So I changed the thermostat in the car and it still heats up. At a slower rate but I'm on public transportation now

I would guess my next step is to change the water pump, correct?

 

Did you do the obvious like flush the radiator, burp/bleed the cooling system? Another thing you can do if you end up draining the coolant and flushing the system is drill a small 1/8" or smaller hole in the thermostat. Drill it anywhere around the "flat" part of the thermostat. This will make it much easier to burp the cooling system and should help to keep air out of the system at all times. If you do all that and it doesn't work and you find that your radiator is not clogged, no leaks or broken hoses, then check the oil cooler and flush that and if that is good then change the water pump. Also check for a head gasket leak too.

 

There is a good chance that the water pump is plastic and broken. This would be the time to replace the timing belt and add on a metal impeller water pump

 

knowing that I'm going to do the timing is what makes me have the blues. It's not exactly money I was looking into spending a week after buying a car.

 

All cars require maintenance. Buying a used car of a certain age or milage will tell you what you need to be doing to keep maintenance up. Sad thing is people getting rid of the car before doing this because it's about $1-1.5k at a shop on the low side.