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Go for the stirrups on the pedals!! I hate only having one power stroke on the downward stroke.
Fork: don't worry about it. You're looking at somewhere around $175-400 for a fork with more than preload adjustability. Your bike (mine as well) is not worth making serious upgrades. That's just throwing away money. That's why I haven't replaced my fork yet, or my shock, or my shifters, or my brakes, etc. It's just not worth it for such a basic bike. Same reason I never changed anything on my roadie except replacing the stuff that broke.
But I have a question: how are you determining that the fork is too soft? are you bottoming out, or is does it just feel too squishy for your tastes? Forks are meant to be a little soft so they can absorb bumps (and they need to have some amount of rider sag so the wheel can drop down right after you go over things). In fact, longer travel forks (150mm) intentionally go for 'plush' to absorb bumps. Soft isn't a bad thing, TOO soft is. But since it's a budget bike, it likely is too soft. Just curious what your thoughts on too soft are.
Realigning your brake calipers isn't a bad idea either. Since mine are inexpesive units and only clamp from one side, I adjust the inside pad adjuster and play with the adjustment wheel on the lever. That gets the pads where I want them.
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