Teach Your Doll Loving Tween About Total Cost Of Ownership

I noticed an American Girl doll purchase buried within an anonymous sampling of transactions today. A little deeper analysis on our family finance site reveals they’re still quite a thing with today’s tweens.

It reminded me of an old post I stumbled upon years ago. The 2010 article tackled the money-burning question: How much does an American Girl doll really cost? (I’d link to it, but the site has long since disappeared.)

The answer: much, much more than just the doll itself.

That’s because nobody buys just the doll. There are the inevitable accessories. Outfits, furniture, even a dog! Before you know it, you’re in for well over six times the initial cost of the doll.

Check out this eye-popping bill of materials from the 2010 article:

• 1 America Girl doll: $95.00
• 5 everyday outfits: $120.00
• 1 fancy dress: $32.00
• 1 bathing suit or ski outfit: $34.00
• 1 toy puppy: $20.00
• 1 doll-sized zip-up carrier: $58.00
• 1 bed and nightwear: $100.00
• 1 table and chair set: $75.00
• 1 set of various accessories: $35.00
• 1 hair care kit: $10.00
• 1 tween-sized outfit to match doll: $65.00
• Grand total: $644.00

Gulp.

I call that a personal finance opportunity. Time to teach your young tween about the total cost of ownership.

Have your doll enthusiast fill out a worksheet of all the “little” follow-on accessories envisioned. It’s a rare chance to introduce your youngster to the magic of spreadsheets around a captivating topic.

Seeing the grand total up front will be a revelation.

Offer a deal: you pick up the doll, and your youngster picks up the accessories.

Now watch that wardrobe — and the total cost of ownership — shrink!

P.S. Consider buying used instead. I know we have a bin of American Girl dolls stashed in the attic waiting to be redeployed. Don’t bother to hit us up though. They’re reserved for our grandkids :-)

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