My kiddos are allowed to pick out 1 thing each. I make them wait until they have been to all 4 parks to choose.
I, however, can have as many mugs and/or ornaments as I want! 
Like many others I try to keep my collecting to items that I will use in everyday/year life. We also just moved into a new house, so I may be on the hunt for some stuff to decorate the house too.
Merch is horribly tempting. I have the following rules:
I really like pins. They’re relatively cheap and easily transported. Some of them are also really beautiful. I especially like to buy pins that are in some way commemorative of a specific trip, e.g. my TSL pin reminds me of the trip I took when TSL first opened.
Mugs can be beautiful, too, but I don’t use them: they’re purely decorative. They take up a lot of room (in suitcases and in my house) so I’m only allowed one per park total for my whole life.
I went through a phase of collecting Magic Bands. I’m allowed one per trip. They’re light and don’t take up too much space. I might be over this.
Clothes are always a legitimate purchase, provided I will actually wear them back home. I have bought baseball caps, hoodies and jackets. Never t-shirts.
I’m not allowed to buy something I’ve already got in an equivalent form. For example, I have a full set of Starbucks mini mugs, and tree ornaments and pins. If new versions come out (there were new ornaments this year) I am not allowed to buy them.
I have to stop letting @JuliaMc bully me into buying things. I spent an unconscionable amount of money on a Pandora bracelet and charms. I hate wearing it so never do so. But it does remind me of a special day and it is pretty so I keep it, despite her heavy hinting that I should give it to her. She also made me buy an expensive sweater I don’t like and have so far failed to give away.
I have two “ornaments” — a Santa Claus on a spring from Germany and a small statue of Mickey and Pluto — that I just really liked and they make me smile every time I look at them. Objects like this are allowed but are rare.
I’ve given into temptation with key rings a few times. They’re not really allowed and I don’t use them as key rings. But the ones I have bought are just really nice.
We do an ornament for every trip - try to get something distinctive so I remember which trip each is from. Other than that, occasional spirit jersey, gift for nieces or nephew.
As one of the children who has left the house, I didn’t take much with me 
I have a spirit jersey from DLR and one from 2019 MVMCP. They really aren’t that warm, but I love them.
We have a bunch of ornaments, but they are safely back in the attic because we also have a kitten.
We have entirely too many refillable coffee mugs. They are not a collection. They are the bane of my existence.
We do ornaments for trips outside of Disney. I might get one at Disney this time. Otherwise, my kids get to pick one thing each to buy. It’s usually a toy that gets destroyed and/or forgotten about a few months. Most trips, we try to do a dessert party or something. Highly doubt I will be that lucky this trip since it’s that last minute.
Okay first of all, I did NOT bully you into the Pandora bracelet. I merely encouraged your desire to have one and wear it. Which, you should wear it.
Secondly? I’m sorry I bullied you into the sweater. But I really thought you would wear it being in jolly cold England. My husband wears his all the time. 
Thirdly, last time I checked you’re older than I am and therefore it’s all your fault anyway. Duh.
To anyone who doesn’t know us, this is all tongue in cheek and I still adore him so very very much. 
(But Calvin is forever and always my favorite)
I am older than you, and therefore I get easily confused. I’ve never understood dollars and had no idea that buying lots of charms costs more than buying one.
It’s really uncomfortable.
I might have worn it. Except I don’t really wear wool. But when I realised the logo was misaligned the sweater was dead to me.
So would this be considered elder abuse?
Yes. I think it would.
To be fair @juliamc is just like the rest of you people. She’s an enabler.
Enabler and Liner are practically synonymous.
To be fair, I would like @JuliaMc less if she weren’t an enabler. I don’t respond well to being told I can’t do / have something.
And she does try to save me money. Half the time I don’t listen.
My opening line with people is “I’m bad for diets and budgets, so be aware”.
I do so adore @sanstitre_has_left_the_building so very much.
I am sorry the logo is off. I think we can maybe address that to be honest. I didn’t even think of it sooner. 
To answer everyone’s Q above, 1) it’s not a problem with finances, but mostly a clutter issue. I’m trying to tame clutter, which we already had a problem with, after the mass emptying of DH’s family house 3 yrs ago followed by the mass emptying of my parents’ house 1 yr ago. I’m living in a sea of stuff, most of which I don’t actually want, and my back issues prevent me from doing more than a small amount at a time. And, I can’t do much on my own when most of it is DH stuff. Ugh. I’m thinking of ways of limiting what comes in until we can manage to deal with this other stuff (and maybe just keep that up and have less stuff). 2) I too like to buy small pieces of art, pins, and other very tiny objects. I like a precious object that can be in a drawer, such as a stone. I like small jewelry. And, magnets have become my go to souvenir b/c they are so small and yet bring so much joy. We have a door covered with them. 3) I know that the idea that my kids will take their stuff when they leave the house might be fantasy. I just keep thinking that it’s ok to get that mug or that magnet b/c so and so will remove it from the house in a few yrs. We’ll see. 4) Mostly where I went overboard was the first time I traveled overseas, solo, and I bought 3x of all sorts of London souvenirs for my 3 kids. I look at that now and wonder if I can part with one b/c we have the other 2. But, often the 3 were slightly different. I won’t be doing that again, it was too much! But, at the time I didn’t know if I’d be going back to London again (I ended up going 3 times for the same event, which now is probably not happening again). I too love Christmas ornaments and was prompted to write this thread when I saw my WDW ones. I only get one if I see one I really like, except 2019 when I didn’t see one I liked and then grabbed the one I saw at the last possible moment, running out to the car from the hotel store about to miss the train.
Finding a way to incorporate into your everyday life is great. I have been collecting magnets since 1994. In 2014 I came up with the idea of a magnet wall.
Some of you may remember the Magnetron store at Downtown Disney near the Cirque Du Soleil theatre. Every food shaped magnet on this wall came from that store. 
Same. 
December 2020 I had to hunt to find a magnet. Disney had the 2021 out already which I accidentally bought. Soon I’ll wonder, when did we go in 2021?
I’ve bought NP bags for years. They’re so handy when camping, especially. This bag is for taking to bath house, etc. These 4 are library books (before internet).
One of the best things about bags vs t-shirts is that bags always fit!
And often it comes in handy while you’re still on the trip!
I like to buy a picture frame when we travel. I’m still working on actual pictures of our trips being displayed in the frames, though. I have this gorgeous wooden frame from the Poly that I picked up In Jan 2020 and it sits on display in my dining room… with the stock photo still in it. Smh. Magnets that are also photo frames are a bonus in my book. DS9 likes stuffed animals to commerate a trip. My “pew pew” storm trooper mug and the mug from my favorite spot on Cape Cod are favorites for morning coffee, so I think I like mugs too. Clutter Schmutter! I love putting things in “memory boxes” and taking them out to hold that memory in my hands. Instant smile recipe.
I love your magnet wall! It’s a lot neater than mine b/c that door still has a lot of old kids art projects on it being held up by the magnets.
I mostly get pins and the occasional sweatshirt or clothing item. DD7 is allowed to pick out one thing which tends to be a stuffed animal every time (Dear god, my house is filled with stuffies!!)
My husband tends to have trouble “letting things go” and I like to clean house, so we try not to bring useless things in the house
my mantra is “one in, one out”
if you buy a shirt, you need to put one in the donation pile. Its works most of the time.
