This is a very good question and a great idea for a thread, Darth_Anton.
At this point, I've been doing a lot of thinking about my collecting habits and what I have in my collection right now as it relates to my future, both financially and emotionally. My first love is and always will be the films, and if all I had was the DVDs of the six films, that would really be all I would need.
I began collecting again as an adult in 1995 not only because it allowed me to own a piece of the films (plastic reproduction of questionable scale or not), but because it made me happy. I've found in recent years that there is very little in life that can give you joy, especially in these troubled times, so it is best that we take what we can get. So many people look for the "big" happiness that they take for granted the small things that bring them joy, even for a single moment.
This has been difficult for me because, despite the new film making me smile and cry (for good), keeping up with the toys I want to buy has been wearing on me because a lot of times it just isn't much fun walking into Wal-Mart or Target and finding nothing that you're looking for for weeks at a time. I've never been a "thrill of the hunt" proponent like a lot of people, and I would be happiest if there was some way that I could just go into Target or WM once a month, walk out with everything I wanted and not have to deal with the hassle.
I have even toyed with the idea of selling the vast majority of my collection (all of which are loose with a few exceptions), because of space, financial concerns, and (most importantly) health concerns. What I keep coming back to and what keeps me from actually doing it is why I started collecting again to begin with: every single piece in my collection* makes me smile or brings me happiness and if it doesn't, I have no need for it. Most of my favorite pieces are things that have very little if any monetary value, but they have immense sentimental value. That's why I can't give it up, and despite my constant (and redundant and ad nauseum) complaining about Hasbro, why I want to keep going. Because in a world where there is very little joy, it's nice to have something that lets you smile for just a few minutes.
So, umm, yeah, I'll keep collecting what I want until I can't afford to buy anymore or until it stops being fun at all. Age will have no bearing on this at all.
*Okay, so the Jar Jar with Gungan Assault Cannon and Darth Maul with Sith Attack Speeder make me wince and wonder why I even have them in the first place, but everything else makes me happy.
