Originally Posted by
quiltingshorttimer
for storage you can get wire racks at the local walmart that people use on desks to divide and keep files upright. You do best not stacking them on top of each other.
This works somewhat well... not so much for the longer/taller dies, but the shorter ones this does OK. And before you buy them at WalMart, check your local Thrift store, you can find these racks for a dollar or less there.
As far as the rest of the OP's question goes...
Definitely get the extra cutting "mat/pad" (this is the part that goes on top of the fabric after it's on the die). These do wear out fairly quickly. When using them, be sure to "stagger" how you place them across the die - if you keep placing them the exact same way, the die will cut into them deeper and deeper, eventually cutting all the way through.
If you're an applique person, they have numerous dies that are perfect for applique.
Definitely think about the shapes you use the most. For example, it seems that Bonnie Hunter uses the "tri-recs" triangle in a square rather extensively, especially in her Mystery Quilts. The corresponding Accuquilt die was a lifesaver for me on this (Accuquilt actually has 3 sizes of this die). The HST dies are awesome as well, and of course the strip dies.
Before you buy one of their "block" sets, look to see just which dies that entails, and THINK about how you would (or would NOT) use them. It's not a bargain if you only use one particular die from the set.
I agree with the remark about using a Sharpie on the foam to better differentiate where the blades of the die lie. Most of my dies are older (before they started doing the "two-tone" effect), so this was critical for me.