It's been years now, but especially started ramping up once I bought a house and had the cellar space to expand- my little appartmemt wasn't ready to handle the collection before that. I had a bad habit of going to my local international foods markets, seeing a spice I didn't recognize, and bringing it home to research later. Even the weird one-offs get a jar, a label, a kiss, and a place on the shelf.

Almost all are individual spices, but I do have a handful of blends. Except for one that was a gift, they're all homemade blends, though (taco seasoning, Donair spice, chaat masala, garam masala, lemon pepper, Japanese curry powder...).

All my baking stuff is left in the pantry (cocoa powder, cream of tartar, BP, BS...) So they aren't counted in with the spices. I tend to just throw together my own grill seasonings in the moment.

Honestly, I love my collection. Aside from the fresh ing. I would need, it makes me feel like I'm capable of making literally any dish I can think of. A million flavour combinations and opportunities to be creative.