Lego New Year resolutions

LostInTranslation

So, with a brand new year fast approaching, it's often the time for people to reassess and make plans for improvement. I make pretty much the same personal resolutions every year (which says a lot about my self-discipline :) but this year I've made a few specific Lego-related ones, namely:

a) Finish sorting out and storing all my sets properly. At the moment my system is somewhat chaotic (oxymoronic, I know) but with all the new sets I hope to purchase in 2012, I need to take action so I plan to dedicate the dull January evenings to remedying this.

b) Budget my Lego buying better. Wait for the big discounts, as experience shows that they will come eventually. Patience is the key to joy :D But also not to get sucked into a buying frenzy that I will later regret.

c) Build the largeish-scale MoC I've been thinking about for a couple of months. I've got all the ideas in my head, I just need to have the follow through. This will be the toughest one I suspect, as I have a low boredom threshold...

So those are my 2012 Lego resolutions. What bad Lego habits do you want to kick next year? What personal Lego aspirations do you hope to achieve in the next twelve months?

collect_that

^ Lol!!

A) There's just soooo much!
B) My accountant (wife) agrees!
C) It's getting there!

monkey_roo

I only really have 2 aim.

1- I would like to reduce the impuls buying, actually I want to go as far as to say I will not be buying any of the new SW, Cars or Dino stuff untill the next double VIP promotion, its not like they will be out of stock.
2 - I want to get cracking on my Hogwarts Castle MKII, more movie accurate than my current attempt, although this will be a lengthy endeavour.

That about does it.

KulshanGirl

As a new AFOL with a bit of disposable income and mild collecta-hoardaddiction tendencies, I did make some Lego related resolutions for this year. :)

1. I am the end user. I only need one of each, and only sets that I love no matter how good of a deal it is. I will open and build every single set I buy. I'm new, but it looks like there's a slippery slope to becoming a collector of sealed boxes. Do not want.

2. I am mostly caught up on the sets I love/want, so I will wait until I can get at least 25% off 2012 sets. There is time to wait for these. THERE IS TIME TO WAIT FOR THESE. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Lol.

3. Attend to the nerdy spreadsheet of wants, full price, and 25% off sale price. See the totals? Remember how much more I can buy in my budget if I am patient and pay attention. Stick to the budget, and I will get everything I love and want by the end of the year.

4. No paying CC interest. If I can't pay it off within the month, I can't have it. See #2.

5. Build something of my own and enter it in an online contest. Something small and simple to start with.

LostInTranslation

@kulshangirl: LOL! Love it! Sounds like we have quite similar attitudes, and I think I'll be adopting your resolutions as well as my own!

Welcome to Brickset by the way. Hope you enjoy it here, I look forward to getting to know you over the coming year :)

Si_UKNZ

1. I will buy hardly anything from TLG, I'll wait for other shops to sell it at more reasonable prices
2. I will continue to resist star wars entirely (even when I see the imperial shuttle 25% off)
3. I will cut down on my Lego spend dramatically this year.

The_Brick_Builder

1. Spend less money on LEGO. That means no searching eBay!

2. Finish my basement and create my custom 8 foot by 16 foot table for my City

bellybutton290

Buy less, especially on impulse, the hobby is killing me!

KulshanGirl

@LostinTranslation: (<- do I just type that and it will automatically link to you? Nooooob!) Thanks for the welcome! I've been lurking since about September and finally registered this month. I enjoy this site very much and have learned a lot here.

I thought that I was kind of over my initial wave of purchases and could sit back and grab a few special sets when they came out... the next modular, a couple of the OT Star Wars sets, Joust... And then they announced the LOTR license and my budget gave a heave of despair. I will have to have them all. ALL of the precioussss. Hehe. *sob*

Oh! And one resolution is underway, I put all of my instruction books in sleeves in a binder and ordered some extra sticker sets on Bricklink. Go me!

We should use this as a "Talk me down off the ledge/Stay on the wagon" thread after the new year for sticking to resultions. LOL.

Legoboy

1 - Buy less.
2 - Steal more.
3- Don't make the kids go to bed without a kiss and cuddle after I discover they've stuck LEGO sticker sets all over their bedroom door!

Only one of the above is a joke!

LostInTranslation

^ It's 3, isn't it? :P

LostInTranslation

@KulshanGirl: yep, that's how it works :)

Congrats on starting already, we're still in 2011!
There's always more around the corner isn't there? But the bargains WILL arrive so I'm going to be less impatient. And if you're in the US, you will probably get much better deals than me in the UK.
You're totally right about the "wagon" bit. I find, the more I tell people about what I intend to do, the more I will stick to actually doing it, as I don't like admitting I failed (the other option of course is that I just get more creative at lying about said failure :)
But seriously, I want too many sets to pay RRP from now on. No cheating. @flump6523 will keep me on the straight and narrow won't you? You did a grand job when I had my one-week Lego embargo :)

Oh, and I came up with another bad habit I need to change:
d) I really must use my brick separator or I will never ever have nice nails.

Legoboy

^ Four days was it? Or was it five?

LostInTranslation

^ It was a full seven and you know it!

legonut80

1, sort out the huge collection that's mostly in my loft that was from my brother, i know there's model team 5590 in there as i've seen lots of parts to it, but having to sort all the non lego out of it is a pain :(

2, remember if i really want something to get it, i keep putting off getting things waiting for that better deal then missing out :(

3, let my son do a bit more of the building of his own sets :)

starfire2

I resolve to not kick myself if I spend too much on Lego.

llanowarsoldier

I plan to make my 1st modular, but I may have to cannibalize the Movie Theatre from Town Plan for some parts. :(

Yellowcastle

My resolution is to donate as many sets as I buy for myself.

bor2112

^Love that! I was inspired by the kindness of the Indy LUG and was thinking it would be awesome if we could do something like that through the forum. You admins could discuss (hint, hint)

LostInTranslation

@yellowcastle: We're on the same wavelength in this respect :)

@bor2112: I too was inspired by Indylug and @sidersdd's example. I decided last week that I'm going to be donating as many sets as possible this year, either with the support of my LUG, just my friends, or all by myself. I already have 3 sets I purchased pre-Christmas that I've decided I no longer want, but instead of taking them back, they are the start of my donation pile. I love finding a bargain but have no interest in reselling, so from now on when I see something going cheap I'll buy one or two extras for donating. The only issue will be where to put them! :)

bor2112

^Yes! Ack, but now I need to add cataloging my new sets to my resolutions so that I can get to the doubles for donation. That will be the hard part!

Matthew

My resolution is to donate as many sets as I buy for myself......

to me?


:o)

Yellowcastle

@Matthew - To the Ministry of Magic, I'm afraid...

LusiferSam

1. I need to work on organizing my instructions better. Basically I'm using a system that I started in middle school. I have a new system planned out, now I just need to implement it.

2. I'm hoping to start using the site's advanced collection manager more. This past year I finally inventoried the tubs I have my disassembled sets in. Now I want to use the advanced collection manager to keep track of the set location, as well as some other info.

3. Spend less on pre-1978 sets. This past year I've been buying a lot more pre-1978 sets. I don't really collect stuff from this time period but I do have a minor interest in some items, particularly Samsonite sets. But I really don't need everything and I seem to be acting like I do.

KulshanGirl

Included in my budget are purchases for my friend's young son who is an absolute inspiration and a warrior battling a grim childhood cancer, Neuroblastoma. He has spent 5 of his 8 years on earth fighting it. He goes through a lot of Lego sets while in hospital. I do challenge everyone here who is considering donating sets to follow through and make it happen. :)

sidersdd

Glad to hear others adopting the donation path. It doesn't have to be during the holidays either. Places like children's hospitals give out gifts to kids being cared for throughout the year. The Indianapolis one hands out 15,000 gifts per month. They need donations.

My resolutions:
(1) Resell less. 2011 was a year for buying and reselling for me. It took a lot of time and effort, and I think I'm burned out. But it definitely has allowed me to buy some sets I wanted, without tapping into any other income, and I believe I've built up a good inventory of sets that can be periodically sold throughout the next couple of years to supplement additional buying. The only thing which is going to thwart this resolution is if TRU starts stocking Star Wars sets at MSRP right at the tail end of a BOGO like this past year. Oh how I love you Republic Frigate and all of you that love the figs that come with this set.

(2) Sort more. I've accumulated a ton of parts this past year. They need to be sorted.

(3) Build more. Lots of ideas in the head, and lots of parts in the basement. Need to start implementing some MOCs. I also have a bunch of sets in the queue for putting together - for myself, and with the kids.

bixtrix77

Being very new to this forum my resolution is to not feel so bad about admitting my love of lego. I do find myself a bit well sort of embarassed if I speak to anyone about lego often getting the 'how old are you' comment. How do you guys deal with that? I must admit a lot is hidden via my son so I can sort of pick out stuff I want to have.

starfire2

I proudly and boldly say it. I don't care what other people think about me or what I spend my money on.

doriansdad

My resolution is to sell all of my sets I have stockpiled over the past 2 years that are now retired. Time to free up some cash for other projects. Also want to finish building the modular line of buildings....I have Market Street and Cafe Corner completed and all the rest are just sitting around in boxes.

giraffefreckles

Having very little free time, my only resolutions are to finish building Fallingwater on my kitchen table, build the MBA sets within a month of arrival, organize new LEGOs within a week of arrival, and dust any display LEGOs every month! (Right now, my prized little possessions are the PQ plane, AC abduction saucer, the Knight Bus, and the LEGO truck!)

@bixtrix77. I'm an engineer. LEGOs would be within the norm. Besides, I'm known to go full-in on a new hobby very 2 years. Can you ask the others if they've tried it? Liken it to scrapbooking, cardmaking, quilting, woodworking -- creating wondrous things from scratch. And, you get to share and bond with your son.

CCLIN

I'm with sidersdd with my resolution...build/sort more, collect less. Being in the U.S., we are more than fortunate with the abundance of deals available. Coming out of my dark ages just a little more than a year ago, the past year was more of "collecting" (bordering hoarding) - or the self-justifying "catching up" - than enjoying LEGO. Too many times I found myself evaluating the sales and hunting down deals more than anything else. While there is definitely a rush that comes with it, I realized it's not all what being a LEGO fan is all about. So if nothing else, the goal will be to build, to experience the fun of LEGO, and begin to realize all those "good ideas" that flash right before a purchase happens...

So with that said, my countdown was a mix of chatting, drinking champagne, and building MVR + carriage ambush with the family...

Again, Happy New Year to everyone, and best wishes to you and your family....

bor2112

Build more and spend less...I think today (yesterday, technically) is the first day in a long time that I did not spend any $ on Lego. Woot! But we did build and build and build! Here's the list for New Year's Eve day and night...Funhouse (sliding doors are awesome), AC copter, AC HQ (great set, especially MF), AC tripod, half-way through Police Station, Opened podracers, but didn't get far. Oh and I cleared space to display the VW I finished yesterday. Tomorrow my boys would like to finish the started sets and attack the space shuttle and expedition and the two little sets that go with. Ambition, I think.

Happiest New Year's wishes to all.

bixtrix77

@bixtrix77. I'm an engineer. LEGOs would be within the norm. Besides, I'm known to go full-in on a new hobby very 2 years. Can you ask the others if they've tried it? Liken it to scrapbooking, cardmaking, quilting, woodworking -- creating wondrous things from scratch. And, you get to share and bond with your son.

I think you have hit the nail on the head there. Thanks for that :-D

mnbvc

I'm going to try and not get so scared about deals selling out - which has been the major push for me to buy most things this year. MMV might sell out?! Quick, better buy it! Fire Brigade might sell out?! Quick, better buy it! Emerald Night might sell out?! Quick, better buy it!

...you get the idea! And now, sitting here, hardly any of the sets that I've purchased have sold out - and yet I'm still fearful of smaller sets, such as Hillside House or Apple Tree House falling by the wayside and me missing out.

I think I need to realise that I can't afford to buy everything and if I miss a Creator House or two, then that's life... :/

Chompers

1, I need to sort my sets out into some kind of order

2, make sure I do not start collecting another theme!!!!

3, sort all my loose elements that I have acquired over the lady year.

4, do not buy any new sets unless they are 33% off or more

5, build more instead of putting them straight in the loft.

If I can keep to all these I'll be very happy :)

giraffefreckles

^^^ You're welcome. :) There are probably others in the same boat as you. It's a nice, steady boat with purpose!

Ernst

Good wishes to all Lego fans, here are my resolutions.

1. Try to collect the new Lord of the Rings sets and the Royal Joust
2. Build a scenery of my old sets of LEGOLAND
3. Build some changing Castle scenery's
4. Sell some sets I bought for trade
5. Get the missing parts I need for the Weetabix1 Castle and assemble it
6. Convince my wife this is all neccesary and I need the spare room we have !!
7. Find time to write more reviews

tdhbr

1. Build more (especially MOC's).
2. Buy less, or at least less often.
3. Stop reading posts from @LegoFanTexas - see item #2 above. :)

legoDad

-Moc and Mod more.
-Not too many wip's...complete the Moc.
-Don't be swayed by first retail price but look to buy more on sale.
-Get more shelving and display cases for the models (the dining room is slowly becoming Lego Hoarders central).
-Most important...spending more time with my Lug buddy bmwlego and building with my kid.
-And like Ernst said above...convince the wife this is all necessary and make better reviews!

MinifigsMe

1.Complete the lay out area in my lego room. (plan is for a loop of surface to run trains around with plenty of areas for different parts of my city)
2. Moc more/moc at all!
3. Don't drag my husband any further into lego - he's costing me a fortune in SW sets!

Yellowcastle

I find it funny that all of our resolutions include plans to buy less.

legoDad

^Right...I think (for me anyways), if I waited a bit I would've saved hundreds this past year on kits I bought. This past fall and winter had some great sales, BOGO's, etc.
So this year I'll still purchase at retail(kits I really want to build right away) but budget more each month and then ATTACK those year end sales with unbridled fury!

mackrel

1. Collect all the discontinued SpongeBob sets.
2. Introduce the Friends collection to my daughter.
3. Sell the sets that are broken down and sitting in zip lock bags.
4. Boycott TRU.
5. Build all the unopen sets in my closet.
6. Make a local LEGO friend.

stagus

1. Build my display for the show in May including many moc's
2. Sort out my spares!
3. Buy what I really want to buy, not just because it is a 'bargain'.
4. LOTR is a must
5. Superheroes too.
6. Get the lego 'Loft City' layout sorted.

Happy New Year to all.
Lang may yer lum reek!

dsdg88

1. Find some ways to manage the growing collection (e.g. more shelves for those sets on display, pack away some sets so that not everything has to be on shelves). Also known as keep my wife happy.
2. Clean the displayed sets from time to time.
3. Figure out a way to encourage/allow my sons to creatively build without nagging them to not lose pieces and to reassemble the sets when they are done.

sidersdd

^ heh-heh, I can relate to 3.

drdavewatford

I find it funny that all of our resolutions include plans to buy less.

Not me, although I'm sure my wife wishes that it was number 1 on my list.....

Mine has to be "build more", specifically my LEGO City layout, now that the bricks I've been waiting for have arrived.

And "get an architect in to help plan an extension" is another one....

:-)

LostInTranslation

Mine is to buy smarter, not less :) With all the cool stuff coming out this year, there's no way I'm missing out!

Si_UKNZ

Hows everyone else going? So much for willpower, I've spent over a grand already this year.

KulshanGirl

I give myself a B so far. I am within my given budget. I am buying things that are on sale. I am deconstructing and storing my sets and organizing like crazy. I have even donated already this year. However, I am deviating from my "want/love" list. Like, 100% deviation. DOH. Do not be distracted by the shiny deals or impending possible set EOLs! Yarg! Hehe.

Si_UKNZ

Oh dear, just bought the MF. ..

1. I will buy hardly anything from TLG, I'll wait for other shops to sell it at more reasonable prices [FAIL]
2. I will continue to resist star wars entirely (even when I see the imperial shuttle 25% off) [FAIL]
3. I will cut down on my Lego spend dramatically this year.

Two down, one to go.