My dauhter MilliCal wants to write this one herself, so I’ll turn the floor over to her:
I want to get a doll . But it costs 87. And I don't want my mommy & daddy to spend that much on a doll.So how do I get 87 ?
How old is the little one?
How about doing some extra chores?
That’s what grandparents are for.
Recycle aluminum cans?
That is such an expensive doll - I’m sure you’ll be spending alot of time with it. Do you have any other toys that you don’t want anymore? Maybe your parents could help you sell some old toys on eBay. That’s what alot of big people do when they want new, expensive toys 
Obviously, she’s one one-thousandth the age of CalMeacham.
This is one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen on the internet. Perhaps you can start doing some chores and earning an allowance; that is unless you already have an allowance. Maybe start up a little business type thing? It doesn’t have to be selling lemonade but it could be something else - maybe you do little odd jobs for your neighbors or something.
I’m all for the ebay suggestion. The age would help with suggestions though.
I made the sad, sorry mistake of blessing my 2 1/2 year old with a nearly $50 doll. Needless to say the doll is now naked, hair in complete disarray, and, well, frankly I couldn’t tell you the last time I saw her. She may even have a bit of chocolate milk staining her polyester chest. sigh
CalMeacham here again.
MilliCal is eight, and her pseudonym was meant not only to indicate being a fraction of me, but also to show that she’s the daughter of CalMeacham and Pepper Mill. She sees me writing on the Dope Board and every now and then wants to do so as well. She loves the fact that other people are reader her stuff, and responding to it.
No offense, Seven, but she said she didn’t think getting it from her grandparents was a good idea (!) I’m amazed at her maturity.
Pepper Mill liked **Mr. Blue Sky[/] and audiobottle’s idea of doing chores to earm money. She’s not getting an allowance now, and this would probably be a good idea.
Getting her to part with things is like pulling teeth. I don’t thin we could get her to put anything up on eBay – or that it would bring in much money.
Thanks, all.
Hello, small child!
MA has a bottle bill, doesn’t it? At 5 cents a bottle/can, that’s 1,740 cans per doll.
… ok, maybe that’s a bit much, but every little bit helps!
Let me guess: this is an American Girl doll?
Would buying one on eBay be acceptable?
Good call. Do you have a daughter, too?
Dear MilliCal:
When I was your age, the doll that I wanted was a lot less expensive than the one you want. Of course, so was everything. (But I never had to walk uphill through the snow to school both ways without shoes. And neither did your father, no matter what he says.)
Do you have any brothers or sisters? Because when my older sister was only a little bit younger than you, her favorite money-making scheme was to try to sell me or my brother. Although it never worked for her, it might for you. Just don’t let your parents catch you. Practice your “innocent” face. I think that’s what did my sister in.
MilliCal, I am a lawyer, and so I am going to give you a crash course in negotitations. That means you’re going to learn how to get something now for the promise of something in the future. (By the way, the whole, “At least I’m not on drugs!!!” thing rarely works. Put that in your pocket and remember it ten years from now.) Talk to your parents about extra chores you can do. Be firm. Set a price ahead of time. Do you have a pet? Ask for a dollar every time you brush the dog or the cat, and promise to brush the dog or cat every day. That’s seven dollars a week.
Do you clean your toilet? Some people think that Everyone Should Have To Clean Their Own Toilet. Offer to clean your own toilet every day (mom can show you how) for a dollar. Now, after a week, we’re up to fourteen dollars.
Offer to make mom and dad’s bed for a week, at a dollar a pop. Now we’re up to twenty-one dollars. Remember: be firm when negotiating your price. If they won’t offer you the right amount, just say no. You are smart and talented, so you don’t have to take a job that doesn’t pay you what you are worth.
Here is where you need to get creative, because we still have sixty-six dollars to earn. What chores do mom and dad hate to do? What does mom nag dad to do – pick up his socks, take out the trash? What does dad nag mom to do – recycle the newspaper, put away her shoes? Think about that, and then offer to do what mom or dad hates to do – but for a price. I think ten dollars is fair. Note that if the choes that they hate are things like “put gas in the car” or “clean the shotgun” you are unlikely to get the job. But point out to them that you are willing to help, and that it is not your fault that society is so behind the times. You should get ten dollars just for asking!
Once you have figured out what you can do, offer to sign a contract with mom and dad. Tell them you will do these things – brush the dog, clean the toilet, take out the trash – for three weeks. In return, they’ll buy you the doll now. (Don’t worry – you’re a minor, so you can’t enter into legally binding contracts – but I won’t tell mom and dad if you won’t!).
Please ask dad to post a picture of the doll, and good luck!
Your friend,
Campion
P.S. If anyone asks you where you got your ideas, don’t give them my name! Particularly if you try to sell your brother or sister.
The OP is cute, and Campion, your response is adorable! Nice work.
Then I think it’s safe to say you’ve raised her right. However you haven’t trained your parents to spoil her properly. Shame on you. 
Perhaps you could work out a deal with your parents that if you earn part of the money, they will supply the rest for you as a Christmas present.
Christmas is a long time to wait though.
Blackmail your daddy by telling him he started this in the wrong forum.
Just don’t ask him for the car keys. :eek:
Moved to IMHO.
samclem GQ moderator
Dammnit, samclem that was going to be my suggestion!
I guessed this was an American Girl doll, too. Which one is it? I had Felicity and Josefina, but then, I was a spoiled kid. I think you’re showing remarkable maturity in going this route.
I was also going to suggest the eBay route, but I can understand if that is not acceptable.
Do any of your neighbors have pets? When they go on vacation, you could charge to clean their litterboxes/brush them/clean their cages. I used to take care of my neighbors’ cats and fish. It paid fairly well.
Perhaps you can also make money raking neighbors’ leaves. It’s getting to be that time of year.
I can’t wait until you’re able to be a real, live Doper- Cal and Pepper, y’all are training a good one.
MilliCal, my daughter is just a little older than you are. She has made money in the past by doing things that she likes to do, but that other people are happy to pay her for, or by helping me out in things that are beyond what is expected of her in her daily chores. Probably the most profitable, and fun for her, of these, has been “pet sitting”. My daughter loves animals of all sorts. She would like to be a veterinarian someday. One day she found that one of our neighbors was going to spend the week in Orlando, but could not take their dog, Cocoa. So she agreed to watch and take care of Cocoa for them in their absence. This was a big responsibility. She had to make sure that Cocoa was fed, exercised, brushed and even had to clean up after Cocoa when she would poop on the grass. She had to get up early in the morning, then check on her when she got home from school, and take her out again before bedtime. But it was also fun, as it gave her a friendly little dog to play with after school. When Cocoa’s family came back from Orlando they gave my daughter $30 and a t-shirt as a tip.
Since then, when my daughter goes out for evening walks with me and/or her mother, she says hello to all of the neighbors and she mentions that she is available to do light duty pet sitting (some pets are too large or too much work for her to handle – it’s important to realise your limits). She expects business to pick up around Thanksgiving and Christmas when people traditionally go out of town.
I’m sure your parents are very proud of you for being responsible and finding a way to pay for the expensive things you’d like to have. Have your daddy show you how to look at what I’m going to write below, but don’t let him peak:
My daughter, Arielle, wanted to have a pet but I was reluctant to let her get one until she proved she was responsible enough to own and care for an animal by herself. So last Christmas she and her little brother put their money together and bought me two hamsters, along with a cage and everything else that hamsters need. This was a pretty good trick! Now they both have hamsters to care for and have actually done a very good job of it. I suggest you save your money and buy your father a really nice car around the time you turn sixteen.