The 2012 Gramblorg Challenge

So as 2011 came to a close, my wife and I began a budgeting process.  Part of this process identified areas where we felt we had spent too much money in 2011.

My wife found her area, and me, I found mine.  LEGO.This did not create an argument, but a good discussion about how much LEGO does one person really need?

I can't help but salivate at the site of new LEGO sets, especially new minifig elements - I'm a sucker for LEGO people!  But when it comes to the actual structures, I began to wonder how much I really needed more bricks and blocks.  Surely I could build most of these new sets out of my current collection, even if I had to swap out a couple of pieces here or there, or if I didn't have the exact colours or unique elements - I could easily build an adequate likeness.  Several sites, such as http://rebrickable.com/, had furthered this idea in my mind as well.  Granted, there are arguments I could make, such as needing more of a specific piece for a specific build, but I'd have to wager that at least 80 percent, if not 90 percent of my collection remains unused currently.  I have bins of disassembled sets and loose bricks lying in wait - and I continue to accumulate more pieces, never giving those old pieces a chance to be used.

So the challenge was issued - to use every piece of LEGO that I own in 2012, and not to buy another piece until I have done so.  I am not sure what kind of structures I will come up with as a result, but I am hoping to build lots of neat and unique looking creations.  I intend to record my progress here, on this site.

Will there be sets and pieces I will miss out on? Yes, most definitely - particularly the minifig series 6 that is launching - so many cool minifigs... But, I think this will be an exciting challenge for me!

So I hope you stay tuned and enjoy the show of what kind of LEGO creations 2012 will bring!