Get a small case for all of it. I use one of the ones made to hold embroidery thread, and it all fits inside and it's no bigger than a netbook, so I can carry it anywhere. And then LEARN to keep it all in there when it's not in use. (And sew in your stocking feet to reinforce the importance of keeping needles where you can see them!)
And I used to use an X-acto for seam ripping; it works pretty well but if it's too sharp it can chew up your fabric too; the ripper's neater.