Was in that exact same spot a couple months ago and did the same thing. I was eyeing DO for a while and one day folded and paid the (really no brainer) $5. I've learned a ton since then and it has been absolutely worth it for me.
I actually transitioned all my apps off any other PAAS platforms (mostly nodejitsu, timed nicely with their 3x price increase) and am now hosting everything I run off a single $5 digital ocean box, which actually is saving me a bit of money, and deploys are a lot smoother. The company I work at, Carrot, is also hosting all of carrot.is on a $5 DO box, including this article, which has had no issues coping with the 600+ people on site at a time that have come with this HN blitz.
I actually transitioned all my apps off any other PAAS platforms (mostly nodejitsu, timed nicely with their 3x price increase) and am now hosting everything I run off a single $5 digital ocean box, which actually is saving me a bit of money, and deploys are a lot smoother. The company I work at, Carrot, is also hosting all of carrot.is on a $5 DO box, including this article, which has had no issues coping with the 600+ people on site at a time that have come with this HN blitz.