Anyone else unable to keep up with G4?

[Novavelle]

yeah I decided to just do brushables as well, helps to make it easier not to spend a ton of money... I did make an exception for the blind bag size playsets... but with the new one's being $15 I've hesitated to buy them.... so as for releases I'll just need the new ones that aren't out yet and I'll be caught up.

[DazzleKitty]

Well I am glad I am not the only one who feels this way! I used to have that 'gotta catch them all' mentality but with G4 that just cannot happen. There is no way I can get everything. I don't even have room for them all. I'll admit the latest wave of blind bags is very tempting, though I told myself to give up on blind bags. I mean, I don't even have my blind bags displayed anymore! What's the point of buying them? My biggest pride and joy is G1.   
I have come to the conclusion that perhaps I only need to collect the G4 brushables. The problem? There is a dry spell on those. We have the new collector's set coming and I am still looking for Sunset Shimmer, but besides that I cannot think of anything new besides dozens of different versions of Twilight Sparkle which I am frankly tired of.

I wish they'd have just kept releasing new brushables in waves every few months like they had before. That is what kept G4 fun for me.

[Squirtsquirt]

I've pretty much given up at this point.  I didn't even get the SDCC pony for the last 2 years, and may or may not this year.  I just can't continue to spend tons of money on things that are packed in boxes in the basement.  I have all my G3s packed up because I don't have anywhere to put them or display them.  The G4s are cute, but again too repetitious to really justify continuing to buy them.  I do pick up ones I really want, but now I'm content to just look when I go in to stores.  And with my daughter getting "too old" for ponies, I don't have any other incentive.

[Moonstar]

I wish the collectors plastic ponies weren't all $50 +, and the better plushes are very pricey to say nothing of the ones made by fans that look perfect but sell for as much as a grail G1. It really does get feeling like their is an in crowd we everyday collectors can't hope to be a part of...

[achab1984]

I am happy that I am only a Brushable collector. It does save me a lot of money and a lot less of a headache. Am when there are no ponies that I want out there, but know that there will be down the road. I just save the money away for when they do come. I do not have to worry how I am going to afford it then   When I got back into collecting I wanted to have them all. I found out over a few months that I was not going to be able to do that. And I am fine with that totally

[Icecrystalline]

Yes. That's why I went back to my original loves. G1s.

[Violet CLM]

I have not kept up with the last two seasons of FiM.  I feel about that.  Where can I find them to catch up?

Netflix; iTunes; Google Play Store; the Hub's youtube channel; Amazon; no doubt other places.

[dxgirly]

I usually get overwhelmed in January-March and then again in July-September when all of the toy resets have been and there's a ton of new stuff out. I always feel like if I don't get it right away, I'm going to miss out on it, which has never actually been the case. Then the rest of the year, once I have everything, I'm wondering where all of the new ponies are. I'm crazy. lol

[Stormrave]

Hm....I find it easier to keep up with G4 than G3!  That's because in G3 I was trying to get one of each character, and it just got to be way too many, in too short a time period, for what I could afford.  I ended up trading ponies I didn't really love but bought for the sake of completeness, for ponies I really wanted, and I was a lot happier, both financially and with loving what I have.

In G4 I'm only collecting certain brushables and blind bags.  I'm not trying to get every character, only ones I really like.  I decided I would also get trading cards and comics, but I'm not getting plush, or merchandise just because it has ponies on it.  This keeps my collection down to what I can afford and what I have room to keep.

So if you feel overwhelmed, rather than spending money you can't afford or feeling badly about not keeping up, ask yourself what you want to collect most.  Brushables?  Fashion styles?  Plushies?  Then concentrate on that, and let the rest go. 

[Twilight Pink]

I haven't felt overwhelmed with G4 (yet...lack of brushable variety) as I did with G3.
I've been right on the dot with G4 collecting, and if I can't get it now I'll find some way to get it later  ...but not too later 
(I'm trying not make the same mistake as I did during the G3 era  )

[hathorcat]

I think as long as I discount merch, discount blind bags, discount plush, discount vinyl, factor out any repeat characters....then I can cope...kinda

Thankfully with G4, I am not a gotta catch em all kind of gal, I am really just looking for one of each brushable release [in playful and fashion sizes]. Although I will admit even that takes some time.

I agree if you try and keep on top of everything, all releases then its just about impossible.

[cleverLC]

I don't collect every version of a pony that comes out, only maybe 1 of each, and I don't try to collect all the blind bag ponies.  (I've only purchased 4 blind bags, total).  I also don't go for fashion styles (although for Black Tie Pinkie, I'm willing to make an exception).   So for me, it's not too hard to keep up.

I also occasionally buy extras of the mane 6 to make brushable customs, but not often.

[Shy Violet]

Wow, I'm completely underwhelmed. There hasn't been a new brushable pony released in over 6 months here. I'm dying to buy ponies but there is nothing to buy. I've been buying ponies on Taobao just to get my fix, even Sunset Shimmer hasn't shown up in stores here yet. I'm super excited for the new TRU favorites set and Shadowbolt Dash but otherwise there doesn't seem to be enough for me.

However, if you collect blind bags I can completely understand how that would be overwhelming, there are so many. I don't collect them, they are way too expensive here, I grab a couple here and there but don't have many. I also don't collect plushies or merchandise, just the odd thing that catches my eye.

I agree with what others have mentioned, maybe focus on collecting one thing instead of ALL of the G4 merch

[Flitter]

I'm keeping up quite well. Then again I follow the releases quite closely and am very deliberate in the items I do and do not buy for the most part. I think, as others have said already, that focusing a little and not just trying to get everything is really the key to not getting overwhelmed.

[Neon Sparkle]

I've been struggling with this lately as well and I've finally decided to just focus on getting the things I absolutely love instead of just trying to get everything.

I was all stressed out last year because I saved all of my money for the 2012 Fair as soon as I found out about it and then all the new stuff came out right after so I struggled to afford it all. I couldn't go to the Fair this year anyway so I had created a savings specifically so that I could afford all of the new stuff coming out this August and then out of nowhere a bunch of other stuff unexpectedly came up so now I can no longer get them all, but I'm not too worried about it anymore as I realized I don't really have to have everything Hasbro puts out, not to mention the declining quality and cheapness of their recent offerings is making me hesitant to keep throwing money at them anyway.

At this point, I really just want a Bubble Butt Brushable if anyone ever beaks apart the TRU sets, the Glittery Wysteria and Black Tie Pinkie.