However, there are many ways to afford American Girl, even if you don't have the money to buy items directly from AG.
Firstly, nothing is purchased brand new. Especially directly from AG, which will have high shipping costs. Eve now as an avid collector for over 9 years, I don't buy much of anything from AG unless it's on sale, or it's a special occasion like birthday/Christmas. Select products go on sale monthly, which can be a great tool, although that most likely still isn't an option for a lot of people. And the good stuff, like dolls, big play sets, etc. never/rarely goes on sale. So let's break it down.
The Doll
It all starts with the doll. A little above $100 has been the standard pricing for them new from AG for years. However used dolls are very easy to find. Used dolls are also appealing if a child plays roughly with their toys or if they may not be into AG for that long. They can also be restored using methods I have detailed on this blog or that are also explained elsewhere on the internet. I use a combination of Ebay, Facebook Marketplace, and sometimes Craigslist or other selling sites/apps like Mercari or Poshmark. Finding a doll for less than $100 is incredibly easy. Finding a doll for less than $50 is difficult, but doable. Refer to my doll pricing guide for more information, but finding a doll requires hunting, but it's possible.
Getting it down to the price of other dolls from Target or Walmart is probably the hardest thing, because most dolls priced under about $40 are very TLC and in need of repair, but repair is possible.
The American Girl Benefit Sale in Middleton, Wisconsin can also be a great opportunity to get dolls for discounted prices. However, unless you live near the sale this option isn't that feasible for the majority of consumers.
Making crafts
Then of course there's the clothes, furniture and accessories. Most of these things can actually be made. Refer to American Girl's YouTube Channel for more, but there's tons of other tutorials out there for doll items as well!
The Brush/spray bottle/hair care
A wire wig brush and water spray/misting bottle are required to take care of a doll's hair. American girl sells a brush for $8 and a spray bottle in different kits, but Target's Our Generation sells a brush and spray bottle for just $6 that's the same quality as American Girl's.
For elastics, human elastics from walmart or any pharmacy/drugstore will work just like AG elastics, and some with most other human hair products. Do try to stay away though from rubber bands with metal clasps or anything you wouldn't use on your own hair.
The Clothes
Non-AG clothing can be really cute, but often not colorfast. This means that darker colors of off-brand clothing, especially black, blue, red, etc. can bleed onto your doll and turn her skin blue, black or red. There are treatments to repair this but my best advice is to simply wash any off-brand doll clothing before putting it on an AG doll. Doll clothing is washed just like human clothing, with like colors, and washing the clothing will allow excess dye to not stain your doll's skin.
Fit can be another issue. Plastic shoes I try to avoid. Our Generation has some outfits with plastic shoes but also has a good selection of high quality non-plastic shoes for a fraction of AG costs. Dresses are easier to fit than outfits with pants, and most stuff will fit, just not everything. 18" dolls from different brands are similar, but none of them are exactly the same.
The Furniture
Most furniture can be made from cardboard, or out of other materials from around the house. When I started out I had the doll box closet (refer to my previous posts) and several cardboard items. Use your imagination to make backdrops, tables, and other items like those from American Girl.
The Accessories
Accessories, like everything else, are easy to make. Refer to YouTube, Pinterest and other blogs and look up tutorials to find things you would like to make. When I was younger I made my own cardboard backdrop, I made a set of uneven bars from thin dowels, and I used a box lid as a doll bed.
