Do I really have to buy the Wilton Cake Kits?

One of my biggest pet peeves about taking a course are the "Necessary" kits/books/other supplies that you are told to buy when taking the course. The prices are jacked up like nobody's business and the kits have things in there that you'll never use after completing the course.

So if you have a spare $30 laying around or have enough time to buy offline and want things that will take up room in your kitchen that you'll likely have minimal use for... Then go ahead and buy the kits.

Me?
I'm frugal, cheap, creative....whatever you want to call it. I'm annoyed that i spent that much money on things I'm not convinced i HAD to have for this course.

Course 2 Kit contains:

Oval cake pans:
7 inch (long) pans aren't very useful when trying to feed party-goers. They'd be nice to make a simple very small cake for an intimate get-together with just a few friends. Or they're almost football, egg, or spaceship shaped if you feel a intense need for a lot of those kinds of cakes.
Me? Wouldn't have bought them if i haven't been made to believe they were imperative to getting a certificate. When it turned out that three other groups had bought hundred dollar kits in a handy-dandy toolbox. The teacher said, "just make a small cake with whatever you got". I hardly believe that any teacher would deduct points for a difference in shape.
My advice: Don't buy the kit just for the pans unless you see a real need for them.

Decorating Tips:
Required: 11 metal decorating tips, #1, 2, 5, 14, 47, 59S/59, 81, 97, 101, 103, 104
This is probably the only area where i agree that quality and precise adherance to the course is necessary. But pay $30......or buy them individually. There are craft stores and cooking gadget stores that usually either have them, or know where you can buy them.
My advice: I recommend getting a kit that's about $20. because you'll already have tips for more advanced courses too. Just make sure you have all the tip #s that you need. I ended up having to buy tip # 21 and 3 (leftovers from course 1). But everything else i already had.

Cake Formers:
Never in my life have i seen these things. They are curved plastic sleeves which you rest your flowers in in order to give them a "more realistic shape" as they dry.
My advice: Cut paper towel holders or old poster tubes length wise in half. For wider scoops: a 12 oz or liter soda bottle. Same thing...just free.

Color Flow Mix.
This one unfortunately is one you can't get out of. They give you enough of the stuff to get you through class in the kit. However, it is a fun technique and thus i personally wouldn't mind buying a small can of it from a cooking store. Same as Meringue Powder for your butter cream icing. Should be near there.

The only way i would buy this kit was if I had a 40% or more off coupon.

Side note: If, like me, you're interested in skipping course 1, i recommend peeking through the course 1 book ($3.00 used on amazon) prior to the class. If you can't get through it on your own...pay the money and take course 1.

Also, for other Skippers. You'll need a "Cake Board" or "Practice Board" which comes with the course 1 kit. Creative and cheap fix? Take a binder with a transparent sleeve on the front (for like presentation covers) and cut off a binder font or back. Same principal, just bigger, and a heck of a lot cheaper.

I hope somewhere out there, this helps someone avoid wasting their money when a little bit of creativity could save it.