BlytheLife.com opened in July 2010 and is a blog and resource hub for all things Blythe!
Blythe On A Budget: An Introduction
Written on July 22, 2010 at 12:00 pm by MichelleFiled under: Article with tags: blythe on a budget
Drawing inspiration from a recent thread on Plastic Paradise by the member dawn (thread was titled “Is this hobby still fun if you have no money?”) it really got me thinking about how expensive this hobby really is and what we can do, as the economy is still quite uncertain, to save some money here and there. And that is the inspiration behind this new article series.
Buying Blythe dolls and accessories should never take priority over paying for rent, food, utilities, insurance of all sorts. But what do you do beyond that if you’ve paid for everything and only have a little bit you can put towards your Blythe hobby? That’s what this article series is all about – putting your Blythe hobby on a budget (a tight budget, that is!).
It should get pretty interesting. For me, I put myself on a budget when it comes to Blythe because I work to be able to pay for my education. For others, it’s because they have a lot more financial responsibilities in the form of rent, children, pets, mortgages, utilities, etc. Whatever your reason for putting yourself on a tighter budget when it comes to Blythe, you’re not alone. And there are a lot of ways to have fun with Blythe without spending obscene amounts of money on brand new dolls every month (not that there’s anything wrong with that, if you can afford it).
If you have any suggestions for future installments of Blythe On A Budget, please let me know! New installments will be going up once a week.
I’m not naming anyone and I’m not even thinking of anyone specific, so please don’t assume “oh she’s talking about me!” Because I’m not… so if what I’m about to say offends you, then hey, maybe that’s a sign that it really hit home?
The only thing that honestly shocked me when I first got into this hobby (and I’m not being snobby or snide or catty, I’m saying this honestly!), was the number of people who claim to be “barely scraping by” on rent, bills, food, children, who then somehow always find money of a new doll or other equally expensive luxury item. To me, this is rather bone-chilling… not the people who are happy to wallow in debt, but those let the hobby negatively influence how they care for children. That erks me to no end, I’m sorry. 🙁
On the flip side, I always feel really good about humanity when I see a post that someone is selling many of their dolls because they have become pregnant or a life emergency has arisen. This is only my opinion, but to me that sounds like a person with their values firmly in place.
As you said in your article, trying to save money on this expensive hobby, even if you feel you don’t need to, might be a good idea for a “rainy day.” or… a vacation? lol
I know that for me, even though I’m doing fine financially, I could have used the money I have spend so far on going to Japan on a nice vacation instead… twice! lol When I do think of it that was it’s a kick in the pants, because it is something I’ve always wanted to do… but for now I chose the dolls. Hrm… lol
For me, it’s all about prioritizing. If you need to pay for your child’s braces, you should do that instead of spending money on a new doll. If you’re sitting on a gold mine of ‘designer’ Blythe clothes, you should sell those before dipping into your emergency savings for that ‘really rare and super awesome Kenner’. I firmly believe that Blythe should come secondary to everything else that you *need* in your life and it should also come after having put money into savings or into that rainy day account. But just because some people believe that it’s the thing to do, doesn’t mean that everyone does it 😉
What I really want to do with this article series is talk about the ways you can save with the hobby, since it is so expensive. I don’t have as much expendable income as I’d like so while writing about it, I’d be teaching myself at the same time ways to make do without buying new things every day (not that I do that right now, haha) 🙂
Thank you for coming out and saying this! I think “putting Blythe first” is sort of the elephant in the room in this hobby. People should keep in mind that that’s what it it…a hobby.
Not having any money can put a damper on any hobby! I do agree with Lynn, it’s concerning to hear some putting the hobby over their priorities.
It’s definitely all about budgeting. Set yourself a certain amount of money a month for spending. Either use a dedicated credit card with a small limit or transfer money into your Paypal account. Once those funds are “used up”, you’re done for that month.
I have been using this method and it’s been working for me. I will admit that I have gone over for those “must haves”, “I can’t pass up” opportunities. When I do I will deduct from next month’s “allowance” and go from there.
I think an allowance is an awesome idea! For me, I don’t buy Blythe stuff every month, so I’d probably end up just gathering up the money, so I buy when I want to – but I also think long and hard and do a lot of number crunching and by the time I’m done, it’s usually gone already 😉 Works wonders! lol
Yea I have heard that a lot too, people will put an amount into paypal, and if they run out, they vow to sell something in order to put some funds back into that account if something comes up that they want.
The credit card thing (until the doll or item arrives in your hands) is smart so that if the sale is a scam you aren’t out all that money while it’s being resolved.
When I’m broke and want new dolly things or dolls, I do trades! I love to swap clothing for Licca bodies, saran. Or trade reroot and custom services to new dolls! 🙂
I think that’s an excellent idea! That way you get something new-to-you and someone gets something new-to-them! That’s why I love participating in swaps! I can’t really afford to do the ones where everyone buys each other loads of doll stuff, but I do love the handmade Blythe swap group (on Flickr), since I love crafting 🙂
This is the saddest -and the scariest- thing I heard about since I started this hobby, and your post made me remember it!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/drblythenstein/4148437592/
http://blythespirit.vox.com/
BARTER ~~~ TRADE ~~~ SWAP !!!
Being on a limited income does not mean your imagination is limited.
Some of the best things I’ve gotten since learning about Blythe has been
through bartering. One great aspect of bartering is that you get to know
someone a little bit better, too. Unless someone specifically states “NO TRADES” and If I see something I like in their Sundries add on PP, I PM them and see if they are interested in a trade or barter! I make it clear that I am perfectly OK if they don’t want to barter that it is OK with me…and that I’m just checking. It is always fun.