I suspect a lot of us do that - that's why I have tubes of 4164's, etc, for instance. It makes a lot of sense, because it's trivial to implement - it's just as much work to order 10 of something, as 1. But that model isn't really the best, because a lot of the time one winds up needing something one doesn't already have. Which is why it's better to lay in a diversified stock up front. E.g. in wood screws (I do a lot of work in wood, mostly furniture), I have a fairly comprehensive collection; from #6 through #12, all the available lengths (not the very longest ones, though), counter-sunk and round-headed, with both slot and Phillips drive. But doing so in IC's - oi vey! Just in TTL alone, there are dozens of common parts (hundreds, if you count the more obscure ones), and then you get into the whole 74, 74S, 74LS, 74ALS, 74L, 74H, 74F, yadda-yadda. Of course, most of the variants one would never need, but one can't get by with just, e.g. LS; e.g. if I ever get my wish and wind up with a PDP-11/45, that's mostly S, IIRC. I wish there was some _easy_ way to lay in a stock of the most common TTL IC's - e.g. some kind of kit one could buy - but alas, I don't know of any. (Hence my dream of finding and acquiring someone else's collection! :-) Suggestions for the source of such a good diversified 'starter kit' welcome... Noel