I hear what your saying. Where would you recommend I start small at? I think the things I'll be crossing off the list for now are the Steel plate under armor, rear bumper, sliders, and Shadow awn. The rest I think I'd still very much like to move forward on. Tent, new roof rack, bumper, winch, and new suspension will take me far I think.
I have built several rigs as well and totally agree with many of the sentiments here. The FJ cruiser in stock form is hugely capable offroad. Moreso than you would guess... the rear locker, A-Trac, and decent articulation are probably more in stock form than 80% of the people need to get out and camp/overland. It all comes back to your uses... which is a hard thing to define because we often "want" to use our vehicle one way but time/money (or both) often end up moulding our interpretation into our reality.
Through my 4x4 experience and several full builds, I will say that my favourite period of offroading and vehicle modification was with my old 98' 4Runner. I drove it stock for a short time but ended up with a small lift, 33" tires, some sliders, and a good set of lights on the front of the truck. After taking care of all of the preventive maintenance I added a rear E-locker and a small sleeping/storage platform in the back. The truck was light (no heavy armor), extremely capable, had good storage space, and was very reliable. It took me on some of the hardest 4x4 trails I have done to date, but also to some of my favourite camping locations with ease. It allowed my skill as an
offroader to develop along with the vehicle and my uses. I later built the truck fully (skids, bumpers, winch, etc. etc) and although it looked awesome, the truck wasn't as fun as the simple version it was before. FWIW my new 4th Gen 4Runner build (after building an 80-series and a 1st Gen Tundra in between) now employs the strategy of keeping it light and running a tire size that suits my uses. I find myself exploring and camping more than doing technical 4x4 trails, so keeping the truck light and eliminating un-neccessary items has been a huge part of my build plan.
Take it slow and think long and hard about how you will
actually (time and money permitting) use the FJ. Build up from there.
Good Luck!