best way to backup before flashing

[srsizzy]

So I know a lot of people use PIM/SPB to backup contacts/messages/etc, and I'm seeing those are all the SHOULD be backed up when flashing, but I'm wondering if there's a way to backup applications and settings that take a while to go through reinstalling and setting.

I used Sprite backup, but I'm guessing that's going to basically keep the ROM within it's full-backup file, so that doesn't help. Is there a way to use SPB or Sprite to backup everything BUT the ROM? The Sprite website says "fully customizable," but that's bullocks, it didn't ASK me if I wanted to backup the program files and it did that anyways.

Is there no way to backup all my applications and reinstall them all at once without having to make my own ROM with all the apps loaded into it?

I'm seeing Sprite has an "upgrade restore" mode for when you update a ROM within the same OS; does anyone know how well that works? Looks like SPB has a similar function as well?