Kit club or full collection?

Ooo, tough decision. I used to have this problem back when Studio Calico used to design their kits with a mix of designers and exclusives. I also had an Archivers near me that I could spend a LOT of time and money in. I think it depends on how you like to scrap. I really like cohesiveness, so playing with a collection really worked for me, and I liked to collect as much of them as I could. It's also the reason I really liked SC kits. They did all of the curating and made everything match and look great so I didn't have to try to mix up a bunch of my stash. If you like to pick out bits and pieces and try to mix it up to get a fresh, eclectic page, then I might stick with your kits. If you like your pages to look a little more matchy, then I would invest in a collection. Especially if the collection comes from a designer that Hip Kits doesn't often use (you'll get a lot of the AC brands, obvi, because AC dominates scrapbooking right now).

I no longer buy full collections but just take whatever comes in my sub. I've found in the past that if I buy too much, I can't use it up or get sick of it before that happens.

This was always my problem. If I waited to see what was in a kit, I would often miss out on buying a collection in store, so then I might end up with duplication when I did buy the collection immediately.
I budget better when I'm in complete control.
What I MISS is some of the cool embellishments (like hip kit has exclusive die cuts) or things I wouldn't buy myself but then discovered were wonderful to design with...

I loved kits, but I really think my budget suffers less this way.

I like options, so I will often get the whole collection If I like a manufacturer and like a collection's theme, I will get the whole thing (with some extra papers sometimes). I don't worry about duplicates. They make me less nervous about actually using pretty things. (If I wreck something, I can try again)

What I like kits for is to introduce me to products I wouldn't look for on my own. And to give me coordinating products from different lines or manufacturers.

I only pick the collections I really love if I want more than what I get in my kit. Sometimes it's a hard decision but I usually end up just getting the kit.

This is so me! I rarely spy a papercrafting kit where I wanted to use enough in it to justify the price, let alone a series of kits. I did buy a Freckled Fawn journaling embellishment baggie once. Mostly for the stamp... hehe! Occasionally I'm tempted by the SSS card kits, but nowadays they sell out so fast, and again, I can always just get the stamp alone. Mainly I'd so much rather buy what I like as it comes out -- and I pick and choose from collections too. I don't think I've ever bought a whole line. I never get stuck with dupes or stuff I dislike, and I get all the fun of shopping.

That said, I watch kit unboxing videos all the time. Gives me ideas for what to buy on my own!