when I consider my own simple (although clearly misguided) setup for reusing and distributing perl, I have to wonder why real perl modules are considered to be such a good idea. I've never had to worry about ppm, dependencies, repositories, or make/compile errors before.

If the way you are doing things now Works For You™, then why do you think there is anything wrong with the way you are doing things now?

Membership in (and adherence to the standards of - if any) CPAN is not mandatory. No one will make fun of you for doing what works. And if they do, they are losers who should be fed to a dragon. ;-)