I think the most important thing you need to do to win at these lower stakes is to watch for patterns. People seem to play the same way over and over.
When someone makes a minimum raise they almost always have a pocket pair or a suited ace.
People will call a raise with KJ and if they flop a K, they will not fold and will usually not raise you either....so if you have AK and bet a Kxx flop and get called and then you bet the turn and get raised, you are beaten most every time at these stakes.
When someone bets the minimum (in this case .50) into a $2 pot and the board is
[9s][2h]. They almost always either have a flush draw or a K with a bad kicker. Play accordingly. You can raise with nothing if the guy is tight and he will fold most every time. If hes loose and you are the one with the flush draw, just take the cheap draw that he gave you and just call.
Just watch for these patterns because there are many more and you will see them over and over again.
Forget about moving up or bankroll requirements until you are winning.