How do you program your atmega? with a laptop. Also you won't go anywhere with few resistors and capacitors, you also need transistors, diodes, maybe LED, maybe some soldering, wires, breadboard, some sensors to have fun with, some ICs such as 555 timer and other op-amp. Eventually some voltage converters, a multimeter and logic gates.

The list can be long and at the end, for software you need a laptop, for electronic you need a laptop + many things. And those things can cost (the shipping cost more, actually).