Setting it up is easy, securing it and managing it is PITA. Unless there is some special requirement I prefer shared hosting. Bg it's not fun as VPS, I agree.No it isnt, take 2 days at max and you LEARN so much This has been an amazing experience for me
For eg. Setting up email is not easy. If you are running a simple blog or forum, emails are essential. Just read up about emails and security you know what I am telling.
Btw did you find more about abuse policy? Do they give you different IP in case of abuse?