Vehicle Problems!

I recently purchased a 1999 Chevy S-10 Extreme. I plan on using it as my daily driver. I am hoping to get a job somewhere in the area outside of Sparta, which is why I purchased this type of vehicle, so I get good gas mileage. In the first week of owning the truck, it drove fine. There were a few problems I was aware of such as, the heat didn't work, the bed cover works but is a little messed up, the passenger tail light doesn't work but the blinker and brake lights work, and the driver door handle doesn't work properly, but it does work.
     About 2 weeks after purchasing the vehicle I noticed the check engine light came on, so I stopped by Auto Zone to have them check the problem. It appears that there is a cooling problem. Were more then likely sure that the heater core is bad, the thermostat needed replaced along with the ECT sensor. I replaced the cheaper stuff and took the truck to Tire Plaza to have them perform a Radiator flush and now found out that the previous owner dumped about $60 worth of stop leak in the truck prob due to the heater core being bad. So now I have to purchase a new Radiator, a new heater core, along with flushing the old radiator all the way out, so I can get the stop leak out of the block. This job looks like its gonna take about 6 hours, and it has to be done in the next 2 weeks before it starts getting to cold to be able to drive the truck or work on it. I also need to buy new suspension, New tires, and new brakes, along with getting the tail light fixed and finances right now are tight. If anyone has any pointers or know of any cheaper parts to buy, or any mechanics that don't over charge or specialize in this area, feel free to let me know.