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How much do you spend on this hobby?


abigaille

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43 minutes ago, stickyfingers said:

I don't keep track, for all of the above reasons. I build and decorate as a creative outlet, a way to indulge my architectural dorkiness, a way to improve my woodworking skills, and as a wonderful stress reliever. I find doing things like working on some tiny detailed work, the endless sanding, the hand/eye work of painting, the repetitive cutting, etc. is all very, very soothing to my soul. One of my habits has been to spend Sunday mornings working on a mini thing. I look forward to it all week, even if it's something tedious or boring. It's my time to be quiet and still and creative.

I don't buy extravagant things (although I think the Yellow house will not be complete without a crystal chandelier), and I try to find bargains on ebay, use the coupons, shop the sales, repurpose things, and make things myself. I'm thrifty by nature, so don't spend much on clothing or household things, and I drive an old car.   

I'm with you, Linda! I am as low maintenance as a woman can be. When I have expendable $$, I use it in pursuit of a creative endeavor - usually mini related. That's where I find my joy. My mom finds hers in a casino. My husband - working on his old Jeep. To each his own...

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I don't really keep track. I don't have bits and pieces , accessories or fancy furniture.  (Self-employed. )

 I am happy making do with what I have and can afford.  Mainly I buy the house  and stuff to make and decorate it.   My last house...guesstimate.....  $50 kit and $ 100 for decorating. 

I also just got back into this hobby this year.  In time, I will build up to spending more.  

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Yes Wendy, you posted in the right place.

Like others suggested, on average this hobby is cheaper than therapy and priceless for how much happiness is creates, so...spend whatever you like and can afford to!

i spent loads preparing to furnish and build my first dollhouse kit and I don't even have it anymore. By working on that first kit, I realized what I really wanted...and now I have all that. Now I get to be more selective and buy little things and have more patience for sales. But that is because of my huge stockpile of mini-folly. 

Its all great.

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Yes to the mini folly! I have a tendency to shop for furniture long before a house is finished. Not a good idea for me, and the finished product may not suit today's purchase. I'm trying to show great restraint with the yellow house, planning to use most of what came with the house, then shop my stash first before buying anything else.    

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23 hours ago, DaisyV said:

 I'm also a decorator, rather than a builder

I guess this is where I'm coming from too. I really envy all you builders who have such wonderful craftsmanship, as the structures I have built myself never have the amazing detail that yours have. I'm much more about deciding on the theme, and finding or making the furnishings and accessories to accompany it. I love it when I find a dh that's already been put together because it means I can move right onto the parts I like.

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To me, it was like an obsession while working on the Orchid.  I planned my day budgeting my time to be with it, to work on it.  A lot of days I spent 8-10 hours.  And I planned my shopping to find accessories for it, both in shops and on the net.  I even dreamed about it.  Ebay and all the Mini sites stayed at the top of my "Bookmark" list.   Since I had no clue what I was really doing, I bought furniture and other items that never quite fit in.  I, too, bought tools that I do not know how to use.  I created a whole work room in my house for my little Orchid and all the supplies I have left over --  it is like a mini warehouse.

So I either junk it all or build another house.  Plan to start right after Christmas!  This time I hope to curb the obsession --  to plan better before I buy, stop impulsively grabbing every cute thing I see.  More than the buying, this time I do not want to be so compulsive about just getting it done.  It will be still be there after I do more important things like spending time with friends and family, doing my charity work and so on, RIGHT?  I am retired now and never had a hobby while working and raising a family.  I think I may deserve a hobby now but also want to stay involved in the "real" world.  Hopefully I can rope myself in while working on my next little house.  

P.S.  Maybe I am still obsessed.  Seems every time I go out to do a little Christmas shopping I come home with a little something for the Orchid --  I never before noticed all those adorable mini Christmas accessories  -- THEY ARE EVERYWHERE AND SO HARD TO RESIST!

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I know I have spent a lot, definitely in the thousands since I started this hobby.

I tend to buy pretty expensive paoers, lights and furniture.  I really try not to even think about what I spend and just enjoy it.

 

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20 minutes ago, Peggy said:

...I created a whole work room in my house for my little Orchid and all the supplies I have left over --  it is like a mini warehouse.

So I either junk it all or build another house...

 

7 minutes ago, Kitten said:

...I really try not to even think about what I spend and just enjoy it.

A hobby is where we connect with our souls, express our creativity, let our inner children out to play and give ourselves permission to enjoy ourselves, and no one can put a price tag on that.

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19 hours ago, Peggy said:

To me, it was like an obsession while working on the Orchid.  I planned my day budgeting my time to be with it, to work on it.  A lot of days I spent 8-10 hours.  And I planned my shopping to find accessories for it, both in shops and on the net.  I even dreamed about it.  Ebay and all the Mini sites stayed at the top of my "Bookmark" list.   Since I had no clue what I was really doing, I bought furniture and other items that never quite fit in.  I, too, bought tools that I do not know how to use.  I created a whole work room in my house for my little Orchid and all the supplies I have left over --  it is like a mini warehouse.

So I either junk it all or build another house.  Plan to start right after Christmas!  This time I hope to curb the obsession --  to plan better before I buy, stop impulsively grabbing every cute thing I see.  More than the buying, this time I do not want to be so compulsive about just getting it done.  It will be still be there after I do more important things like spending time with friends and family, doing my charity work and so on, RIGHT?  I am retired now and never had a hobby while working and raising a family.  I think I may deserve a hobby now but also want to stay involved in the "real" world.  Hopefully I can rope myself in while working on my next little house.  

P.S.  Maybe I am still obsessed.  Seems every time I go out to do a little Christmas shopping I come home with a little something for the Orchid --  I never before noticed all those adorable mini Christmas accessories  -- THEY ARE EVERYWHERE AND SO HARD TO RESIST!

Haha this sound like me!! It's almost like a drug addiction, I can't get enough. Lol

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  • 5 years later...

How much money do you have?  Hand it over.

I don't buy many finished items nowadays unless they're really inexpensive.  By that, I mean that I have to think they're worth a lot more than the pricetag.  Like, I bought a lovely 1:12 scale wood harp at a thrift store for $3.

I enjoy building, and use my 3D printer to make furniture and quite a few accessories like dishes and vases.  

If you all want to feel better about your spending...

I got my start in minis working for a wealthy collector.  I came across an inventory with the prices she paid; it totaled over a half million dollars, and hadn't been updated in 5 years. 

She would buy things without even looking at prices; her mini throne room had SIX sideboards that cost over $600 each.  

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If you buy absolutely everything, you’ll need to have a hefty budget. I’m hoping that by using what I know and making things, I can stick to a more modest budget. And have   a lot more fun doing it. Already, by lighting my $30 dollhouse find with LED’s and a hybrid electric system, my total electric budget including my chandelier “splurge” is less than $100.

Hours of pleasure, and all sorts of fun problem solving and research. Hum. I don’t know if you can put a price on it.

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3 hours ago, Creative in Connecticut said:

...Hours of pleasure, and all sorts of fun problem solving and research. Hum. I don’t know if you can put a price on it.

If it's a hobby, who cares?

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