@Aaron77, I personally wouldn't recommend spending everything in one place, since all of the first level perks just cost a couple of helium you might as well try them out (all accept agility anyway).
One thing I rather like is that there aren't clearly useless things in this game, for example in my first portal I made the mistake of not spending on pheromones or bates, but then when your getting several thousand trimps knocked out in a single wollop and you have to go through five or six rounds to kill off an enemy, breeding and traps become much more a concern.
@Origine, the metal challenge isn't actually half as bad as it sounds, particularly if you have loot, power and range to fall back on, you just have to occasionally run mountain maps to get extra metal for upgrades, but as I've had to do that a lot anyway and so it didn't make much practical difference.
Btw, I will encourage everyone to check out The trimps wiki, it is very handy for looking things up and getting tips, though obviously you have to browse carefully so as to avoid spoilers, also when reading guides to remember that not everything in the guides is absolutely optimum all of the time.
I am now having problems with the size challenge, but wasn't so much about finishing the challenge itself, as finishing the challenge with far fewer trimps than I might've done, which made me start missing coordination upgrades around level 30.
I am currently struggling with level 36 and having to do lots of farming but I don't want to bail out before level 40, I also think I might try a run without a challenge next just to get some more helium and perhaps progress a bit further without too much by way of restrictions at the start, plus the balance challenge looks rather scary .
With our dreaming and singing, Ceaseless and sorrowless we! The glory about us clinging Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)