Flight training is expensive, but there are techniques to keep the cost to a minimum. Here are some things I've been able to put together:

-Train at your local flight school. You don't need fancy technology and a training academy name to learn to be a good pilot. I have a friend at UND and he's a great pilot, but I (a locally-grown private pilot) can fly the plane just as well as he can.

-Private pilot training should be your most expensive, because you have to do the vast majority of the flying with an instructor, which adds alot of extra cost.

-For the instrument rating only 15 hours of the 40 need to be instructional. After I did about 12 hours with my first IFR instructor, he was very pleased with my skills to that point and he "released" me to simply go up with safety pilots. I've gone up with several and did the same stuff i did with my CFII: practice my approaches, holds, communications, etc. The best part is that the safety pilots I went up with chipped in towards the rental cost.

-All the instructors I talk to tell me that once you finish private and IFR, it's mostly just time building to get commercial. They tell me that commercial, CFI, CFII, multi-engine, and MEI really aren't overly difficult in terms of manouvers. At least not as intense as primary training and IFR. This is where you can really save money, because you just need to log flight time (in a legal manner). Go up with other pilots and split the cost. Take turns under the hood so you can each log most of the total flight time and you get instrument practice at the same time. This doesn't mean you won't be gaining real experience. Every flight you make is a proficiency flight. Go up and practice your manouvers regularly. Stay sharp on ALL of your skills. Also, take the oppetunity to explore. Go fly someplace you've never been before. Take some friends up on their first flight in a small airplane, and see if they'd be willing to chip in for the rental cost; they almost always are.

-Traffic reporting: if you live close to a major city, chances are there are local flight schools that use Cessna 150s to do traffic reporting. My flight school in central NJ allows people to tag along and only pay for the instructor. The flights themselves are also good education. They last several hours so they build up your tolerable-time-in-the-airplane. It also gives me experience working in the New York class B.

-Friends can help you. Your relationships with the flight school can have positive effects. I have a friend whose an instructor and he's given me instruction for free (only pay for the aircraft). If you have a very close relationship with the school, they may let you take the planes up for a lower rate.

-If you're going to be doing alot of flying, joining a flying club could save you some money. Also, it gives you an oppertunity to socialize and NETWORK with other pilots, which is critical.