If money is tight, gaining a PPL is not the only way to fly. Gliding is much cheaper in the learning stages, but rather time-consuming. You could do a gliding course for a few hundred pounds, and fly solo at the end of it.
The most expensive flying I did was gaining the PPL. i spent around £6,500 in 18 months. Since then, I have been flying about 75 hours a year for a total cost of about £2,500 a year, with a share in a PFA type, from a farm strip. It's a total blast. I have friends who spend considerably more on their golf and sailing habits.
Oh, and I was 53 when I got the PPL.
If you really want to fly, you will find a way to do it.
Good luck.
