Gaining flight time & experience
Just a thought or two, but can you not make friends with share owners or other pilots and fly one leg each so halving your costs? I suggest that it would be wise to buy book 5 and the IMC video and get a simulator for I/F (I could possibly help if you cannot locate the free IMC Trainer software called Proflight by Aviatrix on the web). Next, get a copy of IMC confuser and enjoy learning before spending and take your time. Remember also that you can take a flight test instead of flying for 12 hours and save some money with only a short refresher if needed. I am an IMC instructor and find that until or unless much of the ground school is completed that flying can be wasteful. You can learn and practice IMC skills on a PC or in VMC under VFR given a few pointers. Surely there is someone in your locality or club that has at least some interest in your development? I train IMC mostly in autumn/winter to get more realistic training and will not be around this summer but would be interested to hear if you are considering any of my suggestions. Also, get a copy of the AOPA syllabus to guide your study, it is available widely. I will be away from this computer for 1 week but will check in next sunday to see if you have made progress. Shobdon was a great place the times I visited it too (first back in the mid-eighties then late nineties!!).