You get what you pay for. It's your life and learning opportunity, why would you want to find the cheapest way to advance both? What risks are you taking by not paying the true cost of the service you seek? Would you eat at the cheapest restauant you can find? If a part of the cost you are paying for anything is someone's profit, and you are trying to deal that down, why would the person with the service to offer bother? If you don't help help them advance, why would they want to help you?
When you spend money, you're not paying for a "thing", you're paying for people's time to service and operate the thnig. If you're paying the least, that's probably what you're getting! Do you want to send a message to the professionals around you (one of whom you might be asking to hire you one day) that you do the most important things in your life the cheapest possible way? Wrong message, and personal image to put out there if you ask me!
Decades ago, when money as tight for me, I took the "pay it forward" approach. I hung around the airport, and offered to do or help with whatever I could. Not in return for flying, just to be around the airport, and learn. I did. People saw me pitching in with the work around the airport, and were pleased. Being invited to go flying, and later fly, came my way more than I ever expected.
Flying is not an entitlement, it's a privilage. It can be had by more ways than just paying money for it. Some of the people who can afford to fly, and take you along, don't need your money - they have lots. They are interested in meeting people who have a passion, and invest their time in it. People with a passion may be on a budget, but they do not make it their opening approach to announce that they are trying to do it on the cheap.
If money is the approach you must use to flying, I suggest that either buying a share in an aircraft, or buying block time will give you the best value of flying for money spent, and have the side benefit of allowing more longer duration/distance flghts, which is where you really begin to learn. Pounding circles in the sky in a rental machine is fine for a while, but the people whom you would like to meet are found when you fly to an interesting place, and sit and talk - because you had the passion, and invested the time.
Good luck, Pilot DAR