Getting mail is the best! Getting mail that isn’t a bill is even better. Part of the reason why I do go on small splurges throughout the year when it comes to dolls and dolly things because it is just a lot of fun to get mail sometimes – even if I do have to pay for it myself. Getting mail is fun, and it can be even more fun when you end up buying from people who take care in wrapping. Sometimes that little bit of extra care can go a long way in making it a fun experience. I also tend to remember about the care and tidiness because it’s part of the overall shopping experience.

Cameo (FWB Custom) falls under category 4. The cameo for Cameo falls under category 5.
Cameo wears Plastic Fashion.

I splurge when:

1. Something great happens in real life (e.g. finishing a term and maintaining my GPA)
2. Something great occurs without any real effort from me (a.k.a. my birthday)
3. It’s been a while since I’d gotten anything in the mail that wasn’t my credit card bill
4. Something really special pops up and I honestly don’t think that I would ever have another chance at it
5. Something affordable pops up that I decide that I really want, because why not?

What has really helped curb my spending a lot is actually getting a magazine subscription. I prepaid, so I don’t get more lines on my bills, but I still get exciting! happy! mail once a month – which is pretty cool too. (For those curious, I had a subscription to a crafts magazine, so it’s extra excitement and happiness for me.) That and whenever I think about buying something, my conscious is asking if I really need something. Things that save my sanity (like storage containers) are a-okay in my book. Yet another doll dress? Probably not something that’s “needed”. And yes, I can totally hear Sophie shouting that I’m completely and utterly wrong about this because doll dresses are necessities in life. Apparently.

What are your reasons for splurging?

Hello to my adoring audience! And welcome to the first Love, Sophie post for 2015!

It’s been kind of an up-and-down year so far for me. Michelle has implemented this No Spend challenge and it’s been so hard for me. I’m trying to get her to break it by adding her into Facebook groups and bookmarking eBay listings… But she has a strong resolve, that one. So in lieu of doing some kind of Etsy haul post, I wanted to know what you wanted to read from me this year!

I love writing about fashion, but it has been pointed out to me that sometimes I can wear things that are a bit… pricey. And that maybe your owners are as stingy as Michelle when it comes to her No Spend challenge. If there are any specific fashion topics that you’d love to read about, I’d love to hear about them! After all, Love, Sophie wouldn’t be able to exist without you (and me!).

Sophie is a mostly stock Cappuccino Chat that came to live with me in June 2009. She loves shoes, new clothes, playing with her hair, fashion, magazines full of fluff and shopping. She aspires to be a model and would like to model for some of the ‘great’ dolly fashion houses one day.

The problem with trying to curb the spending is that you become very aware of how bombarded you are by listings for secondhand sundries or new listings for custom dolls. Suddenly all of the new stock releases look very appealing, and one of those fantastic dress seamstresses that I love? I had to talk myself out of hitting checkout with the Etsy cart despite reaching the listing within possibly ten seconds of it being listed.

On the bright side, my No Spend challenge is only for the month of January. After that, I will have a (small) budget set aside for fun dolly spending, which s always nice! But being aware of how easy it is to be sucked into the buy, buy, buy mode is rather alarming (and thought provoking as well). I shouldn’t be too surprised, because a lot of how we interact on the internet when it comes to Blythe.

Maybe if we stare her down, she’ll buy us some new dresses!
Cameo wears Plastic Fashion. Halo wears a dress by an unknown seamstress.

If you go to forums, there are always some Buy/Sell/Trade threads up. If you log onto Facebook and you’re a member of one of the dozens (hundreds?) of Blythe-related groups, you’re probably also in a group that involves buying or selling dolls and sundries. I’m still not sure how I wound up in them, I suspect sabotage by friends who thought it’d be a good idea to invite me into those groups… Regardless of where you go when you’re looking at doll things, it is difficult to not be confronted with listings and ads for new dolls, clothes, shoes, and even furniture! Fortunately (or unfortunately…?) with my schedule now, I haven’t been able to spend a lot of time online, which means that I’ve been missing a lot of listings for dolls, clothes, and shoes for sale.

Two weeks into January and I’m still doing very well for my No Spend month! No new dolls, doll clothes, or doll shoes (sobs!) in the mail for me. I did have to buy a present (somewhat unexpectedly), but that was sort of necessary and not-doll related.

Part of being a responsible Blythe enthusiast is knowing when to slow down with the purchasing. This is also probably why I tend to buy a lot in a short amount of time when I go on my binges. I buy a lot, realize how much I’ve spent on dolly things, and then go on a purchasing sabbatical for a few months before reading the process. My personal best month was receiving a dress in the mail and also purchasing two Kenners. Granted, they needed a lot of T.L.C., but I still purchased two Kenners that month (and what a month it was!).

Prim and Lily think there’s nothing wrong with buying two Kenners on the same day.
They are both wearing Plastic Fashion.

My personal rule of thumb is if it isn’t money that I already have and is not allocated to something else (hello, responsibilities), then I cannot spend it. This goes well with helping to keep credit card debt manageable (completely paid off every month), as well as keeping me in check. If I cannot afford to pay for it in cash, I can’t buy it at all. The use of the credit card is just because people don’t tend to ask for you to mail them crisp bank notes in the post, they’d rather have you pay via Paypal because it’s online and instantaneous.

When do I think it’s a good time for me to slow down on buying things?

• When there are other things that take precedent – e.g. presents for someone that isn’t me, regular bills that weren’t as self-inflicted.
• When I start being surprised at mail as it arrives: Oh, did I buy that?
• When I cannot keep track of what I bought and from whom.
• When I go shopping online and buy ALL THE THINGS and my bank account sighs heavily at the exertion.
• When I can no longer afford it unless I start selling something (thankfully I have never reached this stage!).

When do you think is a good time to slow down on buying things?

If you are a customizer, a tiny shoemaker, a dolly dress seamstress, or an overall amazing person who does something else that’s fantastic for Blythe – consider vending at BlytheCon Vancouver! BlytheCon Vancouver, happening on August 9 2015, is the first BlytheCon held in Canada! And we’re super excited about it and would love if you were vending because you are awesome.

There is just three weeks left to apply – the deadline is January 31st. If you have any questions about BlytheCon Vancouver or about vending, you can email those questions in and I, or one of the other organizers, will get back to you as soon as possible. If you don’t have any questions and want to get straight to applying, head on over to the BlytheCon Vancouver vendors page!