Ballin' On A Budget

There is no such thing as a cheap hobby! The more involved you get within it, the more your wallet will begin to cry!

Being a Vinylmation collector is no different! Collecting all of the 1.5", 3" and 9" figures that you want can get very pricey in a hurry! So, as a staff, we thought we would share some helpful tips with you on how you can be a baller on a budget.

The first way is to be alert and always look out for sales. There are numerous sales each and every month at both your local and online at the Disney Store. Of course, we recommend you grab whatever is available that you want while it is on sale in your store as it saves you a lot of money rather than having it shipped to your house. With the Disney Store online, there are often many free shipping codes out there once you hit a certain spending threshold and that always leaves you with more money to spend on the actual vinyls rather than just the shipping.

Applying for and using a Disney Visa card is another way to save money especially in stores. Anytime you spend over $50 on qualifying merchandise (we have yet to not get this discount on Vinylmation purchases), you receive 10% off your entire purchase. Having one of these will allow you to plan your Vinylmation purchases in store so that it can become 10% cheaper which adds up to be huge savings the longer you participate in this wonderful hobby.

It is assumed that if you are a Vinylmation collector, it is because you love Disney! And it is impossible to love Disney without picking up your favorite films on both Blu-Ray and DVD. Any time you purchase a Disney Blu-Ray or DVD, it comes with a Disney Movie Rewards code on the inside. Using this codes have gotten us vinyls in the past such as the Halloween Minnie. Our advice is to save these codes until they have double points days, or you can find a bonus code that will add even more points to your account. There are also a few days here and there where entering a certain amount of codes (generally 3), gets you a free bonus Blu-Ray and all you pay is the shipping ($3.95)!

D23 is the official Disney Fan Club and joining it has its perks as well! Besides being able to access a cool members only website and having exclusive offers and discounts, our favorite thing about the D23 membership is the ability to purchase exclusive Vinylmation figures that the general public does not have the same access to. The D23 Expo is set for August of this year and you will be able to see all of the fantastic exclusive merchandise soon!

Last, but certainly not least is if you became an Annual Passholder. If you and your family go to the Disney Parks often, this is definitely a must have! Not only does it save you money for your frequent visits but you will be able to get 20% off your Vinylmation purchases there as well! Definitely another way to save money in this hobby and combine it with the magic of visiting a Disney Park and having another great excuse to go :)

Until we win the Powerball lottery, this is how we save money in this hobby whenever we possibly can and thought these would be some helpful tips for everyone as well! Happy Collecting :)

Video: Disneystore.com 7/3/13 Haul: The Not-So Great and Powerful

Check out our latest haul from last week's sale online at the Disney Store :)

If Only Money Grew On Trees...

When the first of each month arrives, it has become a traditional to check out our notes and see what Vinylmation releases will be coming and which ones we will want to purchase. Generally, certain months are expensive due to the sheer amount of releases but this month will be a bit different...

Looking at our notes and calendar, there are three releases that have really caught our eye; Mystery Bakery Series, Disney Afternoon Series 2: Ducktales and Muppets 3. With the plans we have for each one, we are definitely glad that we have been saving our money!

The Mystery Bakery Series is a very unique concept! Although they are being touted as Open Edition vinyls, they are actually more of a blind box series. There will be 6 different characters and 3 different designs of each one making this a set of 18. What is so unique about this particular set is that all of the characters look the same from the outside but taking off their cupcake hat is the only way to reveal which design you actually have purchased! Our plan is to get one of each character to display in its Open Edition glory within our "Vinylmation Museum" and then multiples of the Stitch and Little Green Men in an attempt to get each different design.

With the Disney Afternoon Series 2: Ducktales set, taking one look at it should say it all. Anyone who was an 80's child can tell you stories about rushing home from school to turn on the TV and catch as many of the Disney Afternoon cartoons possible before starting their homework. The feeling of nostalgia is so high with this release and of course, anyone who tells you that they do not know the words to the Ducktales theme song is covering up their secret love of Scrooge McDuck and the gang!

And last but not least, the Muppets 3 blind box series! The only thing that really needs to be said is...MAHNA MAHNA! 

August Rush

For each month of the 2013 year, Disney has been releasing a limited edition Poster Series Vinylmation and they have been somewhat hit or miss. That trend will continue in August except this one is in our opinion the best one thus far!

This release is a collaborative effort from Maria Clapsis and Jonathan Bishop that is scheduled for 8/2/13 and will be at both D-Street locations as well as the Disney Store online. Just like its predecessors in the series, this will be an open edition with a run of 2,013 pieces and retail for $14.95.

What do you guys think about this one? Have you been collecting each figure every month? This vinyl is an absolute must have for us :)

There's No Place Like Home...

They say that all good things in life come to those who wait...and boy are we glad we waited!

Right now, online at the Disney Store, all of the Oz the Great and Powerful Vinylmation open edition 2-packs are $3.99! Yes, you read that correctly, these sets are $3.99! For all of you collectors who have been waiting for a price drop, this is as good as it will get on these beautiful sets!

We checked our local Disney Store today to see if the prices were the same in there and it was not. This is an online ONLY deal for the moment unless you live near an outlet as that is the price for these sets there as well. If you are looking for other vinyls to purchase online to get free shipping, it is worth noting the all of the in-stock NBA vinyls are $3.99 along with the 2013 Valentine's Day release. Or if you have not completed your Whiskers and Tales or High School sets yet, they are buy one, get one free. 

Happy Collecting and we hope you jump on these deals while they last :)