I'm looking into buying some soaps and was wondering if when buying a certain soap for the first time it is necessary/recommended to buy the dish versus the refill. I've read where you can melt the soaps down, grate them and such to fit containers....would this be the bet if I'm looking to buy the most soap for my money? Is the dish just a decorative/nice thing to have or is it necessary? Also, if its not necessary are there any generic containers you guys have found hold soap really well? It's hard to justify paying $30 for a dish if I could just buy the refill and put it in a cheaper container....