Love hearing this because I went through the exact same thing when I started out. Everyone on the forums told me a cheap anvil was a waste of money and I'd regret it, but mine got me through my first year of hammering out bottle openers and wall hooks just fine. The truth is you're learning hammer control and heat management right now, not anvil metallurgy, so a flat-ish face is all you really need at this stage. If the money is burning a hole in your pocket, a better forge will change your work way more than a fancy anvil will. You can always upgrade the anvil later once you start doing heavier work or the face actually starts to sway or chip. Sounds like you already answered your own question, honestly.

Man, the WAX is such an underrated hack, I did the same thing last fall and couldn't believe more people don't know about it. Just check the schedule ahead of time since it doesn't run super late, but for two bucks you really can't beat it.