I made a rule where I can only buy cards that I consider to be holy grails. It’s worked out well so far. I only have 10 cards in my collection.
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Me Pikachu, but that doesn’t really help as a limit, lol 
More than 125 Pikachus have been released with Sun & Moon alone thus in 2017…
But you’re right. It’s still a limit. In the past six months I’ve barely bought any cards for my regular Pokémon collection. All is focused on Pikachu, Seviper, Mimikyu and Moltres WotC #21 promo artwork. So collecting one or a few Pokémon only is indeed a great limit (just don’t pick Pikachu or Charizards 
).
Greetz,
Quuador
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I check eBay every day to see if there’s something that interests me, but mostly I can control myself quite well. Do I really want this, can I really afford this right now, is it important for my collection? Usually I go ahead with the purchase if the answer for all those questions is yes or if it’s a card I’ve been looking for a while. Honestly I think I’ve been getting better with it as time goes by. And if you have some extra or have saved some money for your collection then you can treat yourself from time to time 
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Being broke always helps.
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with difficulty 
i’m trying to stay focused on specific collection goals and take it one step at a time. it’s easy to get distracted but i remind myself that even if there’s a good deal on [x] card, i don’t actually want that card as much as i want the cards in my targeted collection goals, and it’s easier to let it pass by. my biggest rule for myself is “don’t buy it unless you love it.” even if it’s below market value, if i don’t love the card and won’t truly appreciate having it in my collection, i let it go. there’s cards i want much more, and that money is better spent on those.
plus, it makes it more fun and satisfying to add new things to my collection, as they’re always things that i’m really excited about.
of course, when the deals pop up with my favourite cards, that’s a whole other story… 
at that point i have to weigh the pros and cons of purchasing. if it’s something extremely scarce, and something i would deeply regret letting pass by, i don’t mind putting myself in a temporary tight spot-- i can always make the money i lost back with a bit of time, and will be happier with my choice long-term. however, if it’s something i see on the open market a lot and am reasonably sure i’ll see again, even if not at that specific price, i’ll let the deal go.
it’s hard because i don’t make a lot of money in the first place, and i have to put money away for an upcoming trip to japan, too.
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I’ve been there once or twice myself lol.
When i first started i struggled with this alot, now i have a set of wants and unless i find an absolute steal i will only purchse cards that are on tbat list.