SiShane and others...
Here's my deal, maybe it'll help. I'm active duty Air Force enlisted. Have been in for just over 13 yrs, going to at least 20. My real job is jet engine mechanic, I'm away from it on a special duty assignment right now. I have my associates for maintenance, and I have my tickets to take all 3 A&P test, just need to study up and do it. That's my back up.
I'm doing my BS degree online through Utah Valley State College's global aviation thing. All my ground schools are done online there, and the Air Force pays 100% of my tuition, therefore, all ground schools and classes are paid for. I do my flying locally at a military aero club.
Since my ratings are for a college degree, I take out student loans. I pay the interest while in school, although I don't have too. I pay a bit on principal amounts too.
My private is all from student loan money. After the private, I take advantage of the VA's 60/40 flight program. If you've got the GI Bill, you qualify. After I complete every rating except PPL, I get a 60% reimbursement of my costs. This does include flight time costs and CFI costs. The neat thing is, I start commercial right after IR, the VA reimburses 60% of all my costs to finish my commercial, so all that time building I have to do, yup, reimbursed.
I have always regretted not starting alot earlier in life like I wanted to. But now, by taking the advantages of 100% tuition assistance and the VA's GI Bill flight reimbursement, I'll be able to get through my ratings quite affordably, and with the cheaper prices of the military aero club to help overall. All this while still having a nice full time job, family, and a home. I couldn't have pulled all this off years before. Now I can afford to do it, and I'll have the ratings and the student loans paid off before I retire.
I don't have that fear of not having a job or a low paying pilot job, and lots of debt to worry about. I'll retire, with disability on top of that, no debt, and I can fly doing a job I want to do, not one I have to worry about pay to get out of the loan debt.
I hope this helps. Feel free to PM if you have any questions.