@@MarchPaynesMidlifeDollyCrisis I'm going to focus more on interacting with what I have and only buying ones I know I really want. I can't do the "I have to buy the whole series" thing. I'm happy watching all the dolls online and picking from what people like you say are worth having.
You have bought some BEAUTIFUL Dolls in 2024! The BFF, I had not seen before, I will look forward to your Unboxing. Your Time Keeper....Oh My My!~ I have cut down buying dolls, BY FAR! Well? I cut way back a couple years ago. Yes, I still buy Blythes when Ali has sales, otherwise, not so much. However. I have been buying Smart Dolls. It seems like a lot, but really, as compared to what I was buying, playline and such, not.
With Smart dolls you are buying something of quality, you're making a decision to spend a lot of money on a doll, it's not the same as going and buying a bunch of playline dolls from the local bargain store - the decision making it very different. For me, I ended up buying three Ellowyne/Neema dolls - again they are quality dolls, so it feels very different than buying 15 Barbie Fashionistas (for instance). For me the Ellowyne dolls feel very special and whenever I spend time redressing them or posing them I feel that they are special dolls. I want to have dolls in my collection which feel special and which I want to redress and have fun with - that's not to say that I can't feel that way about Barbie Fashionistas or playline dolls generaly, but I think sometimes we can get into the habit of overbuying those type of dolls because of the price of them, rather than how they make us feel. I hope that makes sense and doesn't sound like I'm being snobby about dolls because I certainly don't mean to, I just want to be much more mindful of what I am buying and I want to add dolls from all walks of life to my collection that feel special to me.
I FEEL YOU SO MUCH ON THIS ONE!! I think we talked about it a bit but I'm in a definite low buy moment myself. The Ellowyne Wildes are so cute! Also your to-open is very similar to my own... I've got Catty Noir sitting in my pile right now, and I love those Liccas. What I will say is that I feel like it's been so much better for me mentally to cut back on my purchasing. The compulsion has been so strong in the past to just BUY BUY BUY has had a vice grip on me - but it's so much better for my mind to actually be considerate. And I've actually sold a bunch too. You're doing great!
Thank you. I think we did talk a bit about doll buying and collecting. The idea of being more mindful about what we're buying is really important, also the idea of buying so many dolls that the ones that you find most special just get lost in the mix is really sad. We should love everything that we buy, and we should show that by spending time with that doll and playing and having fun with that doll. And that doesn't happen when you are too fixated on what you're going to purchase next that you literally are just filming unboxing and then shoving the dolls onto already overcrowded shelves. Also just because you don't buy dolls constantly doesn't make you any less of a doll collector, I would never say that I'm not buying more dolls because you just never know what will be coming out next and catching your eye etc, but I am happy to let weeks and even months pass without feeling the need to buy one, or going to the toy store and looking around and leaving without buying anything too. It's okay, we can normalise this, we can just be happy with what we have without feeling fidgety because we don't have the next big doll craze etc.
Thank you so much. I'm really happy with the haul that I've gotten this year so far, I'm hoping by the years end that I don't go over 20 dolls but I guess we'll see how that goes, will all depend on what comes out next.
I think you're going to like your BFF doll! I collected the first and second series of these and have the two from the talents that were available in the US. The rest of that series is over there in Europe somewhere
From what I could see there is series based on foods and another based on animals? I still haven't opened her up. Let me know if there is anyone you think would be a good companion doll for her from the lines you have.
I agree with you that there isn't really much on the mass market that's interesting... Although I've had my eye on some of the tweens. My thing is that I have due to multiple things in my life, had no choice but to scale down my doll spending. But I still have all my virtual lists in all the places that I like to shop 😂
Thank you. I don't want to say that I feel proud of how little I've bought this year - considering the prices of some of the dolls that I've added to my collection in 2024 - but I feel that going for quality rather than quantity is a big step in the right direction 😘
Oh my goodness, I absolutely love everything you have in this viewing, they are all so amazing! I love you and Allan together, So fabulous! Congratulations on over 1k subs!!! I definitely am not buying as much as I have in the past but trying to buy what I really love and since I have given up on RH it makes it a lot easier!🎉🥰💖😍♥️💋
Thank you. I am really pleased with the choices that I have made so far this year. And yes, I couldn't resist finally getting an Allan. It is nice that some doll lines have helped us save money this year by not producing nearly as many dolls or even ones that we would want to purchase!
Thank you so much and thank you for the congratulations. Getting to 1K felt like a long time coming but I am delighted to have reached it, and it also (almost) coincided with my channels anniversary too!
What a lovely collection of dolls! You have done really well with the low buy this year. I have tried not to buy dolls but I have failed, haha. I have limited my Barbie purchases a lot though, as Barbie isn't really my thing as much as it used to be. I'm still buying RH dolls, despite the changes. I love that Violet Willow doll and I have her too, she's really pretty. 💜
It hasn't been hard for me to not buy any Barbies this year so far, although I have been tempted by a few of the collector editions. Mattel just aren't producing Barbies that I want to buy, and when I do see the odd Fashionista who I like the look of, when I actually see her in a store her face is so pixelated that I just don't want to buy them no matter how cheaply priced they are. At least with the new RH dolls they don't seem to be releasing them at the pace that they were doing in the past, so hopefully you can keep up with getting the ones that you want.
@@MarchPaynesMidlifeDollyCrisis totally agree, Barbies are really not great quality at all. Yes, I think I can definitely keep up with RH. They aren't releasing as many dolls per series anymore.
I have been in playline doll overdrive since Christmas and am now trying to put the breaks on. If I could get down to 14 dolls I would be very proud of myself indeed! CONGRATULATIONS!
Thank you! Tbf I still have a LOT of dolls from the last few years which I need to get unboxed, but yes, on the whole, I am pretty proud of my spending for this year so far. Also it's not just the money but he quality of dolls too - Ellowyne, Neema and Blythe dolls are not cheap, but they are quality dolls and definitely feel worth the money. As opposed to buying some playline brands and getting them open and just being disappointed on the quality of them.
That's a great collection already! I'm looking forward to seeing all the other unboxings and congratulations on getting Arlidge Timekeeper, she's beautiful. I paused your video halfway through to see if I could find a bargain Ily fashion pack. Nope but I ended up buying a Shadow High doll (Rexx) for a tenner on the tkmaxx website, oops 😬😄. This year was also supposed to be low buy for me but I'm not doing very well. It would be great to see you do doll crafts and I totally agree that dolls should be played with. Currently enjoying a £1 charity shop 1970's style Barbie that I've just finished making a dress for. Like Marna I love your thumbnail ✨🥰❤️🤗✨ 1,000!!! 🥳🥳🥳👏👏👏
Thank you. I'm so glad that I got Arledge Timekeeper and am looking forward to unboxing her, eventually! I think because I have so many dolls that I have bought over the last few years, most of which I still have to unbox, I've had time to sit back and reflect on my spending and realised that I don't need to have the quantity to be a collector, I could have 5 dolls and still think of myself as a doll collector (I mean, I don't think for one minute that I will ever have just 5 dolls, but you know what I mean). Maybe going forward we can all be more mindful of what we are buying and adding to our collections.
Lovely dolls in this video - I have not bought too too many dolls "new" this year (i.e., at full price) but I have gotten a few on clearance and I have thrifted a bunch. I think next year I will try to focus my collecting on things like you mentioned, sewing for the dolls, etc.
It's nice to buy dolls but also it's great to also sit back and enjoy those dolls too and redress and generally have fun with them. I'm definitely looking forward to sewing and creating interesting looks for my dolls.
I just got into collecting dolls, so I bought a lot this year! Definitely tumbled down the rabbit hole. I also bought dolls for my adult daughters. This next year I want to focus on making things for them and doing fun scenes, photographs and videos and not buying so many. I love hearing what other people are doing, thanks for sharing!
Yes, I think when you start collecting dolls you tend to buy much more. I feel that the last few years particularly there have been a lot of great dolls coming out, but this year there has also been less that I've seen coming out that I've wanted. It is hard not to get sucked into another rabbit hole though, especially watching other doll collectors videos full of unboxings. I hope you enjoy spending time and doing things with your dolls, it does really make you appreciate them and also makes you realise which dolls are your favourites and which ones you might be able to live without.
I’m right with you on this. I want more dolls, of course, but I just feel overwhelmed sometimes. I am selling some dolls now but also buying them here and there., just trying to be more mindful
Mindful is definitely the way forward imo. I would rather have a more cutback collection of dolls who I love than a large collection of dolls which I feel overwhelmed by and which don't make me feel love but more anxiety.
I think you did very well in half a year. It’s a nice assortment of dolls. I love your Ellowyne Wilde dolls and the Ali Express Blythe is adorable! I didn’t formally plan to do a low buy year but I have slowed down for sure. My new dolls are often thrift finds that I fix up. I am pretty satisfied with my collection so I will only add to it if something special comes along. Thank you for sharing your doll collecting journey! Fun video. I enjoyed the picture show at the end. 🥰
It's nice to have a low buy year without even trying to do one, and that you feel quite satisfied with what you have in your collection. That is definitely the position that I would like to be in. I don't think there will be a time when I won't be buying dolls, but I can see it becoming more of an occasional thing rather than every single month etc.
My purchases tend to come in waves. A doll I have to have will come up and suddenly one or two more appear. Then a dry spell for a while which gives me time to enjoy the dolls. I do a lot of window shopping in between so lots of temptation! 😄 Have a great weekend!
Lotta cute dolls! I especially love the MH girls, I want to buy two, one for each of my great-nieces, that's a dream I intend to realize this Christmas! Can't wait to see some of this girls' unboxing and the others you will buy!
The MH dolls are lovely and the quality on the ones that I have had so far is very good. There are quite a few out now so hopefully you can choose some nice ones for your great-nieces.
I am having a low buy/hi buy year. I am definately buying more Smart Dolls (I tell myself it is because the yen is down) and more Blythe dolls - but my other collections have slowed down quite a bit. I am not sure if that puts me ahead or behind last year, but it is more of a focused year, at least. LOL. It was a lot of fun to see your purchases for this year. I think 2025 is going to be my low buy year. (fingers crossed)
Smart Dolls are quite an investment, and not one that I feel able to justify myself. I get an attack of the guilts spending on Ellowyne or Blythe dolls, and they are a fraction of the price of a Smart Doll. I don't want to get to the stage where I am comparing my buying from year to year, I just want to be more mindful with what I'm buying now, although I have never bought dolls which I didn't like, I probably should have waited to get dolls which I loved.
I think you're doing a great job on only getting dolls you really want for your collection! I'm doing the same, though I did get both Rune dolls (greatly discounted on ebay), four Sindy dolls (kid kreations plus the 60th anniversary - ouch on the shipping from UK to Texas!) and a few others. Now I'm kind of done except for a smart doll. Today I passed by all the new dolls at Walmart and felt freedom from a desire to purchase any of them. I'm busy making clothing and enjoying the dolls I have 🙂
It sounds like you've been pretty selective and also getting dolls which you want rather than following the trends of what everyone else is getting. I totally feel your pain in the shipping for anything coming abroad - when I see the prices of postage from the US to Europe (particularly on eBay and Etsy) I don't even bother looking any further half the time. I have also been known to go into toy stores and come out empty handed (well, it's happened at least once or twice this year).
A great selection of special dolls you have got so far this year. I’ve done very well so far and have only bought two dolls (A Makies Doll and the 60th Anniversary Sindy who has just arrived)and five tiny Grecon dolls for my dolls houses (not sure if those count? ) I’ve never been one for buying playline dolls from the shops though, focussing mainly on vintage dolls which have tended to be more pricey which I can no longer afford! 😂.
Thank you. And congratulations on only buying two dolls this year - although I'm sure neither of them were cheap, they are doll brands that you love and will cherish for many years in your collection. I also have the Anniversary Sindy on her way to me, but I actually purchased her last year when she was on pre-order so she wasn't included in this video.
This video was so interesting March ! I think you did pretty well ! I’ve bought the same amount of dolls for this year. But I just want to focus on dolls from certain lines I really 100% like. And as you said dolls are meant to be played with. So my goal this year was to interact with the dolls I already have and craft for them. Looking forward to seeing crafting or redressing videos from you ! Have a lovely day March ! 😊
Glad you enjoyed it. With still so many dolls to unbox from previous years I'm hoping that for the rest of the year I continue to buy less dolls. I still want to sort through my dolls and see if there are any that I no longer feel the need to keep, then at least I will feel that I've streamlined my collection a bit, although I don't envisage getting rid of THAT many. It will definitely be nice to have more a variety of videos in the coming years, rather than just unboxing after unboxing.
Love this and totally agree with everything you’ve said. I have had an acquisition year…just like last year but I’m coming to the end of copious acquisitions and slowing to one doll a quarter - maybe. I have quite a few to unbox and at least 4-5 on the way (depending on how my Integrity Toys lottery buys work out). I might go for Ellowyn next year and do a very low buy year. 🤗🤗 But like you I want to begin to do more with the dolls I have rather than just display them. 🤗🤗
I never wanted to have an overwhelming quantity of dolls, but they seem to have quickly mounted up in the last couple of years and now feel a bit out of control! It's as if my doll collection has become a runaway train. I know that if I went through my collection that the chances of getting rid of dolls would be minimal, and those that I did want to get rid of would probably just end up going to a charity shop rather than me trying to resell them on as they would more than likely be the cheaper dolls in my collection. Dolls still very much give me joy and obviously I am still buying dolls but I think I need to have a serious look at the ones that I already have and decide who I want to keep and who I might want to move on.
@@MarchPaynesMidlifeDollyCrisis I hear you. I am pretty much out of room to add more dolls. If my office/art studio/doll room was bigger I know I’d keep buying but because it’s so small it’s really curbing my collecting. 😁🤗
I feel you did great with low buy as half the year is gone and you have such a wide variety of beautiful luxury dolls & playline fun dolls! I never buy Disney but those ILY fashions fit Barbie and that I.L.Y. line is still expensive here in the U.S.A.. 2024 for me: 10 dolls total, mostly Mattel, w/--- Luv doll, Latinista, Zuru my mini baby, Lol 50th anniv doll same as yours. My focus Repro or silkstone Vintage Barbies 60's 70/s. Budget crusher / weakness Zuru balls w/accessories for the dolls. Time to save for the holidays now 🥰
Thank you. I am really happy with what I've managed to buy this year and also what I've managed not to buy this year too. I really like the ily dolls but don't feel that I need the entire collection of them - despite the rock bottom prices here. I think focusing on special dolls, like the silkstones etc is a great way forward.
Loved this chatty video soo much. I think you're doing well, I feel like I probably bought around the same amount of new dolls as you did this year. (we don't talk about my thrifted finds 🤐🤫🤣) Along with the money, lack of appreciation, burning through one dopamine high purchase to the other, lack of space is an issue for me , and by that I don't only mean physically but also taking up space and room in the back of my mind. Also, congrats to getting to 1k subs. So excited for you. 😘
Yeah, I didn't even touch on the issue of space of this video. It's not sustainable to just keep buying more and more dolls. Originally when I started to collect I wanted to display some dolls and put the rest away and then swap them out later on so that I got to enjoy all the dolls through the year, but at the moment I haven't really reached that point yet. I think once I have fully unboxed all the dolls I do have - or at least gotten the vast majority of them out of their boxes - I can make proper decisions on what I want to do with them. You're so lucky to find so many great thrifted dolls, I'm not having much luck in that department unfortunately, although I hold out hope every time we visit a flea market. And thank you for the congrats on reaching the 1k milestone 🥰
You've done great! 😁 Only buying 14 dolls is really good cut down for a collector! I'm starting to change my mentality with my collecting and only buying what I really really love. I feel like that has definitely helped me buy less but I still have room for improvement. There's a doll show happening next year that I plan on selling the dolls I no longer absolutely love. I also feel like I get a kind of dopamine rush when buying dolls. It can be addicting. So I think that's why I sometimes have a hard time restricting myself. I'm thinking of video ideas where I can, like you say, apreciate the ones I already have. I feel like that will also really help.
It's definitely a change in mentality, like you said. And it the idea of replacing "want want want" with a more mindfulness when it comes to doll buying. There is definitely a rush or addictive quality to the hunt for dolls, but when the hunt is the best part and you have boxes of boxes of dolls piling up it really shows that actually you don't need that many and if you aren't eager to unbox them straight away do you even need them? I would rather have a smaller collection of dolls that I absolutely adore to a huge collection of dolls with half of them beings ones that I can no longer remember why I bought them or why I even kept them.
I love what you have bought so far this year, wonderful. I think that this year will be a low-buy year for a lot of us, I know that I have been putting dolls in my cart and well, just leaving them. The hello kitty doll is adorable. I will be buying more dolls this year but carefully considering them.
In the last few years I have had wishlists on various websites with a lot of different dolls in them - this year I haven't got that at all. I think it's a change of mindset, realising that you can still be collector even when you are not adding to that collection, it doesn't diminish what you already have, it just makes it more special.
Some of your dolls are expensive like the Ellowyne Wildes, but well worth it I think. I have only bought 7 Rainbow/Shadow High dolls this year and only the ones I really like. I can’t see me going back to Monster High although I have the ones that you have. I felt inundated by Monster High releases and threw my hands in the air and gave up on them. If Rainbow High go back to what they used to be minus the slime then I will buy some in the future.
I think the idea of buying quality rather than quantity is definitely the way to go. To have fewer dolls, but have those dolls be more special, feels like a real step in the right direction. I admit that at the end of last year I did probably end up panic buying a few of the Rainbow and Shadow High dolls, mainly because I presumed that once the slime dolls came out that it would harder and harder to find them. I didn't buy any dolls that I wouldn't have wanted to get but with the soft reboot I was more compelled to get them at the time I suppose. I just don't know how people can buy all of some doll ranges - the idea of buying all the Monster High releases would also make me throw my hands in the air, it definitely feels like Mattel are releasing more and more every month and there are so many of the SAME characters getting released time and time again!
I hope it's going well? Mine has been so-so. I'll have to do a proper update video at the end of the year too how how much, or how little, I ended up buying in the end.
Yes, appreciation can be lost among too many dolls.
You hit the nail on the head. It's sad that having too many dolls means that the appreciation gets lost in the mix of dolls. Less really is more.
@@MarchPaynesMidlifeDollyCrisis I'm going to focus more on interacting with what I have and only buying ones I know I really want.
I can't do the "I have to buy the whole series" thing.
I'm happy watching all the dolls online and picking from what people like you say are worth having.
Wonderful collection you have there mr M ♥️♥️♥️
Thank you so much 🥰
You have bought some BEAUTIFUL Dolls in 2024!
The BFF, I had not seen before, I will look forward to your Unboxing. Your Time Keeper....Oh My My!~
I have cut down buying dolls, BY FAR! Well? I cut way back a couple years ago. Yes, I still buy Blythes when Ali has sales, otherwise, not so much. However. I have been buying Smart Dolls. It seems like a lot, but really, as compared to what I was buying, playline and such, not.
With Smart dolls you are buying something of quality, you're making a decision to spend a lot of money on a doll, it's not the same as going and buying a bunch of playline dolls from the local bargain store - the decision making it very different. For me, I ended up buying three Ellowyne/Neema dolls - again they are quality dolls, so it feels very different than buying 15 Barbie Fashionistas (for instance). For me the Ellowyne dolls feel very special and whenever I spend time redressing them or posing them I feel that they are special dolls. I want to have dolls in my collection which feel special and which I want to redress and have fun with - that's not to say that I can't feel that way about Barbie Fashionistas or playline dolls generaly, but I think sometimes we can get into the habit of overbuying those type of dolls because of the price of them, rather than how they make us feel. I hope that makes sense and doesn't sound like I'm being snobby about dolls because I certainly don't mean to, I just want to be much more mindful of what I am buying and I want to add dolls from all walks of life to my collection that feel special to me.
@@MarchPaynesMidlifeDollyCrisis Exactly. Yes. And Yes to all you said.
I FEEL YOU SO MUCH ON THIS ONE!! I think we talked about it a bit but I'm in a definite low buy moment myself.
The Ellowyne Wildes are so cute! Also your to-open is very similar to my own... I've got Catty Noir sitting in my pile right now, and I love those Liccas.
What I will say is that I feel like it's been so much better for me mentally to cut back on my purchasing. The compulsion has been so strong in the past to just BUY BUY BUY has had a vice grip on me - but it's so much better for my mind to actually be considerate. And I've actually sold a bunch too.
You're doing great!
Thank you. I think we did talk a bit about doll buying and collecting. The idea of being more mindful about what we're buying is really important, also the idea of buying so many dolls that the ones that you find most special just get lost in the mix is really sad. We should love everything that we buy, and we should show that by spending time with that doll and playing and having fun with that doll. And that doesn't happen when you are too fixated on what you're going to purchase next that you literally are just filming unboxing and then shoving the dolls onto already overcrowded shelves. Also just because you don't buy dolls constantly doesn't make you any less of a doll collector, I would never say that I'm not buying more dolls because you just never know what will be coming out next and catching your eye etc, but I am happy to let weeks and even months pass without feeling the need to buy one, or going to the toy store and looking around and leaving without buying anything too. It's okay, we can normalise this, we can just be happy with what we have without feeling fidgety because we don't have the next big doll craze etc.
Wonderful Video!!!💙💙💙
Thank you so much 🥰
Lovely photos as usual March!
Thank you 🥰 I definitely want to do more of that in the future and hopefully be able to get outside again and take pictures there too.
Such a fantastic selection of dolls! This video made me smile, especially those great shots of them at the end!
Thank you so much. I'm really happy with the haul that I've gotten this year so far, I'm hoping by the years end that I don't go over 20 dolls but I guess we'll see how that goes, will all depend on what comes out next.
I think you're going to like your BFF doll! I collected the first and second series of these and have the two from the talents that were available in the US. The rest of that series is over there in Europe somewhere
From what I could see there is series based on foods and another based on animals? I still haven't opened her up. Let me know if there is anyone you think would be a good companion doll for her from the lines you have.
I agree with you that there isn't really much on the mass market that's interesting... Although I've had my eye on some of the tweens. My thing is that I have due to multiple things in my life, had no choice but to scale down my doll spending. But I still have all my virtual lists in all the places that I like to shop 😂
Yeah, it's annoying when real life and things like broken plumbing or heating bills seek to interfere in your doll acquisitioning, isn't it?
You have an amazing collection - I especially. Love the elowy dolls - I petso Ly this k that you are doing great with your low buy year 🥰🥰
Thank you. I don't want to say that I feel proud of how little I've bought this year - considering the prices of some of the dolls that I've added to my collection in 2024 - but I feel that going for quality rather than quantity is a big step in the right direction 😘
Oh my goodness, I absolutely love everything you have in this viewing, they are all so amazing!
I love you and Allan together, So fabulous!
Congratulations on over 1k subs!!! I definitely am not buying as much as I have in the past but trying to buy what I really love and since I have given up on RH it makes it a lot easier!🎉🥰💖😍♥️💋
Thank you. I am really pleased with the choices that I have made so far this year. And yes, I couldn't resist finally getting an Allan. It is nice that some doll lines have helped us save money this year by not producing nearly as many dolls or even ones that we would want to purchase!
March Payne! You are so cute! Your thumbnail.
Congrats on 1K. ;-)
Thank you so much and thank you for the congratulations. Getting to 1K felt like a long time coming but I am delighted to have reached it, and it also (almost) coincided with my channels anniversary too!
What a lovely collection of dolls! You have done really well with the low buy this year. I have tried not to buy dolls but I have failed, haha. I have limited my Barbie purchases a lot though, as Barbie isn't really my thing as much as it used to be. I'm still buying RH dolls, despite the changes. I love that Violet Willow doll and I have her too, she's really pretty. 💜
It hasn't been hard for me to not buy any Barbies this year so far, although I have been tempted by a few of the collector editions. Mattel just aren't producing Barbies that I want to buy, and when I do see the odd Fashionista who I like the look of, when I actually see her in a store her face is so pixelated that I just don't want to buy them no matter how cheaply priced they are. At least with the new RH dolls they don't seem to be releasing them at the pace that they were doing in the past, so hopefully you can keep up with getting the ones that you want.
@@MarchPaynesMidlifeDollyCrisis totally agree, Barbies are really not great quality at all. Yes, I think I can definitely keep up with RH. They aren't releasing as many dolls per series anymore.
Amazing you got great collection excellent ❤❤❤
Thank you so much 🥰 I'm really happy with what I purchased this year so far, hopefully I can keep it up for the rest of the year too.
I have been in playline doll overdrive since Christmas and am now trying to put the breaks on. If I could get down to 14 dolls I would be very proud of myself indeed! CONGRATULATIONS!
Thank you! Tbf I still have a LOT of dolls from the last few years which I need to get unboxed, but yes, on the whole, I am pretty proud of my spending for this year so far. Also it's not just the money but he quality of dolls too - Ellowyne, Neema and Blythe dolls are not cheap, but they are quality dolls and definitely feel worth the money. As opposed to buying some playline brands and getting them open and just being disappointed on the quality of them.
I really like the Licca chan that you have yet to unbox.
Yes, I'm really interested in opening those too, I want to see the difference between them and the younger style of Licca chan.
That's a great collection already! I'm looking forward to seeing all the other unboxings and congratulations on getting Arlidge Timekeeper, she's beautiful.
I paused your video halfway through to see if I could find a bargain Ily fashion pack. Nope but I ended up buying a Shadow High doll (Rexx) for a tenner on the tkmaxx website, oops 😬😄. This year was also supposed to be low buy for me but I'm not doing very well.
It would be great to see you do doll crafts and I totally agree that dolls should be played with. Currently enjoying a £1 charity shop 1970's style Barbie that I've just finished making a dress for.
Like Marna I love your thumbnail ✨🥰❤️🤗✨
1,000!!! 🥳🥳🥳👏👏👏
Thank you. I'm so glad that I got Arledge Timekeeper and am looking forward to unboxing her, eventually! I think because I have so many dolls that I have bought over the last few years, most of which I still have to unbox, I've had time to sit back and reflect on my spending and realised that I don't need to have the quantity to be a collector, I could have 5 dolls and still think of myself as a doll collector (I mean, I don't think for one minute that I will ever have just 5 dolls, but you know what I mean). Maybe going forward we can all be more mindful of what we are buying and adding to our collections.
Lovely dolls in this video - I have not bought too too many dolls "new" this year (i.e., at full price) but I have gotten a few on clearance and I have thrifted a bunch. I think next year I will try to focus my collecting on things like you mentioned, sewing for the dolls, etc.
It's nice to buy dolls but also it's great to also sit back and enjoy those dolls too and redress and generally have fun with them. I'm definitely looking forward to sewing and creating interesting looks for my dolls.
I just got into collecting dolls, so I bought a lot this year! Definitely tumbled down the rabbit hole. I also bought dolls for my adult daughters. This next year I want to focus on making things for them and doing fun scenes, photographs and videos and not buying so many. I love hearing what other people are doing, thanks for sharing!
Yes, I think when you start collecting dolls you tend to buy much more. I feel that the last few years particularly there have been a lot of great dolls coming out, but this year there has also been less that I've seen coming out that I've wanted. It is hard not to get sucked into another rabbit hole though, especially watching other doll collectors videos full of unboxings. I hope you enjoy spending time and doing things with your dolls, it does really make you appreciate them and also makes you realise which dolls are your favourites and which ones you might be able to live without.
Yes, dolls need friends, I do the same thing😁🥰
I think feeling that dolls need friends is what has gotten me into this mess to begin with 🤣
As doll collectors I think we all agree, the struggle is real 😂... ❤
Way TOO real, right??? 😂
@@MarchPaynesMidlifeDollyCrisis 😂🤦🏻♀🤣
I’m right with you on this. I want more dolls, of course, but I just feel overwhelmed sometimes. I am selling some dolls now but also buying them here and there., just trying to be more mindful
Mindful is definitely the way forward imo. I would rather have a more cutback collection of dolls who I love than a large collection of dolls which I feel overwhelmed by and which don't make me feel love but more anxiety.
@@MarchPaynesMidlifeDollyCrisis Well put!
I think you did very well in half a year. It’s a nice assortment of dolls. I love your Ellowyne Wilde dolls and the Ali Express Blythe is adorable! I didn’t formally plan to do a low buy year but I have slowed down for sure. My new dolls are often thrift finds that I fix up. I am pretty satisfied with my collection so I will only add to it if something special comes along. Thank you for sharing your doll collecting journey! Fun video. I enjoyed the picture show at the end. 🥰
It's nice to have a low buy year without even trying to do one, and that you feel quite satisfied with what you have in your collection. That is definitely the position that I would like to be in. I don't think there will be a time when I won't be buying dolls, but I can see it becoming more of an occasional thing rather than every single month etc.
My purchases tend to come in waves. A doll I have to have will come up and suddenly one or two more appear. Then a dry spell for a while which gives me time to enjoy the dolls. I do a lot of window shopping in between so lots of temptation! 😄 Have a great weekend!
Lotta cute dolls! I especially love the MH girls, I want to buy two, one for each of my great-nieces, that's a dream I intend to realize this Christmas! Can't wait to see some of this girls' unboxing and the others you will buy!
The MH dolls are lovely and the quality on the ones that I have had so far is very good. There are quite a few out now so hopefully you can choose some nice ones for your great-nieces.
I am having a low buy/hi buy year. I am definately buying more Smart Dolls (I tell myself it is because the yen is down) and more Blythe dolls - but my other collections have slowed down quite a bit. I am not sure if that puts me ahead or behind last year, but it is more of a focused year, at least. LOL. It was a lot of fun to see your purchases for this year. I think 2025 is going to be my low buy year. (fingers crossed)
Smart Dolls are quite an investment, and not one that I feel able to justify myself. I get an attack of the guilts spending on Ellowyne or Blythe dolls, and they are a fraction of the price of a Smart Doll. I don't want to get to the stage where I am comparing my buying from year to year, I just want to be more mindful with what I'm buying now, although I have never bought dolls which I didn't like, I probably should have waited to get dolls which I loved.
I think you're doing a great job on only getting dolls you really want for your collection! I'm doing the same, though I did get both Rune dolls (greatly discounted on ebay), four Sindy dolls (kid kreations plus the 60th anniversary - ouch on the shipping from UK to Texas!) and a few others. Now I'm kind of done except for a smart doll. Today I passed by all the new dolls at Walmart and felt freedom from a desire to purchase any of them. I'm busy making clothing and enjoying the dolls I have 🙂
It sounds like you've been pretty selective and also getting dolls which you want rather than following the trends of what everyone else is getting. I totally feel your pain in the shipping for anything coming abroad - when I see the prices of postage from the US to Europe (particularly on eBay and Etsy) I don't even bother looking any further half the time. I have also been known to go into toy stores and come out empty handed (well, it's happened at least once or twice this year).
I love that ILY Snow White, I have her too!!
I'm looking forward to opening her, I might do a double unboxing with her and series 1 Snow White inspired ily doll.
@@MarchPaynesMidlifeDollyCrisis Oh that would be a very cool video!!
A great selection of special dolls you have got so far this year. I’ve done very well so far and have only bought two dolls (A Makies Doll and the 60th Anniversary Sindy who has just arrived)and five tiny Grecon dolls for my dolls houses (not sure if those count? ) I’ve never been one for buying playline dolls from the shops though, focussing mainly on vintage dolls which have tended to be more pricey which I can no longer afford! 😂.
Thank you. And congratulations on only buying two dolls this year - although I'm sure neither of them were cheap, they are doll brands that you love and will cherish for many years in your collection. I also have the Anniversary Sindy on her way to me, but I actually purchased her last year when she was on pre-order so she wasn't included in this video.
This video was so interesting March ! I think you did pretty well ! I’ve bought the same amount of dolls for this year.
But I just want to focus on dolls from certain lines I really 100% like. And as you said dolls are meant to be played with. So my goal this year was to interact with the dolls I already have and craft for them.
Looking forward to seeing crafting or redressing videos from you !
Have a lovely day March ! 😊
Glad you enjoyed it. With still so many dolls to unbox from previous years I'm hoping that for the rest of the year I continue to buy less dolls. I still want to sort through my dolls and see if there are any that I no longer feel the need to keep, then at least I will feel that I've streamlined my collection a bit, although I don't envisage getting rid of THAT many. It will definitely be nice to have more a variety of videos in the coming years, rather than just unboxing after unboxing.
Love this and totally agree with everything you’ve said. I have had an acquisition year…just like last year but I’m coming to the end of copious acquisitions and slowing to one doll a quarter - maybe. I have quite a few to unbox and at least 4-5 on the way (depending on how my Integrity Toys lottery buys work out). I might go for Ellowyn next year and do a very low buy year. 🤗🤗 But like you I want to begin to do more with the dolls I have rather than just display them. 🤗🤗
I never wanted to have an overwhelming quantity of dolls, but they seem to have quickly mounted up in the last couple of years and now feel a bit out of control! It's as if my doll collection has become a runaway train. I know that if I went through my collection that the chances of getting rid of dolls would be minimal, and those that I did want to get rid of would probably just end up going to a charity shop rather than me trying to resell them on as they would more than likely be the cheaper dolls in my collection. Dolls still very much give me joy and obviously I am still buying dolls but I think I need to have a serious look at the ones that I already have and decide who I want to keep and who I might want to move on.
@@MarchPaynesMidlifeDollyCrisis I hear you. I am pretty much out of room to add more dolls. If my office/art studio/doll room was bigger I know I’d keep buying but because it’s so small it’s really curbing my collecting. 😁🤗
I feel you did great with low buy as half the year is gone and you have such a wide variety of beautiful luxury dolls & playline fun dolls! I never buy Disney but those ILY fashions fit Barbie and that I.L.Y. line is still expensive here in the U.S.A.. 2024 for me: 10 dolls total, mostly Mattel, w/--- Luv doll, Latinista, Zuru my mini baby, Lol 50th anniv doll same as yours. My focus Repro or silkstone Vintage Barbies 60's 70/s. Budget crusher / weakness Zuru balls w/accessories for the dolls. Time to save for the holidays now 🥰
Thank you. I am really happy with what I've managed to buy this year and also what I've managed not to buy this year too. I really like the ily dolls but don't feel that I need the entire collection of them - despite the rock bottom prices here. I think focusing on special dolls, like the silkstones etc is a great way forward.
Loved this chatty video soo much. I think you're doing well, I feel like I probably bought around the same amount of new dolls as you did this year. (we don't talk about my thrifted finds 🤐🤫🤣) Along with the money, lack of appreciation, burning through one dopamine high purchase to the other, lack of space is an issue for me , and by that I don't only mean physically but also taking up space and room in the back of my mind. Also, congrats to getting to 1k subs. So excited for you. 😘
Yeah, I didn't even touch on the issue of space of this video. It's not sustainable to just keep buying more and more dolls. Originally when I started to collect I wanted to display some dolls and put the rest away and then swap them out later on so that I got to enjoy all the dolls through the year, but at the moment I haven't really reached that point yet. I think once I have fully unboxed all the dolls I do have - or at least gotten the vast majority of them out of their boxes - I can make proper decisions on what I want to do with them. You're so lucky to find so many great thrifted dolls, I'm not having much luck in that department unfortunately, although I hold out hope every time we visit a flea market. And thank you for the congrats on reaching the 1k milestone 🥰
You've done great! 😁
Only buying 14 dolls is really good cut down for a collector!
I'm starting to change my mentality with my collecting and only buying what I really really love. I feel like that has definitely helped me buy less but I still have room for improvement.
There's a doll show happening next year that I plan on selling the dolls I no longer absolutely love.
I also feel like I get a kind of dopamine rush when buying dolls. It can be addicting. So I think that's why I sometimes have a hard time restricting myself.
I'm thinking of video ideas where I can, like you say, apreciate the ones I already have. I feel like that will also really help.
It's definitely a change in mentality, like you said. And it the idea of replacing "want want want" with a more mindfulness when it comes to doll buying. There is definitely a rush or addictive quality to the hunt for dolls, but when the hunt is the best part and you have boxes of boxes of dolls piling up it really shows that actually you don't need that many and if you aren't eager to unbox them straight away do you even need them? I would rather have a smaller collection of dolls that I absolutely adore to a huge collection of dolls with half of them beings ones that I can no longer remember why I bought them or why I even kept them.
I love what you have bought so far this year, wonderful. I think that this year will be a low-buy year for a lot of us, I know that I have been putting dolls in my cart and well, just leaving them. The hello kitty doll is adorable. I will be buying more dolls this year but carefully considering them.
In the last few years I have had wishlists on various websites with a lot of different dolls in them - this year I haven't got that at all. I think it's a change of mindset, realising that you can still be collector even when you are not adding to that collection, it doesn't diminish what you already have, it just makes it more special.
Some of your dolls are expensive like the Ellowyne Wildes, but well worth it I think. I have only bought 7 Rainbow/Shadow High dolls this year and only the ones I really like. I can’t see me going back to Monster High although I have the ones that you have. I felt inundated by Monster High releases and threw my hands in the air and gave up on them. If Rainbow High go back to what they used to be minus the slime then I will buy some in the future.
I think the idea of buying quality rather than quantity is definitely the way to go. To have fewer dolls, but have those dolls be more special, feels like a real step in the right direction. I admit that at the end of last year I did probably end up panic buying a few of the Rainbow and Shadow High dolls, mainly because I presumed that once the slime dolls came out that it would harder and harder to find them. I didn't buy any dolls that I wouldn't have wanted to get but with the soft reboot I was more compelled to get them at the time I suppose. I just don't know how people can buy all of some doll ranges - the idea of buying all the Monster High releases would also make me throw my hands in the air, it definitely feels like Mattel are releasing more and more every month and there are so many of the SAME characters getting released time and time again!
I enjoyed this. I think you’re doing great besides the more you buy, more I get to see🤣
Don't worry, I still have a LOT of dolls that you have not yet seen me unbox! 😉
@@MarchPaynesMidlifeDollyCrisis 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I am also on a low buy year.
I hope it's going well? Mine has been so-so. I'll have to do a proper update video at the end of the year too how how much, or how little, I ended up buying in the end.
I think so anyways. 😂😂😂 Like you I will have to see at the end of the year. I don’t know if I will make it😅