For reference, I did my IR before my CPL and it worked out fine.
The 'flying around for fun' bit should really just be used as best as possible, challenge yourself to gain experience and get better and it will make things much easier for you.
One thing I will confirm for you is this:
Or am i going to waste money getting these and then have to get these ratings for a CPL?
If I understand you correctly, I would like to make a small correction. Under the European system at least, if you get an IR and a MEP rating on your PPL, you do not need to re do it for your CPL. Licences and ratings are separate things. If you do a SE IR for example on a PPL and then later on get a CPL, you have a CPL with a SE IR rating on it.