You could do the "sand" option, which is bury your spare tyre...a good shovel should always be carried for serious off-roading

I also have several long spikes which can be hammered in, bit scary though

there is also a "sand anchor" that can be purchased, we have 2 of the best sand driving beaches in the world located within 30 minutes of me

 

!. 2" budget boost
2. New rear springs if yours are sagging
3.Upgrade wiring under the hood to at least 2ga and add headlight harness
4. 4 hole injectors.
5 ss exhaust
As far a a winch is concerned, you can get by with a dead man's anchor and a come a long for the time being

 

I will add that header and larger exhaust seems to my butt dyno the best power increase you can get

I have 3 x '96, one with stock exhaust, one with headers and 2-1/4" exhaust, and one with headers and 2-1/2" exhaust

The stock one has noticeably less power, with a strangled main pipe, which is factory dented, so more like 1-1/2"

...and its right across the torque range

The 2-1/2" is my daily driver, and it has a unique engine note, even people that dont know engines at all can detect that

 

As a high desert wheeler myself let me just say this...

Get your rig in top mechanical condition first. Then, focus on recovery and armor, like bumpers, sliders and winch. You might think oh, it's just sand, but the desert has many, many things to throw at you....know where you're going, plan accordingly, and FFS, DON'T GO ALONE. This desert eats people for lunch all the time. Go out a few times with friends, see where your rig needs improvement, for your style of wheeling, and go from there.

You'll be surprised how much a mildly modified XJ will do.