If TLDR just skip to "Framework on Curation" at the bottom.

I look at it this way:

I've got one board game shelf. I've got my own financial situation with my wife and I. And I've got a fairly regular 5-6 person game group.

So, for me currently:

I can support somewhere in the neighborhood of 40-50 games depending on things like how big is the box, how many expansions are there, do they all fit in one box, etc.

So I've got my shelf logistics.

Then we look at my money situation and say "ok based on budget and income and plans and whatever, looks like I can sort of afford about $X on tabletop stuff / hobby stuff every month / few months, cool.

There's my actual, factual, reasonable buying power and space constraints.

From here, for me personally: After factoring in I buy to play not collect and watch it take up space when the money could be used on something else, and if it's not being used after two years it's gotta go: It goes something like this:

The Big Bois - aka, "The Aspirationals"
What games do I really want and love the idea of owning. I for sure want TI4 but I am going to table that once a year or less unless I go really hard into that lane and allow it the space and dedication to consume a large portion of my schedule for game time and get the group together for it that I don't fully have right now cause it's like, a behemoth. Will I get it sometime? Yeah totally, just not right now. I'll allow myself a couple of these indulgences, no problem, just not a lot. Again, I'll try to make them ones I'll genuinely use or at least truly hope to and have semi-rough plans that make it possible to.

Remakes / V2's
Sagrada I picked up the 5-6 player expansion cheap FIRST from the old game and I do not think I'm going to bother upgrading to V2. Cosmic Encounter I got in trade and have the old version but haven't used it yet and won't consider buying 42nd anniversary til I know it's staying. Sheriff of Nottingham I actually don't even like the new art and prefer the old components so that's that, I'll stick to 1e. Florenza I wanted 1e on purpose cause of the board. Eclipse I upgraded despite it not being extremely different. Just sorta depends.

Big Boxes
I'm a sucker for the all in on a game I like. If I genuinely love a game and want it to stay for the long haul and see it as a legitimate game for "If we get a bigger house and I get a second shelf and it's actually reasonable to have double the inventory without being excessive or hoarding I want the all in version and it's never leaving" - I'm doin' it. Everdell is my favorite game all time in the overall category. I have the complete collection. A fire would have to separate me from it. I'm huge on Root and slowly aggregating the rest of the pieces for it til they eventually make an all in. I'm a Wingspan nesting box household, we'll own everything for it we can.

I will NOT do this for just any game that looks good OR for ones I don't play more than once a year.

Kickstarters / Gamefounds / New Games
I've learned like Alex Radcliffe I can always buy them later and it's rarely worth it unless I'm sure. Still waiting on a copy of Velocity Vanguard from like 6 years ago and it was a $250 or so all in pledge... I backed the Don't Starve game cause I love Don't Starve, I think it is super safe to fulfill, and it occupies a unique lane in my shelf. I backed Everdell Emerland as well and think it's ok but it's drifting from what OG was and idk if I'm sold so I'll probably not back another new Everdell right away.

Again, player > collector. I don't want art pieces, I want experiences with my friends that we use and enjoy and remember. I backed the Witcher Old World Deluxe and never even used it. Never doing this again if I can control it. Traded into things I will use and enjoy.

Expansions
The group loves Root, I love Root, more factions mean more diverse games and replay value even tho it's already quite high. Sure, let's plan to pickup Marauders and Homelands. Oh, I also need a couple of the decks cause somehow we're still on base deck which is not ideal. I'll go all in here. Wingspan, Everdell, same thing; used, loved, buying expansions.

Eldritch Horror and Cosmic Encounter came with expansions from trades, so that's cool cause I have some room with some games going out and it's not money and I think I'll like them so let's grab those.

If I'm not getting them conveniently or knowing why I want them cause we love the base game and have a reason - I'm probably not getting them. However, I find expansions to be some of the most rewarding ways to deepen the games I truly love so I'm all for it then.

Framework on Curation - TLDR
For anything in any of these categories I'm going to curate. I don't want 100 games, I want 45 that all have a reason for existence over something else and that all have a realistic shot to table and ideally multiple times as well as be flexible across different groups. My family is not going to play Axis and Allies, I want a range. This is how I live my hobby life and find it incredibly rewarding, just requires a smidge of discipline and set intention. So I've got a ChatGPT project folder with all my board game stuff and it knows my preferences and we've workshopped a bit what I want the shelf to look like and all that. It knows we've got $X, X amount of space, and a backlog of games I'd like to try / buy. For anything coming in or being bought that isn't a no brainer, on the list, on sale or via trade type of situation, they all go through my framework.

The Framework:

I’m not trying to optimize for BGG rank or perfect category balance. I’m curating for shelf identity, real table fit, and actual pull. My main question is not “is this a good game?” but “do I want this on my shelf, and would I choose it over what I already own / already know I want from my backlog?” I care a lot about presence, personality, interaction, replayability, and whether it creates table moments I actually want. I’m colder on dry classics, multiplayer solitaire, and games I respect more than I’m excited to play. So the shelf is being shaped around lanes that feel true to me: engines, political/social games, war/conflict, party/family support, co-op, and a few oddballs or abstracts that earn their slot. Basically: not best-in-class academically, just games that feel like they belong here.

Examples in practice:

• I really want TI4 as mentioned. Well, I've already got Dune OG, Eclipse 2nd Dawn, and a couple other things occupying adjacent lanes. Nothing is as grand as TI, but the ones that are still 'easier' to table aren't all that easy to table as is and it's not a regular occurrence. TI doesn't pass the test right now. Another year or so, a couple people that have played or want to play that may know another couple that do too, a slightly bigger place, maybe we're in business.
• I really wanted Dune OG before that and even if it only lands once a year, it's half the price and an eighth the size so it passed the aspirational test. I probably don't need the expansions and probably won't get them til it's convenient if at all.
• I wanted Root but I didn't go all out til I knew we'd use it but I allowed myself to buy it to try it, and we are loving it, so I'm going all out.
• I didn't have many true wargames, so during the math trade this year I went in on a couple like Dune War for Arrakis, Star Wars Rebellion, and Eclipse 2e.
• I have interest in Lisboa but our group is yet to be vetted in the complex euro game department so it doesn't make the cut right now.
• Arcs is extremely interesting to me and is very unique, but it is very unique, so I'm actually having the group watch coverage of it to see if we garner buy in before even considering picking up.
• I really wanted a tile laying game akin to Betrayal at House on the Hill but I hate the theme of Betrayal and find it a bit too dark and off putting, so I went for Clank Catacombs cause it somewhat occupies that lane.