Welcome to the club!
I assume it's a 5 speed. $300 is not much, but a good start. If I were you, I would want to get the biggest bang for the money. Is the car completly stock? I shall assume so. Don't worry about a chip yet. Wait for more mods and then consider a programmer (see my thread in tech about chips vs programmers).
For your $300 (or close), this is wat I would do:
OPTION 1 ($290):
- Steeda Tria-Ax Shifter ($180)
- Chin Spolier ($60)
- Grill Delete ($50)
OPTION 2 ($340)
- Tri-Ax Shifter ($180)
- Steeda Under Drive Pullies ($160)
OPTION 3 ($350 ish)
- A nice catback exhaust like an SLP or Flowmaster