I think I took about the cheapest civilian route most guys can get. Roughly $60-80k for CFII-MEI, two associates degrees, and a 4 year aviation degree.

I got my private and instrument at a local part 61 flight club while working a part-time gig and taking classes at the local community college. The classes got me associates degrees and took care of two years worth of credits I would otherwise have had to take at the much more expensive university.

While in community college, I searched for universities that offered four-year degrees in aviation for not that much dough. University of Dubuque (Northeast Iowa) was my choice as it was 1.5 hours from home and didn't charge $60k/year. Some scholarships etc. brought my total bill including flight training down to roughly $20k/year for the two years I needed to attend.

I had a little help from parents, but I ended up graduating with $26k in student debt overall. Way better than the $100k student loan debt that some have to face.

tl; dr: Get at least your private at a local flight club, two years of college at a community college, transfer to university to finish. Work as much as you can all the way through.