LOL!!!
Mike
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Iāve always wanted to buy a 20ā container and build it into my own personal hobby space. Everything i could ever need or want, all in one place. But i don;t have space in the backyard for thatā¦ 
Well? I can dreamā¦ Right?
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I solved my storage problem when I moved to a small studio apartment. Took the kits out of the boxes and put them in large freezer storage bags. Some kits required several bags and I taped them together and marked them with a sharpie. Then I put them in large plastic storage bins with an inventory list taped to the outside so I can easily know whatās in each bin. I have the bins stacked up in a corner. Of course you lose the box art doing this. I also keep a master inventory spreadsheet and which bin each kit is in and if it has after market stuff.
This doesnāt account for the kits I have acquired since I moved which are quickly taking over the top shelf in the closet. I solved the āwifeā issue by DXing the wife. 
My stash is āsmallā at only 77 kits currently. I finish about 1 a month and trying to adopt the policy of build 1 buy 1.
When you pack your modeling kits and tools,
with 4 small boxes for your wardrobe and draws, less a couple sets of clothing for work and weekends,
You realised the hobbie has arrived, that was 2 years ago, now settling in the new flat and have now set up the spraying booth.
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Maybe I could talk the wife into putting a storage box on the roof instead of a second story, gotta be cheaper.
I could then stack them as needed!
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I finally came to the realization long ago that my stash will far outlast me. With that being said I know my limitations of what kits I keep are determine by space available, versus wants/desires, and by modern technology. I do need to limit my buying. As far as getting rid of some of my stash, I have a āto-goā stash in boxes easily portable to contest vending tables and donating a few to contest, raffles, and free to some kids.
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I was looking at one of these two years ago to drop behind the house and convert into a modeling studio. Delivery, cost of taking down fence, and landscaping to drop into place almost doubled the cost. 
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My god you just made me realise that i am terribly disciplined 
would i have some strange desease or something ???
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Yes, we all very clearly have an easily identified addiction, but there is no 12 step program for it as of yet.
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I have to admit this topic and some responses have caused me to really take a second look at my chosen hobby. Several years ago when I was starting a family I became enamored with MOPAR muscle cars, I bought a 69 Charger and was trying to do a driveway resto on it when one Christmas eve night we had an ice storm come through and a limb the size of a tree snapped off and fell thirty feet right on top of the car and just caved it in, I never even got the pleasure of driving it once. Well poor mans plight I started collecting 1:64 scale Johnny Lightning cars, MOPAR specific of course. Had a great collection going and happened to make a new friend that was a model builder that also collected Hotwheels first editions. I had about eighty or so cars but when he showed me his collection of plastic tubs filled with cars under the bed, in the closet and in the attic I realised I needed to reign it in on my practice, at least mine are displayed in a nice acryllic case and not stored away out of sight.
So about ten years ago I started building again and this time Iām going to build that diorama Iāve been dreaming about since before I had a kid. Well it started out getting the kits that Iād been wanting forever, building a stash with the sole intention of having the kit before it was gone. Fast forward a few years and the industry suddenly explodes with AFV kits of vehicles that I never dreamed would be produced, now the stash is substantially bigger, maybe thirty models and AM parts, the collection takes up half a closet for Peteās sake, some are rather pricey too! Now, for the last two weeks, Iām waiting on the most expensive plastic model kit Iāve ever purchased, excited to be getting it and feeling a little foolish for spending so much money on a model. Iām sure thatās what really got me re-evaluating my hobby. Thanks to this post and the revelations of other kit collectors (this obssesion Iām affraid is the real concern for me), Iāve decided this will be the last kit I buy, at least for a long while. Iāve decided to redirect my intrests and investment into my other passion . . . collecting miltary art from masters like Robert Taylor, Brian Bateman and the like. I truly enjoy fine artworks of F4U Corsairs, TBDās, SBDās, F4Fās, PBYās . . . The list goes on forever and rest assured fine art prints are way out of my tax bracket but at least maybe one day someone can get a appreciable return if they decide to sell or auction the collection. We can reason away our obsessions but we have to be smart about too. I have a friend whose hobby is making money . . . he works all the time is always tired and honestly only has a little more than me, he gets to dine out more and he travels a bit but he never seems to get ahead. He doesnāt look down on me or my hobby, infact he marvels at what I make and the tallent and patience it takes but itās not for him.
Thereās no great philosophical wisdom here, just sharing my thoughts and maybe learning from others choices.
Cajun 
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Without derailing this thread, I feel for you about the car. I have some crazy stories about having people steal things from me in my life. like from the movie HEAT, dont get attached to anything you cant leave in 30 secondsā¦
You bring up some good points Cajun. Iāve been looking recently at my own buying habits and the ākit lustā that creates and justifies them.
Itās all too easy to get infatuated with a new kit or favorite subject and think I need all this stuff. When the reality is this is not my only or biggest hobby and there are more important things.
Recently Iāve been thinking a lot about how this hobby involves the creation of dozens of little knick-knacks that get covered in dust, dropped, broken, and eventually thrown away. Maybe my kids will want one or two of themā¦.maybe. But Iām ultimately building trash.
Others may have a different situation but thatās mine. Doesnāt make the hobby good or bad; just puts it in perspective given the limited time we have on this planet.
Good to step back and reevaluate priorities. Recalibrate.
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I too feel for you about the car. That was an unfortunate turn of events. This cat meme sums up well. We all know the rest of phrase. Enjoy life and the things that make you happy.
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The basic needs:
Food
Security (shelter and clothes if mandated by climate)
Companionship (friends, love, appreciation)
All the rest is trimmings.
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i tried that several times ā¦ I failed
but i do keep the stash within reasonable limits (depends on the meaning of āreasonableā of course) .
I keep telling myself that it is useless to build a huge stash because everything is on the free market anyway but then, i tend not to listen to myself
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Terry,
I think, at 30 kits, youāre being really hard on yourself. And what are you waiting on, the AHHQ Tiger I? $150? You can spend that on a nice dinner with the wife and have nothing to show for it but memories. My son-in-law spends $150 on golf and comes home with nothing to show for it but a score card and a little pencil. As long as the mortgage is paid and the lights are on, itās okay to support the hobby. Buying kits is part of the fun. Shopping around, the hunt for the best price, the anticipation waiting for the shipping, and the joy of that package hitting your door. Then the big reveal when you open that box and the warm glow of possession. And making your plans pre-build. It doesnāt matter whether youāve got 30 kits or 300, a guy has plans for every single kit. Having plans is what keeps you going and this hobby has a very high time to cost ratio. That son-in-law of mine also hunts and deep sea fishes, and he spends tens of thousands a year on the 3 activities. My wife is very happy with my hobby, although I do get an obligatory eye roll when another box hits the front porch. I have about 600 kits, no duplicates, acquired over a 30 year period. I donāt feel guilty or feel the need for a life reassessment. I have a modeling budget that I keep to, and I buy what pleases me, within reason. I know I wonāt get to every kit, but it sure is fun picking out the next kit to build! I donāt have a storage unit, I donāt have unpaid bills, I donāt have a divorce, so the stash is not ruining my life. I donāt truly consider it an addiction. The stash is part of the fun of the hobby. 30 kits does not require you to change your life. Enjoy it.
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Yes indeed!
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Tell her its the family survival bunker and have it underground ā¦
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Yeah, but you have to be able to fit people inside. If it is filled, she will become suspicious when you have to force the door to close it.
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What I really need is a guaranteed buyer of any kit I decide to get rid of.
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