[donmuth]

I haven't beat the monster yet, but hope to one day. I'm at about 70 cards, so around 13% complete now.

Mainly I have taken the opportunistic approach - i.e. whenever I find a deal and have some spare cash I'll pick up a card or two.

My more methodical self has been working on the complete backs set (toughest one I have now is a Carolina Brights) as well as pursuing Cubs/Detroit/Giants/Pittsburgh team sets, SL'ers, and any of the tougher commons (150 only series, Ganley, etc.).

I've been at this since the late 1980's, but haven't been putting all my focus or resources into it.

The benefit of breaking down the monster into subsets and tackling those is that you get rewarded sooner and more often when you complete a subset (think of it like the Dave Ramsey debt snowball idea... it gets you excited about continuing on the path!). However, there's a catch... you can sometimes be halted in your tracks waiting for that one last card in the right condition, at the right price, at the right time (e.g. catching it before someone else does on the B/S/T) to become available.

So, my best recommendation is be flexible in everything - the order in which you acquire the cards, the condition, etc. Every card you pick up is one closer to the end and they are all great. Enjoy crossing off even the most common of commons from your want list. It'll make the trip easier and much more fun!