I am a pony addict

[michelle53]

Hi Arena.  My name is Michelle, and I am addicted to My Little Ponies.  It all started for me a few years ago when I discovered I could buy ponies from the 80's on eBay.  Since then, my addiction has spiraled out of control.  My herd went from 2 ponies to 60 in a few short years.  I have spent countless hours on the Arena talking and reading about ponies.  I have canceled plans with friends and loved ones so I don't miss the end of an eBay auction I am bidding on.  My mail lady knows me by my first name.  I tell myself that I buy G4's only for my children, but I am the one who is obsessed with them.  I knelt on the grimy McDonalds floor so I could pry open the McD's pony display to get the 4 that I was missing.  I can write My Little Pony in several different languages.  I get alerts on my iPhone from eBay whenever a new 'My Little Pony Argentina', 'My Little Pony Summer Wing', 'My Little Pony Windy Wing' and even 'My Little Pony Wing' listing comes up.  I literally jump out of my seat when ANY mail delivery truck comes into my neighborhood.  I taught myself how to rehair, with the goal of not limiting my pony options.  I showed my mother how to identify Blind Bag numbers, and I carry around in my purse a identification key code for all the BB waves.  My husband picked up a pink pony the other day and called it by the correct name.  I have run out of room to display my ponies.  I procrastinate doing work I need to finish my Master's degree so I can browse on the Arena, MLPTP, eBay and now Taobao.  I have gone into debt for ponies.  I have even stooped to the point where I am missing time out of work to drive around to different stores, looking for ponies.  I buy ponies that other Arena members are looking for so I can send them out as gifts.  I deliberately try to run out of shampoo and body wash so it gives me an excuse to go to Target with the sole intention of looking for ponies.  Even I think that I am insane.   
In order to help slow my addiction, I joined the 30 day challenge.  Don't ask how that is going for me:(   

Holy cannoli, I have gone off the deep end.  So tell me, am I the only one who is obsessed?  Please make me feel better by sharing your pony stories. 

[mlp4me]

I think we've all gone through this at some point while collecting.
There is a point when you have to step back and re-prioritize.

I was buying ponies on ebay from 2000-2003; they just started getting too expensive so I stopped buying there. I was going to the thrift shop 2x a week. When my husband got laid off of work 3 years ago I barely went once a month. Then ponies started drying up around here. Now I'm lucky if I go once a month still due to gas prices.

Having debt due to spending money on ponies from ebay is not fun. You have the power to turn off the ebay notifications and get away from it. Even if it's for just 30 days, you'll feel a lot less stressed and you'll have more money.
Ponies are addicting, but if you don't get the one you want this time there will be another one. They don't need to control our lives 24/7 especially when we have people in our lives that we care about and have to take care of too.

If you're in school, I hope that now you're taking the time to finish. You've put a lot of time in to just stop now. A Master's Degree will get you a good job where you'll be able to pay bills and still have the money to buy ponies on the side!!

The first step is admitting. The second step is just taking a step back. I do this by saving up and usually 2-3 times a year. Then I put a lump sum in paypal then I'll buy ponies 'til it's dry.

Best of luck!

[sabathamk]

I only started collecting in August... I now have almost 300 ponies (from all the gens, even though I used to HATE G4 and G1 was all I wanted)... and spent less than $500 total for them all.  I find myself coming to the computer to work, and instead I come to the arena or ebay and procrastinate on my job.  Oops.  I feel guilty for all the collecting I've been doing and have been tempted to sell all.. until I look at them all cute and colorfully decorating my room and I cant bear to.

[terabithianprince]

-cringes- I feel this problem. I started buying ponies in I think November(maybe earlier probably October) and now I have almost 100 but some of them were gifts. ^^ I think it's fun buying ponies and coming on here to talk ponies. I love going to my friend's house with all her ponies and taking my ponies to show her. I plan to remove the extra bed in my room so more ponies can fit. Yes it's an obsession. I always look on trademe and ebay for ponies (even if I can't afford them!) It's a nice thing to be addicted to though. They always make me feel that tiny bit happier when I wake up and look at them all.

[Princess-Sparkles]

I'm going to write a bigger post tonight, but I need to get this out. I've been pony collecting for a year on the 15th of April and i am addicted. I'm haven't been able to buy a pony in over a month and I am going nuts. I missed out on a Greek cotton candy that was $35 and I feel like crying out of frustration.

I was originally only meant to collect my old child hood ponies but now I have atleast 80 G1's, 20 G4's and a lot of G3's. I plan on turning the spare room into a pony room. There are shelving at my work and it's killing me see the not get used and I keep picturing my ponies on there. (I work at goodwill warehouse by the way) I make my fiancé go through the shelves at shops to find me new G4's

Ok, I'll stop now.

[partypony566]

Welcome to the club, Michelle

[ponylady]

Yep!  It's all over now 

[sparkleset80]

I am too! But I have promised myself that for 30 days I will not be. *points to siggy*

[LadyMoondancer]

I was chuckling at the tales of ponies multiplying from 2 to 60 and especially "my husband picked up a pink pony the other day and called it by the correct name". 


But to be honest, I felt worried for you by the end of this.   Are you really, literally going into debt and missing work for pony stuff?   If that's just hyperbole, then that's fine, but the way you wrote it, it kind of sounds like your collecting habits are controlling your life.  And that's NOT healthy or good.


I love ponies and definitely appreciate "going the extra mile" for them.  Carrying around blindbag codes?  Frankly that sounds like a great idea.  But on the other hand, I have seen some people over the years who really did go overboard--who would post about how they didn't have any money for rent one day and post "Look at the [name of expensive pony here] that I just won on eBay!" the next day.


I think if you're seriously feeling worried or like ponies are controlling your life (not just jokingly, but for real), it's always a wise idea to step back and assess.

[michelle53]

Haha LadyMoondancer, it's really not to bad:)  By debt I mean like $200...not too terrible right?  I'm really ok, just sometimes it feels like I am insane over ponies.  But isn't denial the first step???

Hooray for ponies!!