Maybe I am wrong about this but it almost seems like it is cheaper just to buy the ingredients on their own from your local home brew shop and skip the whole kits thing.
Yeah I got a Mr. Beer Fermentor for Christmas as well.
It was my first kit and really got me into brewing.
I have since upgraded but I use the Mr. Beer to make small batches of stout that are really high gravity
This website gave some great ideas
Bodensatz Brewing - Making Good Beer with...