Beginner Parts Stock

[mentaldemise]

Sorry in advance, I'm sure this has been asked a hundred times. What sort of stuff do I need to get a start? I've ordered a few TTL "Grab Bags" and am waiting for those to come in. What is some other stuff that I should sort of stock up on in advance? I did get a scope , and have 2 DMMs. I assembled a little "DIY" ESR/Capacitance meter this evening. Seems most schematics I look at, and the very few I can read, always seem to rely on something I don't have. Inverter, decade counter, etc.. Does anyone have suggestions for a "kit" to build of basic components to have on hand? What sort of stuff should I just have on hand for blowing up/needing for intro level stuff?

Things I do have on the way:
Ceramic Cap assortment
Electrolytic Cap Assortment
Plenty Of resistors on hand already
Some 74 series "grab bags"
DIP sockets
Various Voltage Regulators
Resettable Poly Fuses
PerfBoard
Transistor Assortment
Heat-shrink Tubing

[Shock]

In case you don't have it prototype board and hookup wires. Power supply and cables/banana jacks. Alligator clips to make some more cables. Soldering station, flux, sucker, wick.

Then buy components whenever you have a project or repair and grab extras at that time. Don't focus on things you don't have an immediate use for, it will sit there and gather dust forever.

[Shock]

First kit ideas: 555 timer, function/wave/signal generator, voltage regulator module for your prototype board, build your own arduino, audio amplifier.

[JohnnyBerg]

Here is a nice list (in German, but you get the idea) over some lab stock:

https://www.mikrocontroller.net/articles/Standardbauelemente

[KerryW]

It depends on what you want to do, of course.

Some parts you will always find a use for:
Diodes - 1N4007, 1N4148, maybe some Schottky
555 Timers
Op amps - TL081, TL084, LM324
Voltage comparators - LM311, LM339
ULN2803
Voltage references
Pots - 1K, 10K, 100K

[robgambrill]

 I have saved a lot of money by scavenging parts from dead or obsolete boards. Work great for experiments.

 Trimmed leads don't work so well on bread boards but they are fine for strip or prototyping boards.

 Just don't let anyone know you do this. I recently came home and found a huge stack of dead electronics on my front porch. On top was a little post it note from an old girlfriend that read "I thought you could use these for parts".

 I appreciated the thought, but when people start giving you stuff it piles up fast. I am going to have to go to the recycling center soon.

[Seekonk]

Buy yourself a cheap grinder with a thin cutoff wheel.  Circuit boards are loaded with lots of usable sub assemblies.  The cheap one sided boards are often the best since you have access to cut traces and you get a board to mount components to.. 

[mentaldemise]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I have a request out to co-workers to give me all their broken junk to take apart! Hopefully that pays off.