i dont see how you can just put so much money into your truck, man i wish my finances were like that, im hoping the ls swap wont be to bad on the pocket lol
patience and time, its not like I have done everything to my truck over the weekend. a piece here, a piece there. the trick to saving money on stuff like this is not to be in a hurry. collect the parts as you can find them for good prices. and don't be afraid to buy used stuff even if you have to rebuild it yourself. I got my whole T56 trans for $400, but it came in 3 separate boxes. I did all the mods on it and rebuilt it myself in my garage over the course of 3-4 months.
and it depends on what is 'bad on the pocket' for you, but yes, an LS swap will be fairly expensive.