where should i begin on mods? i'm poor, only 8.23 an hour, so cost is obviously a concern. intake? exhaust? flywheel? plated clutch? shorter shifter? is NOS possible? at least a dry shot. anyway, i got a lot on my mind, so.... hit me up somebody! PLEASE! i'm really desperate, car is quick but not quick enuff  

Light wheels and sticky tires are a good start. Then, get a full tune-up, and you will have the best mechanically stock Civic around.

A good start with other stuff is some good anti-roll bars, some intake action, and a short shifter.  

first off how many miles are on it and what engine do you have. Personally this car is a perfect car for a swap. Think about a d16z6, it will fit and bolt on and you have a platform for lots of power adders.  

I like enhancing the engine thats already there personally, but thats only my opinion. Don't go for Nos it'll just mess it up later. Stainless steel exauhst, ceramic coated headers (4-1 i like), keep the cats if they're still good whats the point of getting more horsepower by polluting more? you're already making more power by the thing you've bought so why complain? Hone the throtlle body, and a CAI made of metal not plastic. That and don't shop anything from e-bay its all knock off or overworn crap.

and if you want a good launch get them fancy aluminum flywheels, and don't get them ultra hard performance clutches if you're not going to increase the power by 50% in the engine. Luck to yo in your goals.  

With a vehicle that old the reality of you starting off by modifying the car is slim to none unless the vehicle mechanically is stout. Sometimes this means by doing regular ass maintenance like replacing hoses and looking for leaks, replacing all fluids and/or toping off others, and replacing things like the spark plugs, wires, and any other broken or faulty parts.
Depending on what your goals are for the car I'm guessing you are wanting just a really responsive street car with decent power and good handling. So after all maintenance and repairs i would recommend this.
1. Custom Intake-with k&n Cone filter ~$100
2. Custom Exhaust-with muffler (Cat-back)- ~$250
3. Rear Sway bar ~$150
4.15x6.5 wheels sticky tires- ~$600
5. Lighten up the car in any way you can- $0

That would give you a great start!  With just a few turns of a wrench and some good hard work over a few weeks i think you would feel a lot of gratitude in knowing you made a car into something you could be proud of. If your looking for big numbers, power-wise, you are going to have to most likely do an engine-swap.