More about toy storage

So what happens when you have more toys than your display cabinets can take in without your collection looking like a ‘mess’?  

Well in theory, the most obvious answer is hold off all future purchases till you sort out your toy storage issue.  However having been through this stage before, I know that this suggestion will fall on deaf ears, especially for “Rapid Growth” collectors who tend to ‘buy first and think about storage later’.  If not, they feel that they will miss out the ‘rare chance’ to own that ’super hard-to-find’ toy that is going for a steal right now, and so on and so forth.

And so the vicious cycle continues and the collection of toys just accumulates like wild rabbits in all-year-round breeding season.  Soon, you’ll find that all your walking space in your room, and even in most parts of your home, are stacked with boxes of toys.  Your room and home will end up looking like a toy store, perhaps only minus the price tags on the boxes, and the cash register counter.

That is why you need to plan and allocate storage space for your toy collections as you go along.  Most people tend to give excuses like “no time”, “will do it later” etc.  In the end, they became so overwhelmed by the sheer volume of their collections that some collectors got fed up.  They then took desperate measures of clearing away their entire collections and swore off collecting once and for all.  Now that really takes away the fun from toy collecting.

So what is actually happening in our heads?  How did our beloved toys become a source of frustration for us?  Well, according to Home Organizer experts, we are much happier if we surround ourselves with possessions that we use frequently and we love, in our homes.  Every item is supposed to have its own allocated ‘home’, like cooking ultensils belong to the kitchen cabinets and drawers, toiletries belong to the bathroom, and clean clothes belong to the bedroom wardrobe etc.

Then where do our toy collections belong to?  If your home is big enough, it’s best to set aside a hobby room where all the toys and hobby items can be stored and displayed there.  However, most of us don’t have such luxuries, so our toys tend to bunk in with us in our bedrooms.  Most collectors have at least a toy display cabinet in their rooms for their loose or most ‘privileged’ toys (you know, like the emperor’s favourite concubines or something similar). 

The rest of the excess toys that could not fit into, or make the ‘grade’ into that “privilege cabinet” are usually stashed under bed, in the upper storage space above the wardrobe, on the table and chair, in the balcony, in the attic or basement (more for western countries) and the ultimate everyone’s favourite - in boxes on the bedroom floor!

Believe me, I went through this ‘hell’ when I did not plan my toy collecting properly in the early days of toy collecting.  By the time I read those home organizer tips to salvage the situation, it was a bit too overwhelming to even start.  It was horrible, so don’t allow yourself to be in this mess if you can do still something about it now.

That’s all for today.  Be back tomorrow for more toy storage stories to share with you!