davidd's A Doll A Day 2018

[Alliecat]

Be careful, little captain! 90 percent of the clutterberg is always under the surface!

I literally LOL'd I love this. My house is full of clutterbergs, alas.
That's a cute picture and I'd like to see more adventures with him too.

Geewhiz, davidd, I'm sorry to hear you have such a conflict over the new doll. Yeah, they're out of my budget too, and I don't even spend a lot on Pullip clothes. If they cost more than something I'd buy for me, I'll probably pass.
They say social media is one of the biggest sources of dissatisfaction in people's lives these days, because we're always comparing our boring lives to our facebook friends' exciting travels, or reading their horn-tooting my-life-is-so-fabulous-right-now posts. The usual advice that follows is to get off the screen and make the best you can of your own life.
Maybe the doll thing is similar. Is it a competition? So you indulged on a splurge, for a doll you wanted. And you take great photos, and since you've been doing it a long time it must be fun for you. So why not have that fun, and who cares what anyone else is doing? I've always said photography shouldn't be about whether you have the newest fanciest equipment, but whether you have fun with it and are happy with the results you get. (For those who aren't crunching out photos for an editor or commercial enterprise, anyway.) It should be the same with dolls. Do you have to have certain dolls because someone else has them?
So, think about what sort of photography you had in mind when you bought her, and go do it and have fun. You don't have to compete with anyone. You don't have to be part of someone else's scenario. Make your own scenario, that you enjoy. Be the only person (I doubt it?) who has "only one" Smart Doll -- and make her the star of the photos she's in.
As for clothes... well, maybe you can find someone on Etsy that makes appropriate sized things? Or check around various doll communities for people who like to sew and maybe you can commission someone for a lower price than the commercial stuff. I don't really know what their proportions are; can they wear 1/3 BJD clothes? 1/4? Bargains can sometimes be found there.
In the meantime, I'd say, take her out of the box and get acquainted; it might be easier to see how you feel about her 'in person' than looking at a box. Drape her in a pretty scarf for a gown
Don't chase the herd. Herds have been known to run off cliffs. Do your own thing and have fun with it.
Just my three cents, and all for now. I'm sposed to be writing articles this afternoon