I also like pp'ing for the precision that you get with your finished blocks/project. Initially I had a horrible time 'getting' it so ended up taking a class at my LQS. Nowhere near as costly as yours! Pattern and fabrics only. The class was for a single NY Beauty block. I then managed to pretty much zip through the balance of that project at home - I didn't want to take the chance I would forget what I learned, lol! I think finishing the entire project soon after the class really helped to reinforce the process for me.
I've since done any number of pp'd projects. I do tend to pre-cut pieces but not very precisely. Just enough to have a reasonably oversized piece of fabric to work with for that spot. I do think the process can be a bit wasteful but the precision makes up for that for me.