As a full-time student who’s been in post-secondary for what seems to be forever, my number one financial priority has been my education for the last five years, and it’ll be my number one financial priority for the next three. Tuition and assorted other ‘necessary’ student fees come before textbooks, but textbook money comes before Blythe (unfortunately). I thought I’d come up with a few of my tips as a student while in the woefully expensive world of Blythe.

Photo by sxc.hu user lusi.

If I cannot afford to pay for something outright, I don’t buy it.
Blythe is not worth carrying an outstanding balance on my credit card. Blythe is also not worth running my savings account low when I have other (slightly more important) things to pay for and fund. Now that I’ve said that, I have put a Blythe (or two, or three) on my credit card before, but I always make sure that I can 100% pay off my credit card bill and that I can afford to do that so I don’t incur any interest. 20% interest? No thanks!

If I don’t use it, need it or even remember that I had it – I can sell it or just part with it.
I will go through my dolls’ things periodically to see what I can part with. Sometimes I come up with a bunch of things that I haven’t seen (or remember I had!) for months. If that’s the case, and I no longer feel like I need to still own it, I’ll sell it. I sell things both on forums and also at local Blythe meets. I’ve also done trades to get things that I’d prefer to have and I’ve given away oodles of Barbie clothing for little kids who’ll appreciate them a lot.

If I want something, I’ll see if a trade is okay.
Bartering is a great tool to use in the Blythe world. Always be polite and ask if they’re willing to do an equal trade for something. Keep in mind that you will need to pay shipping, but it does work out cheaper than sending something to someone and then using that money to buy something else. It’s also faster, and no need for money to change hands.

Photo by sxc.hu user shadowkill.

If I wasn’t about to get it when it wasn’t marked down, I probably shouldn’t get it.
Sometimes you can find fantastic deals in the sundries section on Blythe Kingdom and This is Blythe. The most important thing to think about is if you really want it. If it’s a super cute top, and it’s mark down to $7 from $10, but I wouldn’t have gotten it at $10, do I really want it? The thing is, if I really wanted it, I probably would have jumped at the $10 price. Because it’s marked down to $7, am I now more attracted to the object because it’s lower in price or because I just really want it? It’s a good thing to keep in mind when shopping for non-Blythe items as well. That pair of jeans is super cute, but is it cute on you because it’s 50% off or because you genuinely like it for it?

If it takes time away from school, it’s a sign to stop.
I slow down on the amount of time I spend doing Blythe things when school rolls around. Blythe is always going to be there. Unfortunately, my courses aren’t going to slow down for me just because I decided to spend an evening looking at dolly photos instead of studying. A great way to keep on task is to allow yourself X number of minutes per day (or week) to do hobby things. If I study for 2 hours, I’ll give myself a 15 minute break for Flickr. It’s a lot cheaper to give up some dolly time than it is to repeat (and repay!) for a course.

What are some of your tips for staying on budget in the Blythe hobby?