I also don’t allow myself to go over what I paid for my holy grail doll in price for any other dolls. Lilith was $1200, and so no other doll gets to cost me what she did, because it doesn’t make sense to me that I should pay more than that for a doll I probably want less than her.

To keep everyone looking cohesive, I don’t do anyone who needs above an 8-9 wig (except my iplehouse Kamau, who fits a very large 8/9 or a regular sized 9/10) or an iris over 6mm (yes, believe it or not, everyone on my profile is wearing 14 SI, 12mm, 12 SI, and 10mm eyes). I would possibly make an exception for vermilion, who is not supposed to look that human, so I might want a bigger-eyed head for her only.

Edit: forgot a rule—I also don’t do characters that don’t already have “friends” elsewhere in my collection. Even if it’s only a tenuous connection to one of my other dolls. I don’t like dolls being solo (except my one anthro, who is a memorial for my late chameleon—seen in my profile pic)

 

I’d only get dolls of the same size, in my case MSD. Despite how pretty some SDs are lol.

 

I have some rules that I've developed over the years, but would be open to breaking some day if I ever have more space / money and a desire to really expand my collection. At the moment, I'm fairly content with staying within the lines I've drawn

• 55-65cm SDs only, with only 1 exception for the child of one of my characters who I hope to shell some day. I just love this size so much, and having cohesion within my dolly group. Grandfathered in is the Dollzone MSD gang (my first BJDs in 2006!)
• "Old school" aesthetics -- partially for cohesion, partially because I've struggled to bond with dolls outside of this style. I may admire other dolls at meetups, but even when I have bought dolls outside of a few select companies (mostly CP Delf or Feeple), they just haven't worked for me
• Character-driven: aihre captured my thoughts completely here. I shell important characters and perhaps 1-2 other crucial characters from their storyline. I don't shell characters that haven't consumed me for years and years
  • Related to character driven is that I'm extremely particular about bodies matching the character. It supersedes the need for good resin match or posability or whatnot

Things that tempt me that I know I cannot cave in for:

• Gorgeous fullsets -- I'll consider these only in a future world where I decide to buy dolls for just the aesthetics to display and not for the purpose of shelling characters. Unfortunately my gang all hang around in casual clothes lol
• Fantasy dolls -- DZ / DV / DC absolutely kill me here, but realistically, I know these dolls also won't be for me unless for display purposes
• Realistic / the latest trend of beefy dolls / 65cm+: So. Big. No. Space.

 

I’ve posted answer before but here are updated version:

Only full doll:
I get extremely frustrated with float heads…Hybrid has been a huge money loss to find perfect match.

Scale:
I strictly follow age:scale ratio. Yo for toddler (that’s what yo means anyways), young kid for MSD, grown up for SD. No taller than 60-some cm (even dolls gotta stop growing height at some point. 16-20 years old in 59-60 cm and mature dolls around 70cm is super weird to me.)

Head size:
This might be most important. I want all my dolls to blend good together. My long term SD dolls have about 21cm head circumference.

Style:
I admire any style. But t for my own collection, I stick to realism. I’ve owned different style dolls and couldn’t bond and got frustrated that they weren’t blending with rest of my dolls

 

My rules are likely to change as I grow more in this hobby, but right now my rules are:

-Only doll sizes 1/4 and under (I am certain this will change).

-A doll has to "speak" to me in order to get it. Trying super hard not to impulse buy at this early stage.

-No baby/child 1/4 dolls. I'm not sure why, but this particular aesthetic doesn't appeal to me.

I'm sure I'll have better rules by the end of this year! It's actually a goal of mine to really focus on what I like and don't like, so I don't go bonkers.

 

Oh well, I'd call myself a picky one when come to this topic.

So these are the rules I currently follow :
- I only collect 1/4
- Their ideal height are between 40-45cm
- They must be able to share at least 70% of clothes (that belong to their gender, of course) with the others
- They must wear 14mm eyes as default from company (Able to wear 12,16 or 18mm too is alright, but 14 is a must)
* The exception is given to the one with total closed eyes.
- They must be able to wear 7-8" wigs
- They must have human form. Fantasy parts are alright but they must be able to switch to 100% human (No permanent elf ears, for example)

and that's it!

In contrary, I don't have restriction about gender or skin color.

With these rules, I've spent my 6 years in this hobby with current 6 dolls (+1practice head) as my crews.

Extra : (This was not rule at first but it turns out likely to be so)
- All girls with sculpt name that once appeared in fairytale or mythology.
- All boy with sculpt name that has only 1 syllable.

 

My only rule is that their faces and proportions must look nice together. I don't mind having SDs next to MSDs but the style must be cohesive. I don't like mixing hyperrealistic with anime-ish sculpts, they just look super weird together.

 

What is your Ultimate Doll Plan?

 

I was focusing only on MSD sized dolls and had no plans to get an SD sized doll at all but then I saw LLTs Roderich and all my rules went out the window because I can't just have a big boy. I've got to get him a daughter and a female partner. The search for the "right" partner led to me acquiring two other SD sized girls who didn't fit with him but that I just really liked anyway and that I got fairly cheap.

So now I have 3 big girls and a big boy and my whole crew of minis when I had no intentions to go SD sized whatsoever!

My old collection of dolls I had a crew of both sizes and that was fine because when I had a house I had tons of space. Now I'm living in a studio and all the big dolls have taken up my work desk and I really need to figure a better display for them so I can use my work desk.

It is what it is and I don't regret them. I really missed the dolls that I had left that got stolen when my life went upside down. As many nice MSD dolls as I have I just missed having SD sized dolls to play with and cuddle. I love my small dolls too but my SD dolls I can take them in my lap, you know? It's just a different feel compared to MSD sized dolls.

I've given up saying I won't do this or that because tiny to large if I see a doll that really appeals to me and I can actually afford it I'm not going to let size stop me from getting it and enjoying it.

 

I have to be (nearly) obsessed with the doll before I allow myself to make the purchase. Kind of liking a doll or ''I think I can make this work'' isn't enough, because I know I'll end up selling them, and that I want to avoid.
I tried to limit myself to one size only, but that flew out the window pretty fast

Other than that- my tastes are pretty particular, so my doll collection is automatically pretty cohesive. Also because I paint their faceups and make all their clothes and wigs myself, they automatically end up having a sort of red string connecting all of them.

 

I spent about a year doll-less in this hobby and saw people had a lot of the same issues, especially with the size of their collections. I only have three dolls, but they're all different sizes(SD, MSD, and 1/6 YOSD) and before I even consider hitting the button I HAVE to "sleep" on it and outline a whole plan for what the doll is gonna look like/their aesthetic so they don't just sit in a box untouched.

Of course there are exceptions where I have no solid plan but that's where the "sleeping" on it thing comes in and sometimes I even leave it up to fate regarding the price, especially if I'm buying secondhand

I've also got a list of all my favorite qualities and attributes of a doll like I prefer softer features etc.

This is the one thing I'm super meticulous about in my life lol

 

My only rule is not to keep buying dolls that look similar (human doll with the duck kiss). Otherwise the skies the limit to how I am feeling and what I want.

 

No rules, I just don't want too many. I need to focus on the ones I have, and if I find another I MUST have, I've got to weed one out..

 

I started out with rules, then kept finding exceptions. I try to insist on boxes when I purchase a doll (that's how I store them) but if I find one at a good price, I will get a carrier. I do keep a spreadsheet and records, and am working on a document to explain the dolls to my heirs that will go with my will/trust papers to make sure they don't get dumped at a thrift shop. (I had to settle my father's estate when he passed a few years ago. He did a lot of work to make things easier for us. I plan to do the same.)

 

Just a few for me:
1. The mold has to fit my existing dorrie crew (ie. no ultra-realistic head sculpts).
2. 70cm is the max size of the doll I can have.

Of course the rules I impose on myself can change, depending on either new releases of the perfect molds for my original characters, or re-releases of sculpts I fell in love with that were long gone.

 

I started out with no rules, but now that I have two dolls of different sizes and types I think I've learned some things about rules I'll need to follow for future dolls!

1/3 (55-60cm range) dolls only
My first doll was a slim MSD, and while I still love the look of that doll and find the size very convenient in some ways, after getting a 1/3 doll I realized I much prefer 1/3 scale overall. Clothes and wigs look better, clothes are easier to make, there's more mature sculpts and the bodies are pretty much always adults, whereas with slim MSD a lot of stuff like clothes and shoes are made for kid-style standard MSD which I really didn't like. 1/3 also feels more substantial and just overall I like the feel of the size more. I won't be selling my MSD but I won't be getting anything smaller than 55cm ever again!

Only dolls of characters I am absolutely obsessed with
Getting two dolls made me really aware of hard it is to balance more than 1 doll when it comes to buying and making stuff for them. I used to think I could handle a big collection, but I definitely need to keep it small, so I've decided to only get dolls of characters I really really like, whether that be official collab dolls (like Volks limited DD) or custom ones of OCs. I've also found I tend to care more about a doll if it's supposed to be a character I really like. I've tried making up characters for dolls I already really liked the sculpts of, to see if I should buy them, but those characters never stuck around, so I'm sticking to existing media characters and my already existing OCs that I know I love.

Only 1 custom project at a time
My first doll was meant to shell an OC, and finding the right stuff for her was honestly very tiring and took a lot of dedicated searching, so I want to stick to only working on one project OC doll at a time. I have 3 planned, but even if it takes a while I think it's worth it to avoid the headache of remembering what stuff is for what and from where. I feel like this is the rule I'm most likely to break...

 

I have no rules when it comes to dolls, an this is a huge problem for me ha ha . I lack space and funds, yet, I keep seeing cute dolls and sculpts I want. I usually don't have characters in mind that I want to shell into dolls. Those stay in my head, and I don't feel the need to make them into dolls. I usually buy a doll because it's cute, or the sculpt speaks to me (the character comes after). This makes my collection very diverse, but also overwhelming at times. I tried to limitate myself in the past, but I found that even more overwhelming than just keep on buying what I like or what makes me happy, because it made me feel guilty to even enjoy my dolls. So I decided to never restrict myself again, unless I really don't have the money or the physical space for the doll. But that doesn't mean I will never buy it. I just postpone the thing .

Okay, come to think of it, maybe I have one rule : none of my dolls should look similar in terms of sculpt (I don't mind the size, but if I own two dolls with very similar facial features, I feel like I wasted money on the same thing, unless they have different skin colours).

 

I typically go for the more fantasy body styles like elves, lambs, beasts, so really I just try to make sure I adore it and that I don't have anything too similar! I mainly use dolls to dress up for photos, so if I have too many similar dolls it gets kind of boring!

 

I'm starting this process after five years of Pokémon collecting (gotta own them all!), and I'm working on some general guidelines:
1. My aesthetics range to mature and big, but I have a few smaller dolls as "kids", I guess?
2. The secondhand market ain't great. Before buying a replacement, try:

a. modding (come here, Dremel) - everyone is getting cheekbone hollows
b. swapping parts (Frankendollies!)
c. painting a different color
d. creating parts (come here, Apoxie Sculpt)​

3. Start thinning out stuff I don't want, which usually ends up being frilly, pink, or a hat.
4. Do I need to buy it? Or can I try making it with my baby-learns-to-sew skills?
5. For stuff I know isn't going to sell, go to doll meets and dump gift.

Editing to add: my "keepers" have tons of optional hands, heel feet, heel legs - so I can constantly swap out parts and feel like I have a "different" doll, if that makes sense. Same with outfits and wigs. Doll looking a little tired? Been sitting on the shelf for too long? Time to wash and restring it, swap out the outfit, give it a new wig, and if I'm still bored, let's go to town on that face-up.

Edit #2: Can't believe I forgot this part: what helped me decide on my aesthetic was doing group photos. I put all of my dolls together and took pictures. The ones that just didn't "fit" got rehomed. Maybe it would help you too?

Edit #3: picture tax for edit #2 -

Family portrait sans cats

 

Unlike most people here, I don't have any OCs or media characters to base dolls on. Instead, I buy what I like. When I'm bored, why not a new doll? Or I see several that I like, so why not a group of friends? The problem is, I really prefer concentrate on just a couple of dolls at a time, otherwise I get overwhelmed.
After all this time, I have so many dolls that I seriously need to sell many, many of them, and I can't just buy any doll I feel like. For example, I was browsing around and found a very pretty doll. The body was good, the company was fine according to the thread. Why shouldn't I buy her?
This doll was not a "grabber". I didn't need her, and there are many cute dolls out there. It was hard, but I said no.
Now I'm trying not to look at new dolls.

 

1) Nothing bigger then 65cm or smaller then 15cm.
2) Vibe check on if it's the doll itself or the fullset that's appealing.
3) Buy outfits for dolls, not dolls for outfits, no matter how cool (or a pita to get on) the outfit is.
4) There better be a dang good reason for not getting the faceup and no "it's cheaper" doesn't count. The WIP list is ridiculous enough as it is.
5) No hybrids unless you already know what head and body are going together, poor Succor took years to get put together.

And the final rule:
6) Understand and accept that the rules will be broken if the doll is cool enough.

At this rate I'm gonna have to instate a one in, one out rule, jeeze.

 

I have a few, not super strict on these but like a general guide I made for myself based on how I have felt about some of my doll experiences so far.
1) Stick to MSD dolls. Some months ago I got my first SD doll second hand and while I really like him, he is my hardest doll to dress. I also feel like he is a bit much at 66 cm, so right now I don't really want anymore dolls this size or bigger...
2) Any future dolls should have a pre existing character or concept. My first doll is an exception to this, but the rest will follow this rule.
3) No buying without letting myself really think about it. I give myself a couple of days to a few weeks to "sleep on it" and if after that long I'm still really interested I will buy.
4) Since I prefer to not have to sell dolls, I need to be VERY sure this doll matches the concept I'm thinking of. I will not compromise on key features, especially since I don't really have an interest in modding my dolls.

I do try to follow these, but sometimes there are some newly released dolls that challenge these. I just need to remind myself that I follow them to help me give a lot more thought as to whether I actually want the doll or just like looking at it.

 

This is my doll plan I keep updating to see how they might work in my space. I have various rules for my collection. I haven’t sold a doll yet in 13 years of collecting. I’m only now considering how many is too many and maybe I should let go of some in order to make my collection feel right together. Doll companies and artists have grown lots and now there’s much more variety for bodies, sizes, sculpt styles etc. I used to have Kings planned for my queens but the collection plan felt too big.

1. Talk to my partner if a doll will cost more than my ‘personal allowance’ from our budget for the year. (Which is now basically every purchase)
   
2. Dolls only come home to shell characters
3. Must have a range of resin colours
4. Since they exist partially in Wonderland, ok to have different sizing.
   
5. Less than 30. Trying for less than 20.
   
6. Every doll must have at least one other doll as a partner that looks good for photos together. Either 2 from the same artist/company or from similar look.

 

This is such a neat and detailed way to organize things! How did you make the silhouettes for each doll, if you don't mind me asking?

 

Thanks, I’m a visual planner. I trace the bodies of photos with a vector illustration tool (Affinity Design). But for personal use only. In a past life I was a graphic designer.

 

I think I only have one, which is "I have to have an idea/plan for how I want this doll to look before I buy it". If I can't imagine anything I want to do with it, I shouldn't buy it, because then it'll just sit around forever. If I find myself ever not interested in a doll anymore, like I don't want to make things for it or take pictures, and looking at the doll doesn't make me happy, I know it's time to sell it.

 

My only rule originally was for everyone to look relatively cohesive together since they all sit together, so I picked SD and largely stuck to that with a few MSD who are just younger characters.

As my collection has gotten bigger I've found myself following some more loose rules.
1) I always have to ask myself before buying a doll if they are too similar to one I already have and if I'd rather have the new one more if they are. I'll just keep buying slightly different variations of the same thing if I let myself, this has saved me from several doll purchases I didn't need. Sleepy eyes+pouty mouth has me in a death grip.
2) I also added a no impulse purchase rule; I needed to sleep on it at least a few days and then show my partner. I don't need their permission or anything, it's just a good way to test if I was just dazzled by pretty doll or if I really truly wanted that one. They're very good at sussing out what brand of excited I am, and I am not.
3) I didn't originally shell characters, I just wanted pretty dolls to look at and didn't have a lot of OC's, but I've recently started to develop characters for the dolls I have so I'm trying to me more aware of if a doll inspires me to develop a character
5) I didn't think I'd ever set a hard size limit but 70-75cm is in fact the limit. I really don't want to go above that and I've found I prefer dolls to be closer to the 60-65cm range. I like SD's but that is just too big for me.

I've also started to ask myself when I browse dolls if I have one I'd be willing to trade for a new one. If the answer is yes, it's time for that one to go. It's only happened twice, but it's helped me keep a better pulse on how I feel about my dolls.

 

Hmmm. I think for me it's mainly the doll no matter size has to fit an OC or be something I really enjoy.
I love all sizes but I don't buy a random doll often. Very rare for me to do so unless it's just that unique to catch my eyes.
I have a wide variety from fantasy to humans, half humans and Anthro. A few animal types as well for pets.

I limit myself in that manner with my ever growing collection otherwise one company or another would kill me with all their releases .
For that reason I also have a huge wishlist of grails.
Once I own a bigger place it will stay similar but I'll probably snag more than I do right now.

I also tend to prefer buying things with faceups already, but I won't hesitate on a blank because I know I will eventually send them out to be modded and painted once I find suitable artists. Heck I even hope to learn myself so I guess I am not too afraid to do so.
If I do though, I suggest Mug holders. Perfect for heads and random Resin such as hands, feet, horns etc too.

My main goal rule is: have fun but make sure necessities are paid first. I won't skip rent for any kind of doll period. It's not that needed. Great deals help too so always look into options if you're budget needs it. Like layaways (Here's where BJDivas could kill us with their awesomeness - though I don't do it often), Sale prices, deals on secondhand markets and more. I will purchase direct from companies too, but I am more prone to always having good deals so I stick to their sales times.

 

I struggled from impulse buying too many dolls in the past, so now I decided to only get a doll if i have a character in mind first, and if it’s a character I really care about. I used to just buy sculpts because I liked them, which is valid, but personally I didn’t know what to do with them once they came.
Also I am trying to do layaways so I don’t drop a bunch of money all at once and paying slower will probably help. Only one layway at once.
Another good rule will probably be: complete a doll first before buying a new one.