Is your wish list is growing faster than your budget? Here are some tips on managing that list.

If you’re a doll addict, and you subscribe to magazines and frequent message forums regularly, you’re probably bombarded with gorgeous photos of dolls that aren’t currently in your collection. At our house, we’ve recently migrated to a cash-based system. While wise, I miss the instant gratification of credit, quite frankly.

Here are some techniques that have helped me managed my wish list.

• Layaway. This is a concept many dealers offer to customers to pay for higher ticket items over time. Also, it’s easy to budget for layaways.
• Buying nude or used dolls. You can often find these on the secondary market, like the DollPage Marketplace or Ebay (if you dare). Be sure to read the auction listings carefully, or you may end up with a doll with “features” you aren’t expecting.
• Upgrading your collection. I’m not talking about selling your entire collection–but it’s often possible to sell a few of the dolls which no longer captivate you in order to buy dolls you’d rather have.

A couple of things that can kill your wish list:

• Pre-orders. I can’t tell you how many times I have placed many pre-orders that have all been released in the same month! If possible, try to wait until after the doll as been released to order it, unless you’re sure you must have it.
• Impulse buys. I’ve been guilty of this. I’ll see a pretty doll (who isn’t on my list) on sale at a reasonable price, and I buy her on impulse. It’s what addicts do, and it kills my budget!