Appreciating Ags you have

[KimberBee]

I?ve noticed a lot of people saying they have too much Ag merchandise and have become too addicted to buying. Since I really don?t have an income and my parents aren?t the type to buy me presents for valentines day or 4th of July, I pretty much only get new Ag stuff twice a year, for Christmas and my birthday. I do get money for allowance and birthdays, but that usually gets spent on new stamping stuff or clothes or trips to the movies. In short, what I?m trying to say is I consider myself an expert on appreciating the stuff I have, and I would like to share some tips with you.

- Look thru your collections and pick out the things your dolls haven?t worn or used in a while, kind of reacquaint yourself with all the older outfits you forgot about! For example, my Kirsten hasn?t worn her school dress in ages, having her wear it after such a long time will kind of be like getting a new outfit!
- Mixing and matching is really fun for me. It?s not as easy with historicals, especially the ones with mostly dresses and not many 2 piece outfits, but you can mix different accessories with different shoes and dresses to make a totally new ensemble!
- Taking dolls on picnics or fun outings can help you focus on the dolls you have. Set up adventures or mysteries (and take lots of pictures for us!) for dolls to go on. I find creating story lines and plots is really fun!
- Be creative and make some of your own AG stuff! I didn?t have a good place to keep Kirsten?s clothes and her trunk is far too expensive, so I made a contraption out of yarn and 2 shish-kabob sticks that?s hung from a part of my window
- While waiting to get some of the more expensive AG items like beds and trunks, you can substitute look-alikes, I keep my My Twinn doll and her clothes in a nice trunk very similar to Molly?s that I got at Michael?s for about 20$
- Carrying dolls around the house with you can help you focus and bond with a doll and take your mind off of outfits and accessories. For example if you are washing dishes, ironing, or even sitting at the computer have a doll sitting there next to you^_^
- And lastly change your dolls clothes and hairstyles often! (this might also help with a lot of the dolls getting stained from clothing, if the outfit isn?t on the doll as long some things might not stain as bad)

I hope my little guide helps and you didn't get too bored reading thru my suggestions! [img]wink.gif[/img]

[Judy 2]

Great ideas, Kim! It's so easy to focus on what to buy next - but I love the approach of really enjoying and appreciating what you already have. I especially like the one about looking through to find clothes you have forgotten about - that's so true!

Judy

[christhedolllady]

Those are great tips! Thanks for sharing.

[Shawniec]

Kim,
And your advice comes right in time: I will try some of your tips to get me through until DH stops fuming over AG bills for a while! In fact, I should be focusing on fixing my Lissie's hair right now as it is dry and could use a nice Downy Dunk and steaming.
Shawn

[Katie148]

Thanks for posting these thoughts, Kim! So often we get caught up in the "buy, buy, buy" mentality, and it's nice to remember to fully enjoy the precious dolls we all already have. [img]graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

[swazini]

Great ideas Kim! They are so helpful. It's hard to get out of the mentality of "buy buy buy." I changed 3 dolls earlier this week and think Nellie needs a change too. I want to put her in a school uniform and take a picture of her with a picture of me in my semi-matching one. I think Nellie will look really cute in it!

[utopiaofdelight]

You have really good ideas, Kim, and you make an excellent point! [img]smile.gif[/img]

[americangirlsrus]

Thanks for the tips!! Sometimes less is MORE!! But I can say that I truly appreciate all of our American girls, it's the outfits and storage issues that can be a challenge.

There is definitely something to be said for having to wait for things you want. DD is earning money for Marisol now. Of course I'm helping her along here and there, but she's doing well.

[AGMommy]

Kim, your wisdom astounds me! (I get the feeling you're a young-midteen?) You give me lots of hope for the 'adults of tomorrow.' Thanks for sharing!

[jaydon724]

Thanks for sharing those tips!

How soon do we forget that when we were children it was not as easy to "buy buy buy". Not like it is as easy as an adult, but we have more control over our purchases. I have forgone the probably more important things, and rationalized my way to AG.

I have forgotten that there is ALWAYS going to be something else that I want.

I have only been a "real" collector for about four months, and I have accumulated what is starting to give me a headache!! My office looks like AG threw up!! [img]redface.gif[/img]

I really do need to focus on getting some sort of storage system for my outfits and accessories. I even planned to start a picture inventory, and I haven't really gotten around to doing that. I even asked DH if he would build me a couple of doll rooms, and he said he would.

I bet I would definitely have a greater appreciation for what I already have if I did those things, and followed some of your tips.

Thanks so much for the wake-up call. I really needed it!! [img]biggrin.gif[/img]