Just cut your stock shifter down! I took about 1.5 inches off my stock T5 shifter & I have fallen in love with my car all over again! All I want to do is drive it. And the shifter looks alot better too. I no longer have a tractor trailer shifter in my car.

 

That definitely improves the throw length, but it still doesn't help the sloppiness of the factory shifter, or the fact that there's no adustable shift stops to prevent overshifting, and damaging the shift forks inside the trans. I totally understand doing things on a budget, but there's no escaping the fact that the aftermarket shifters are far superior to stock. Just keep your eyes peeled for someone selling a slightly used one in the classifieds. I got lucky and found a guy on here selling a brand new Hurst Billet Plus for $125 shipped since he sold his project car and had no use for the shifter anymore. Until then, there's certainly nothing wrong with improving what you've already got.

 

I drove a car with a cut down stock shifter. I swapped a 5.0 into it. The cost of the 5.0 is worth it.