looking to get some ideas on how i can add power

The way i look at it is if you like the car and you dont really wanna part with it then do what you can on your time and your income.

Everyone is always tellin me to just get rid of my 98 GA SE. She's got 172k miles on it, has a couple of small dents it her and rust is starting in the normal spots. I cant part her cuz she is the first car i ever got the title for (as far as paying it off and not junking it out). I dont really have a whole lot of money, but i still have a lot of plans for her. She is reliable and getting very old at the same time.

So do wut you feel is right in your eyes man. Paint, new exhaust (performance), Cold Air Intake, and possibly top swap and new performance transmission (might cost you). but it is the easiest and fastest. Paint just makes her look pretty lol. There are a few other things too like performance spark plugs, O2 sensor, get good gas not the cheap sh*t lol. Get performance filters too they help a little.