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?

Photo by sxc.hu user jenme.

I can go for long periods of time without getting any doll-related mail and then I’ll get a lot of doll-related mail all at once. When it rains, it pours! And then sometimes there’s droughts where I go through periods where I don’t get any new dolls, there’s no clothes in the mail, there’s no swap packages I’m waiting on, there’s nothing in the mail at all coming towards me that is remotely dolly related.

Some people get a little bit of doll mail all the time. Maybe a dress one week, a shirt a week or two later. There’s no periods of drought or times when they’re not looking forward to something in the mail.

How often do you get doll related things in the mail? Do you get a lot at once or spread over a longer period of time?

Doll families are interesting in the way that they grow and evolve. Take my dolls for instance. I started off with one Blythe, just like everyone else does. I had Sophie, my stock Cappuccino Chat. She’s also the reason why I learned how to properly spell ‘cappuccino’.

It also didn’t take very long for that one to grow to three by the end of the year. I added Belarus (Love Mission) a month after Sophie was bought. Tertiary Jane (Simply Peppermint) came in November of 2009.

In under a year (June 28 2009 to March 26 2010), I had hit six Blythes. In those short 9 months, I had went from 0 to 6. And at six it stayed for over a year.

I had acquired Bennett (Margaret Meets Ladybug), Eden Mouse (Punkaholic People) and Kindred (Velvet Minuet). Before Kindred, every single one of my dolls had arrived in my hands as NRFB dolls. Kindred was purchased as a second-hand/used doll. She was also the first doll I had taken outside of my house (this may be a coincidence, but it probably isn’t).

My first six are always going to be special to me. All stock, all beautiful in their own way. Some are more demanding than others, some are more easy going. One only wears one colour… They have all their quirks, their personalities. And I love them all.

It wasn’t until October of 2011 that my doll family started to grow again. I added a Kenner to the family. When Emmalynn (my redheaded Kenner love) arrived, I was convinced that she would be the last Blythe I ever bought. She was the one I stressed over on eBay for, the one I bid on, the one I crossed my fingers and obsessively refreshed the tracking information for.

And then came Moxie and Mollie, the Simply duo that’s part of a trio. I didn’t count them though, because technically I didn’t buy them.

It took me less than two months after Christmas to add two new-to-me Kenners to the family. Cue Primrose and Lillian (who only back in July got a name!). Between October 2011 and February 2012, I added 5 Blythes to the family. When it rains, it pours in terms of plastic dolls.

And then in July 2012, I got my very first custom dolly, which I had posted about! Halo, a lovely RBL custom by Friends with Blythe.

Now that I’m at an even dozen, I’m pretty confident I’ll stay there for the time being.

3 Kenners, 2 EBLs, 1 SBL, 4 RBLs, 2 FBLs.

What does your family look like?

I thought Middie was a bit odd when she was first announced. I mean, she had no eye mechanism (like the larger Blythe size, anyways)! No pull string, no four sets of eyes. For the most part, Petites were tolerated for not having those key features because her head was so tiny. But Middie? Why not have an eye mechanism? And a wheel? Ugh.

Of course, now I’m all “I really want to get a Middie! Melo looks so cute! I want a Middie! OMG, ALL THE MIDDIES ARE ADORABLE!” Yeah, I’m a convert within the Blythe community.

Since Middie’s debut in late 2010, they’ve been sporadic and mostly limited edition. This didn’t help with Middie’s popularity at all, nor did the fact that they are expensive for what they are. For the cost of a Middie, you could get a Simply Chocolate or Vanilla. For some of the more limited and sought after Middies, they cost more than many types of modern Blythes. But one thing that Blythe has always surpassed Middie in is the amount of shops and crafters that sell Blythe sized items.

I wanted to do a little showcase of some fantastic sellers who craft for Middie, the poor little middle child who’s been so restricted in terms of getting a decent wardrobe! So I selected out shops that carry hats, shirts, carry bags and dresses. Hopefully you’ll find something fun and cute for the Middie in your life!

Shameless Plug by nuwandalice

Super adorable crocheted hats for both Blythe and Middie. My favourite in her shop right now is this cute little piggy hat! My favourite part about the hat is the cut little ears. She also has a Middie-sized bear hat and a striped Middie hat in stock (as of writing).

The Helmet Factory by irulethegalaxy

This shop has both beaded helmets for Blythe and Middie! The neat thing is that the Middie-sized helmets fit Middie, Odeco and Moof – so if you’re a multi-doll collector, this could be great for your favourite dollies! My current favourite that it’s in stock has the neat ‘frosted’ rainbow beads!

ericaduh by ericaduh

Now that we have your Middie’s head covered, it’s time to look at the rest of her! ericaduh makes super adorable tops in various sizes. She crafts for Blythe as well as Middie and Odeco. Yes, if you see that she has Odeco tops in stock, those fit Middie as well!

SewPixie by SewPixie Designs

I love my Neo-sized carry bags by SewPixie, but did you know that she also makes Middie carry bags? She does! SewPixie also carries Petite bags and does custom orders. I love both the simplicity in the look of the carry bags and the elegance in the design. The carry bags keep your dolls protected in a lightly padded bag without too much added bulk.

StitchWhipped by SwitchWhipped

Adorable doesn’t begin to cover the cute little dresses over at StitchWhipped. Not only does the shop carry dresses for Blythe and Middie, but also Petite! There are both dresses and skirts in Middie sized, but I wanted to showcase that covers all of the doll and I think it’d go great with the piggy hat featured above! My favourite was a little piggy Middie dress.

Image from sxc.hu user kwod.

New releases from Takara are announced at various suggested retail values. Depending on if the doll is a Simply release or not, limited in number or limited in store release – some are lower in value and some are higher. I haven’t bought any from top shops or direct from shops like Junie Moon, but some people do. Retail values can begin at approximately $150 and go up from there. Depending on the doll (and if I could get it at the original retail value), I would be willing to pay the original retail value – but if I were going on the secondhand market, I would not want to pay more than $200 over the original retail price unless it’s a much older release (like a BL or hard to find EBL) and even then, I’d be rather reluctant to do so… I’m clearly not the target audience for new releases!

What is the maximum you would pay for a new release?