1. The first performance upgrade for anyone is GET A BETTER JOB

If you are questioning cost, this might help :roll:
2. A great motor for that kind of demand is a 250 rather than a 200. The 200 is a great daily driver/boosted motor (or for your demand, as many have proven) but I'm from the school of "bigger is better". The only reason I don't point towards a V8 is the I6 has seven bolt mains :!: and that means power for longer life.
3. I'll argue this till the cows come home: 1.6 adjustable rockers > longer duration cam. Longer duration cams can really kill a daily driver, while simply degreeing a stock cam with a better rocker will help draw in that extra air without increasing duration much if at all. If you
must get an aftermarket cam, like with the expanded timing package, go with the 264 cam. Check out the eye candy section to see people who already have that cam, and you'll get an idea of how lopey it
can get. I think adjusting the carb for higher idle may solve that, however. A lot of the vids I saw were people running 1-bbls.
4. If you're considering REALLY hardcore performance, forced induction may be a better path.
5. Never,
ever skimp. Consider this: If you do a half-ass job now, you may want to prepare yourself for rebuilding your motor- from scrap. Even if it costs more now, it may cost less in terms of both money and heart-ache to just get it done right the first time. I'll even send you the book I currently have that goes into great depth about how to determine the right cam and degreeing for the specific motor you have. However, as I have said: I'm sure AZcoupe has already done this math into the cams they sale at FSPP, so you can rest assured that you can't go wrong with their cams.
A lot of this was stuff I got when I was doing work on my other car, and they put me on the back burner! It's all in good intents, as it's better to say it up front and honest than be soft now and have you angry at me for saying white lies. Take what I say with a grain of salt, as I'm not as experienced with working on a car as some of these guys are, but I have researched a lot and been through a bit myself.
OH! One last thing: The more elbow-grease you put into working on your car, the less it'll cost...