Toy storage/display space and toy finances

Your toy collection would take up quite an amount of space in your home.  This is one thing to consider before or when you start this hobby.  You would need to dedicate a display or storage area to show them off or for some collectors, to conceal them (from their spouse or family members).  This step is easier said than done, especially for the Rapid Growth toy collector.  The ‘obssessed’ emotions take over the reasoning part of the mind and there is a tendency to ‘buy first and think later’ while the toy supply is still available at ‘good’ prices.

Some toy collectors have to contend with disapproving spouse or family members, who are non-toy collectors.  Non-toy collectors tend to find the toy displays non-compatible with the decor of the house.  This is where the toy collector needs to plan the storage or display area of the toys to at least compromise with the house decor. 

Other non-toy collectors find collecting toys a waste of hard-earned money and view them as non-practical possessions.  Money is usually a sensitive topic that pops up between toy collectors and their non-toy collector loved ones.  Cultivate a good habit of budgeting a certain percentage (e.g. 10%) of your monthly income to buy your collectible toys.  Keep inventory records and cost records of your toys as you acquire them and calculate them monthly.  Compare your monthly toy expenditure against your monthly toy budget and funds.  This would help to keep you aware of your monthly toy hobby finances and hence minimise overspending and disagreements with your loved ones.  This is also a way to periodically ‘jolt’ the Rapid Growth toy collectors back to their logical thinking minds and help keep their ‘obssessed’ emotions in check.

Therefore, do start planning about and taking necessary actions on your toy storage/display area and your toy inventory/finances records as early as possible during your toy collecting hobby.  It would be easier to manage the toys before their population ‘explodes’ and then you (plus your spouse and family) get ‘overwhelmed’ by them.

Sometimes there is a tendency that if you do not manage your toy hobby early, they might become a source of unnecessary friction with your loved ones who live with you.  Hence these added efforts are very important to help you enjoy your toy collecting hobby to its fullest, after all your personal life is just as important to you as your beloved toys!