Personally, (and it's just my opinion), struts are a bit daft, and you may even find in some States that it may not pass your safety checks, (as it renders your suspension inoperable).
I would either go rigid properly, or if you're on such a tight budget, find some shocks that are just an inch or so shorter. Many years ago, I knew a guy with a Triumph who got a chop stance from his standard Bonneville frame by fitting 2" over fork tubes, short rear shocks, and replacing all the untidy seat, rear mudguard and light fittings with a neat custom set-up that he fitted in a higher position, (to clear the wheel which now was running higher relative to the frame because of the short shocks).
The whole bike looked like quite a low chop, but had a standard frame, it was an illusion.
The same thing can be done at the front, if you strip all the stock cr*p off your front end, and then fit a small custom light, - mounted high up - it will make the front end look longer