Remember, you’re still in command or dual while operating the aircraft on the ground, and that’s aeronautical experience that goes into your logbook. Part of the learning experience is to resist the urge to taxi at 25 knots and rush through run-ups, to save $50. If you have an accident as a consequence, you’ll be a lot further in the hole than $50.
You're absolutely right, safety always comes first, and pinching pennies is really not what I'm after either. Rather, I'm trying to find out if there's a way to price and market flight training more cleverly. After all, isn't it also a requirement for pilots to understand how the economics of operating their aircraft works?