What to get really depends on budget to be honest. We have been fortunate that we have sold some of dds baby stuff (pram, clothes etc) as well as some stuff of that dh had collected a while back and put that back into buying Lego. Right time right place kinda thing. Which has meant we've been able to buy things like the boat without feeling like the budget is stretched too far. A lot if the sets we have are the smaller sets. $5 for an animal set from the friends theme, or even $ 15 for some of the sets isn't as daunting as $80 plus fir a big set, or $130+ for a Christmas set...

Personally, I think for value for money, the "bricks and more" sets are one of the best. They are targeted at younger kids and are really versatile. Safari set has been a fave with dd. Was $13 or $15. From big w. Ummmmm the big pink or blue tubs are only around the $50 mark. The mega box (with $16 pieces) is $79 at Kmart (and has been that price at our local target for at least four years!). This set does have small pieces too so I've divided it up to keep the tiny bits out of general play. There is also a cube in kmart for $39 with 600 pieces - and it looks to be all the bigger pieces.... I love the creator sets too. Love that they have multiple designs in one pack. Have found a couple of car sets that dd neeeeeeds now. One is the set ZF got from our dd for her bday (car/quadbike on one set). Another is a roadster car that becomes a really old fashioned car and a 4wd. Then there are a few others. Like the chopper that becomes a plane or hovercraft. The eagle that becomes a scorpion or beaver. Ahhhh must stop looking at Lego. Or start giving extended family Christmas ideas.