welcome from san francisco. i too started collecting for my children, who are now 30 and 33, but i could not justify spending money on too many sets. now that our children are grown, and i am no longer sending all of my paycheck to their colleges, i used the excuse of buying the sets that they had always wanted when they were younger. of course, my family was quick to point out that my collection quickly grew to include the sets i wanted. so now there is no excuse. and my family and friends help me find things i am looking for, and understand the need to go to toy stores whenever we travel.
kaethe