VGCollect Forum
General and Gaming => Classic Video Games => Topic started by: thecrypticodor on May 19, 2014, 11:22:24 pm
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A friend of mine was looking through my collection earlier and he asked me as to why I have so many duplicates of certain consoles. I tried explaining to him it was for a couple of reasons. That some of them I play almost on a daily basis so they'll naturally experience a lot of wear and a backup will eventually be needed. So I get them whenever I find them cheap. Also for older systems if I'm gonna shell out top dollar for some of the rarer expensive titles especially ones for older systems I like the feeling that I'll always have a working unit to play them on. He didn't really seem satisfied with my answer and said that I'm just obsessive and a hoarder. :(
What are your guys thoughts on this is owning multiples of consoles a obsessive or hoarding behavior?
Your thoughts
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A friend of mine was looking through my collection earlier and he asked me as to why I have so many duplicates of certain consoles. I tried explaining to him it was for a couple of reasons. That some of them I play almost on a daily basis so they'll naturally experience a lot of wear and a backup will eventually be needed. So I get them whenever I find them cheap. Also for older systems if I'm gonna shell out top dollar for some of the rarer expensive titles especially ones for older systems I like the feeling that I'm always have a working units to play them on. He didn't really seem satisfied with my answer and said that I'm just obsessive and a hoarder. :(
What are your guys thoughts on this is owning multiples of consoles a obsessive or hoading behavior?
Your thoughts
That's smart to me, I mean, unless you have like...dozens of extras, it's probably not a big issue, because I got like three NES's right now just to try and get one working properly lol I understand your thinking for sure, these old consoles can wear out. It's also only obsessive if you HAVE to have these and your spending tons of money on them and it's only hoarding if it becomes a problem where your living situation is being harmed in some way.
Are you going broke buying old consoles you already have and/or are you forced to sleep on a pile of Nintendo consoles because you have no more room? lol If no to both, then it's really nothing more than being your normal collector, especially when it comes to the older, more finicky systems.
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I don't see what's the big deal. Like you said, eventually the system will break down and stop working. I know plenty of non-collecting gamers who own multiple PS3/360s for the sake of having them set up in more than one location; which isn't a big difference.
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I definitely don't think it is hoarding as long as there is a sound reason behind why you are doing it and you're not just getting a specific console because you feel compelled to do so. I personally own 4 Playstation 2 slims (one is a japanese model) because I have been through more PS2 consoles then any console ever. The damn disc reader is very finicky and quits working sometimes out of the blue. Given the PS2 in my second favorite system, I want enough of them to get me through decades and decades of gaming. I would also like to own another Dreamcast for the same reason.
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Having multiple amounts of one console can be convenient, especially if you or anyone you know has the skills to tinker with/repair them.
If you do own a console that no longer works and/or all the usable parts have been used to repair the others... I'm thinking you might be. Just my opinion.
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I own extras as in one opened to use, and others I pick up that where complete in box I keep to display (and on hand if one i use breaks down) and of course I keep variations but do I keep every N64 i pick up from garage sales? no. I use those for trade.
Any extra console/game I pick up is open to trade/sell. Shoot I sometime feel stupid for holding on to greatest hits or Players Choice versions when I own the original label.
I will hold on to an extra system if it has a history to break easy too, like the Virtual Boy eyes going out.
I know collectors who keep every copy one one game. One holds on to every copy of Bo Jackson Baseball for some reason. Another collects every copy he can find of Tetris DX. I never got this, but if this makes you happy you keep on hording every copy you find. lol
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I see no problem.
Then again I have 2 game boys. 2 nes systems, 2 genesis systems, 2 2600's, and a SNES and super famicom, 2 playstation 1's, and 2 psps.
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A friend of mine was looking through my collection earlier and he asked me as to why I have so many duplicates of certain consoles. I tried explaining to him it was for a couple of reasons. That some of them I play almost on a daily basis so they'll naturally experience a lot of wear and a backup will eventually be needed. So I get them whenever I find them cheap. Also for older systems if I'm gonna shell out top dollar for some of the rarer expensive titles especially ones for older systems I like the feeling that I'm always have a working units to play them on. He didn't really seem satisfied with my answer and said that I'm just obsessive and a hoarder. :(
What are your guys thoughts on this is owning multiples of consoles a obsessive or hoading behavior?
Your thoughts
it depends how many your talking about, 2,3 maybe 4 is no problem, when you have 5+ of the same console or game, you need to talk to your family physician about OCD,anxiety and mental illness also if you are experiencing extreme difficulties letting go of an item, that's another reason to talk to your family physician
my source of information, i have mental illness and i have some problems with this also i do a lot of research on this type of stuff for some reason
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I don't really see a problem with it. However asking those of us in the collecting circle is kind pointless since we all pretty much do it and will affirm each others actions for the most part. I'm just throwing that out there. I'm not trying to start anything.
I also collect multiples of systems, albeit a little differently. My big thing is hardware or cosmetic design differences. I don't go for limited edition branded consoles. I don't own a Modern Warfare 2 or Halo 3 Xbox 360 with my Arcade that I currently use, but I don't see the problem owning my Arcade, a Slim, and an E model.
My big thing is how do they differ outside and inside. What is their setup? How do they differ during disassemble? What can I learn when it comes time for a unit to fail? I'm actually actively looking for the alternate 360's and PS3's at the moment. System function is optional. Especially when I first get them I'll grab my tool kit and dive in.
I do own many duplicates of some systems. I'm working on getting them fixed up and out though. Come to think of it I don't even know why they are listed in my collection here. Time for some clean up.
Wow that's one heck of a tangent. Sorry about that. :(
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I don't see it as a problem. I have a few Game Boys, and couple Game Boy Pockets and one of each different hardware version (GB, Play it Loud, GBP, GBL and GBC). 2 Original DS systems and a DS Lite. I have 2 NES consoles, both of which don't work but I've held onto for parts and I've had a couple PS2s.
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I suffer from this a little bit. I have 4 NES, 2 SNES, 2 N64, 4 Atari 2600, 4 PS1 and my worst offender is my 7 Sega Genesis consoles. I want to get rid of them, but I start parting it out and realize I can't find enough cables for all of them and I'm reluctant to sell them off if I leave myself without a way to hook them up. Usually, I acquire these duplicate consoles when I find them at garage sales with a bunch of games and they don't want to split it up. I want the games, so I end up with extra consoles.
The only system I purposefully collect multiples are Gameboys, where I want to eventually collect all the primary color variations. I probably wont' go any further than GBC though. I don't need 50 gameboys in different colors sitting around here :)
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I suffer from this a little bit. I have 4 NES, 2 SNES, 2 N64, 4 Atari 2600, 4 PS1 and my worst offender is my 7 Sega Genesis consoles. I want to get rid of them, but I start parting it out and realize I can't find enough cables for all of them and I'm reluctant to sell them off if I leave myself without a way to hook them up. Usually, I acquire these duplicate consoles when I find them at garage sales with a bunch of games and they don't want to split it up. I want the games, so I end up with extra consoles.
The only system I purposefully collect multiples are Gameboys, where I want to eventually collect all the primary color variations. I probably wont' go any further than GBC though. I don't need 50 gameboys in different colors sitting around here :)
I have the same problem with Genesis consoles. Everyone and their mother has one around here. If I buy a Genesis lot, I end up with another console ::)
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Only if *YOU* consider it to be so ;)
Hoarder/not a hoarder is something that each of us need to define & decide for ourselves, I think...
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Let me start by saying that I'm a psychology major and my area of interest is abnormal psychology.
In short, no, you are neither obsessive nor a hoarder (based on the information you've provided). In abnormal psychology, we define a behavior as "bad" only if it interferes with a person's ability to enjoy their life. The key point is that you said you primarily have multiple copies of rare games and even then you usually only buy duplicates if you can find them on sale.
1) An obsession means you cannot stop thinking about it. Unless you spend most of your free time looking for duplicates, you're not obsessive. It's one thing to walk by a video game store when on vacation and pop in to see if there are any good deals. It's another to plan a vacation in California and ONLY go to video game stores looking for deals.
2) A hoarder is someone who does not stop collecting. In your case, if you came across a copy of a rare game that was at a good price and you already have five copies of that game, would you buy that copy? A hoarder would buy the game at a low price no matter how many copies they owned.
Hope this helps :)
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Well, I admit to myself that I'm a hoarder even though I don't collect multiples. Sometimes I like to be hypocritical and cry hoarder when someone collects multiples of the same game just because there is a slight variant. That doesn't mean the game is different! Why do you need the same game in every fashion that it was printed at the factory?! You will never use all of them!! Oh well, collect/hoard however you like. ;)
Let me start by saying that I'm a psychology major and my area of interest is abnormal psychology.
In short, no, you are neither obsessive nor a hoarder (based on the information you've provided). In abnormal psychology, we define a behavior as "bad" only if it interferes with a person's ability to enjoy their life. The key point is that you said you primarily have multiple copies of rare games and even then you usually only buy duplicates if you can find them on sale.
1) An obsession means you cannot stop thinking about it. Unless you spend most of your free time looking for duplicates, you're not obsessive. It's one thing to walk by a video game store when on vacation and pop in to see if there are any good deals. It's another to plan a vacation in California and ONLY go to video game stores looking for deals.
2) A hoarder is someone who does not stop collecting. In your case, if you came across a copy of a rare game that was at a good price and you already have five copies of that game, would you buy that copy? A hoarder would buy the game at a low price no matter how many copies they owned.
Hope this helps :)
Well, who among us isn't nearly always thinking about video games? I'd say it's an obsession, at least for me. Yeah, I'm always searching for something. I'd prefer to find something I don't have. I have driven hours just to visit other towns and scour them for games. I'd also of course, buy up a copy of something I already had if the price were right. I always see it as possible trade material, another way to get a game I don't have.
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I think it depends on the entire situation. If you are sitting on 20+ of the same exact console and none of them either 1) are used or 2) work, then you are on the level of hoarding. I personally have more than 1 of Gamecube (blue/black/silver), Playstation (original and PSOne), Wii (Original and mini), NES (Front loader and top loader), and SNES (Original and mini).
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I have multiple Genesis consoles but that is only because I bought lots for the games. Some of them are broken and I am missing too many parts to put together a set. But just last weekend I put together a Model 1 kit and got about 15 of my duplicate carts together and gave it to a friend.
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A hoarder would buy the game at a low price no matter how many copies they owned.
As would a collector who also buys, trades, and sells/resells ;)
I see a copy of Suikoden 2 for $5...even if I had 20 of them...I'd buy it just to re-sell and/or put in the "trade material" category ;D
My point?
It doesn't so much come down to *what* you do -but- *why* you're doing it!
In this case, if you were buying a 21st copy as a "backup" for when your other 20 copies get scratched/no longer work = it would (IMO), signify something different that buying it in the way that I stated above 8)
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A hoarder would buy the game at a low price no matter how many copies they owned.
As would a collector who also buys, trades, and sells/resells ;)
I see a copy of Suikoden 2 for $5...even if I had 20 of them...I'd buy it just to re-sell and/or put in the "trade material" category ;D
My point?
It doesn't so much come down to *what* you do -but- *why* you're doing it!
In this case, if you were buying a 21st copy as a "backup" for when your other 20 copies get scratched/no longer work = it would (IMO), signify something different that buying it in the way that I stated above 8)
In Suikoden 2's case, I'd probably get 20 copies for the hell of it. That game is just too amazing ;D
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Ha, I wish I could stumble on a $5 copy of Suikoden II.
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A hoarder would buy the game at a low price no matter how many copies they owned.
As would a collector who also buys, trades, and sells/resells ;)
I see a copy of Suikoden 2 for $5...even if I had 20 of them...I'd buy it just to re-sell and/or put in the "trade material" category ;D
My point?
It doesn't so much come down to *what* you do -but- *why* you're doing it!
In this case, if you were buying a 21st copy as a "backup" for when your other 20 copies get scratched/no longer work = it would (IMO), signify something different that buying it in the way that I stated above 8)
I knew someone was going to say that XD
You actually missed the most important point. The behavior has to be interfering with the person's life. It is a combination of both the what and why that ultimately allows a you to determine if a person is suffering from a mental disorder.
If you just look at why someone is doing something, then someone who compulsively washes their hands 3,000 times a day (there is a case study about someone like that) is merely being thorough. Also, if you've broken 20 copies of a game and are buying a working copy, that's simply replacing something that's broken.
Understand that I'm trying to condense what I've learned in 3 years into a couple of paragraphs so there are a lot of things I'm just skimming over just to get the main points across.
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Having a back-up in case one breaks is smart. Or having one or two extras for spare parts. And having extras if you're gonna sell them makes sense. But otherwise, yeah, it kind of is hoarding in my eyes. What do you need 10 Xboxes or whatever for?
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A hoarder would buy the game at a low price no matter how many copies they owned.
As would a collector who also buys, trades, and sells/resells ;)
I see a copy of Suikoden 2 for $5...even if I had 20 of them...I'd buy it just to re-sell and/or put in the "trade material" category ;D
My point?
It doesn't so much come down to *what* you do -but- *why* you're doing it!
In this case, if you were buying a 21st copy as a "backup" for when your other 20 copies get scratched/no longer work = it would (IMO), signify something different that buying it in the way that I stated above 8)
I knew someone was going to say that XD
You actually missed the most important point. The behavior has to be interfering with the person's life. It is a combination of both the what and why that ultimately allows a you to determine if a person is suffering from a mental disorder.
If you just look at why someone is doing something, then someone who compulsively washes their hands 3,000 times a day (there is a case study about someone like that) is merely being thorough. Also, if you've broken 20 copies of a game and are buying a working copy, that's simply replacing something that's broken.
Understand that I'm trying to condense what I've learned in 3 years into a couple of paragraphs so there are a lot of things I'm just skimming over just to get the main points across.
Fair enough 8)
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What do you need 10 Xboxes or whatever for?
LANing Halo 2. >_>
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Obesssion is such a dirty word. But in actuality it's not so bad, in my opinion it's the lesser of the two evils video game obbession compared to other obbessions. To say it does not influence you or your decisions at all, or doesn't effect your daily life is total nonsense sorry from the people you meet to things you do they shall haunt you forever even after the person or thing has ceased to exist that's the cold reality. So tread carefully. If your worried about the console breaking with it will break down then that must mean all consoles will break down totally meaning collecting consoles is pointless which means collecting video games is pointless if they all break down or die in the end.
I say again be careful where you tread there's gold farming in WoW they keep telling themselves there going to make money off it but they never end doing so, and things all get worse at that point. Only afew elite experts actually make anything.
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What do you need 10 Xboxes or whatever for?
LANing Halo 2. >_>
Touche.
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I used to have backup systems, but the only instance where it truly made any sense was my 2 PS2s, where one played blue discs but not PS1 games while the other was the other way around. I think a lot of it is paranoid thinking, worrying about things that haven't happened yet. Systems are easy to replace, especially with all of the after market ones coming out all the time. Having multiples makes you feel 'in control', which certainly has a psychological component, but if it's obsessive is another story. FYI, I didn't regret selling my duplicates at all.
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What do you need 10 Xboxes or whatever for?
LANing Halo 2. >_>
Halo LAN's were the best lol Me and my buddies would regularly hook up Halo 1 and 2 in his downstairs with 4 tv's and systems and get as many friends and family over as we could for big matches lol
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I own multiples of consoles. I own multiple XBox consoles. They are just easy to find at flea markets now. I picked up a spare as a bundle deal with the 25 or so games for $30. I'd like to mod it some day perhaps.
I actively buy SEGA CD, Saturn, and Dreamcast consoles when they are on the cheap. These I worry about dying. Oddly enough, the newer they are, the more worried I am. The SEGA CD is pretty rock solid. But the lasers will burn out. I've never tried replacing one. The Dreamcast... damn those GD-Rom drives. I would not mind having 5 or so of those. If I could find one brand new, I would not be opposed to paying the original MSRP for it. It would sit back as a final replacement. But even then, I don't know. You can find them really cheap right now still. 10 used ones or 1 new one... I'll take the 10 used ones in most cases.
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Ha, I wish I could stumble on a $5 copy of Suikoden II.
Lowest price I paid for a complete Suikoden II was around $70, but the seller never shipped it complete. Still upsets me a little thinking back on that.
As far as collecting multiples of a console... Modding and tinkering/repairing would be great options/skills to have.
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Guilty. Very guilty. I have over 20 Atari 2600 consoles. Granted, those are divided up into the various models - Regular Heavy, Sears heavy, sears light sixer, regular light sixer, 4 switch woody, vader, junior, gemini, etc. BUT I also have about 6 Atari 7800's, 3 800XL's, 5 Coco 3's, 6 Genesis, 10 NES toasters, 3 SNES and 3 TG-16's.
My excuse is a parts and backups excuse, perhaps not a good one, but it's the one I'm going with. I'm only a hardware hoarder though, I'm not like that with the games.
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The debate on collecting vs hoarding has too many variables and arguments to make a tidy ruling on most of the time.... I myself had many console variants for a while and ended up parting with a lot of them just to save room.... I think the fact I was able to easily enough sell them off rules out hoarding.... Mentality would be a part of this I would think.... Hoarding is related to an inability to part with objects due to a disorder as far as I know.... I think if it is something that you CAN do then it is probably not hoarding.... To break it down:
Hoarding can be one of two things.... The original definition which was to stockpile foodstuffs or gear for survival reasons. Preppers hoard goods for a very different reason than what is commonly referred to as hoarding now.... The second and more commonly know form of hoarding is related to anxiety disorder (such as OCD) where the perceived importance of said hoarded items exceeds the actual true value.... I think "compulsive hoarding" is the definition that most people are actually referring to where the build up from hoarding has significant negative attributes and is directly linked with more severe anxiety disorders.... In conclusion, I believe that a vast majority of collecting is not directly associated with "hoarding" as it is commonly referred to know as compulsive hoarding or rather hoarding disorder.... Since it was only recently officially defined as a mental disorder in 2013 though, it may be a premature conclusion....
TL:DR - Collecting isn't hoarding in most cases.... Don't worry, we're cool.... 8)
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Very well put Teck. While collecting isn't hoarding I would say it's definity obbsesive. :3
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The problem with calling excessive game collecting "hoarding" is that you're pigeonholing one particular hobby into an entire disorder. Unless you keep all kinds of things and never throw anything out, you're not a hoarder.
Since personally, I'm only like this with game collecting and I prefer the rest of my house and life clutter free and tidy, I know I'm not a hoarder. I'm just a worry-wart about my consoles ;)
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2) A hoarder is someone who does not stop collecting.
Then I'm definitely not a hoarder. Although I can't say I'll ever be "finished" collecting it's definitely slowed to a crawl in the last few months and I've been contemplating more purging.
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The problem with calling excessive game collecting "hoarding" is that you're pigeonholing one particular hobby into an entire disorder. Unless you keep all kinds of things and never throw anything out, you're not a hoarder.
Since personally, I'm only like this with game collecting and I prefer the rest of my house and life clutter free and tidy, I know I'm not a hoarder. I'm just a worry-wart about my consoles ;)
There is a fine line here though.... There have been many hoarding cases where the items being hoarded were of one specific type.... For example, I recall a situation where a woman would always keep every newspaper or magazine and had an entire living room stuffed with stacks of years and years of old paper.... She did not exhibit any hoarding traits for other types of items though.... Mindset sets us apart more than anything else I think.... I believe value is hard sell as an argument, especially when we all collect a lot that ends up being worthless.... 100 years from now for all we know any physical media collector may be considered a hoarder.... Who knows~?
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The problem with calling excessive game collecting "hoarding" is that you're pigeonholing one particular hobby into an entire disorder. Unless you keep all kinds of things and never throw anything out, you're not a hoarder.
Since personally, I'm only like this with game collecting and I prefer the rest of my house and life clutter free and tidy, I know I'm not a hoarder. I'm just a worry-wart about my consoles ;)
I now realize I am a hoarder. I've just been able to hide it for a long time because I have a big garage. :)
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The problem with calling excessive game collecting "hoarding" is that you're pigeonholing one particular hobby into an entire disorder. Unless you keep all kinds of things and never throw anything out, you're not a hoarder.
Since personally, I'm only like this with game collecting and I prefer the rest of my house and life clutter free and tidy, I know I'm not a hoarder. I'm just a worry-wart about my consoles ;)
I now realize I am a hoarder. I've just been able to hide it for a long time because I have a big garage. :)
Ahh, but are you consciously keeping stuff or are you just too lazy to throw it out~? I have a shed full of shit I don't need, but mostly because I can't be troubled to deal with it....
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Ahh, but are you consciously keeping stuff or are you just too lazy to throw it out~? I have a shed full of shit I don't need, but mostly because I can't be troubled to deal with it....
For example. I don't throw away twisty ties. Ever. Because I might be able to use them to wrangle cables at some point.
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Ahh, but are you consciously keeping stuff or are you just too lazy to throw it out~? I have a shed full of shit I don't need, but mostly because I can't be troubled to deal with it....
For example. I don't throw away twisty ties. Ever. Because I might be able to use them to wrangle cables at some point.
Hmm.... How many would you say you have saved~? A hundred~? A thousand~? Several trash bags full~? I'd keep it under a thousand to call it safe.... They can come in incredibly handy and may be used dozens at a time.... Also a few hundred don't even take up that much room so it is easy to lose track of how many you actually have....
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Hmm.... How many would you say you have saved~? A hundred~? A thousand~? Several trash bags full~? I'd keep it under a thousand to call it safe.... They can come in incredibly handy and may be used dozens at a time.... Also a few hundred don't even take up that much room so it is easy to lose track of how many you actually have....
Only a couple hundred. I spose there is hope for me after all. :)
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Hmm.... How many would you say you have saved~? A hundred~? A thousand~? Several trash bags full~? I'd keep it under a thousand to call it safe.... They can come in incredibly handy and may be used dozens at a time.... Also a few hundred don't even take up that much room so it is easy to lose track of how many you actually have....
Only a couple hundred. I spose there is hope for me after all. :)
Yup.... You're not quite crazy yet~!