I found that the most valuable asset I had when doing my PPL was time. I didn't have a lot of money, but I knew I could spend all summer at the same school if needs be to get the thing finished in a reasonable number of hours. As it happened, this was sometimes a disadvantage, because I 'wasted' a few hours going for practice sessions when the weather was unsuitable for my test. In hindsight, I should have put up with the boredom and stayed on the ground until the big day, and then I would have had a pretty cheap PPL.
I did my PPL in the UK, of course, and I don't see how you could ever have the same flexibility in the US. It's nice to be able to go back to the same club too. Email me if you like.
Pie