I earned my PPC a month ago, so I'm only a little bit ahead of you.
All of sinjin's points are spot on. Especially the point about flying often. Too many people learn to fly by paying for each lesson as they can afford it. This can lead to them flying once every two weeks, or even less frequently. These are the students who can accumulate 100 hours and still not be proficient enough to earn their license. Fly a lot--two or three times per week. (In military flight training, it's normal for students to be scheduled for two flights per DAY, or sometimes three. That builds proficiency fast).
You can save money by flying in a C-152 rather than a C-172--it's typically $25-$35 cheaper per hour, and that's quite a few pennies when you fly 40+ hours to get your license. The aircraft don't handle much different (the C-172 climbs better when there are just two folks aboard. Some instructors claim that the need to really pay attention to the rudder in the C-152 during stalls helps make students more attentive to this aspect of flying.) Either plane is just fine and if you or your instructor is on the large side, the C-172 may be the only practical choice. If you learn in the C-152 it usually only takes a single ride to get checked out in the C-172 after you get your license.
Save money and time by coming to each lesson prepared. That seems obvious, but I'm always surprised to see students arrive, sit down at the table, and ask the instructor what they will be doing during the lesson. Get the syllabus, look at each maneuver or skill you'll be practicing, and mentally do the procedure over and over until you get it down solid. Sit in a chair, close your eyes, and go through the motions. Some students like to buy and use a copy of Flight Simulator for this, I think these programs are more useful later when you'll be working on your instrument skills. Once in the airplane there will be many distractions, so if you've got the mechanics down cold (entry speed, aircraft configuration, things you'll monitor during the maneuver, etc) then your mind will be free to actually work on the skill rather than trying to remember what comes next.
Along the same lines--get to your lesson early. Have the walkaround done, your weight/balance calculations done, the plane fueled up, etc before your official lesson start time. This not only assures you aren't rushed, it also lets your instructor know your are serious about this undertaking. Also, from the outset tell your instructor you want to get proficient as quickly as possible. If a student shows a leisurely approach to the whole serious business of learning to fly, many instructors are happy to accommodate this casual pace while taking their money for each hour.
You don't need to be friends with your instructor. You want honest feedback every step of the way. Make this clear to the instructor, and heed his/her guidance. OTOH, if there's a personality conflict between you and the instructor, ask for a new one. There are no hard feelings usually, and it's your money.
Demand a good debrief from your instructor. The lesson's not over until you understand everything that you did wrong (and right--if by mistake!) so you'll improve. Take notes and review them when you get home.
Try to keep your head out of the cockpit and start right now to ask your instructor to point out useful landmarks. Many instructors (and many FAA check pilots) are adamant that you be able to find your way around using a chart, pilotage, and dead reckoning. This is a particular weak spot of mine. To the instructors, that little habitation there is clearly Haneyville, to me it looks just like Hooterville, Alphaville, and a hundred other little 'bergs that are just yellow splotches on the sectional chart. I'm a big fan of the VOR, but I do understand and appreciate the value of being able to know where you are using visual references.
Later, you may want to look into getting an iPAd and Foreflght. Don't do it now, you need to work on the basics and learn to use a chart, etc. But these electronic/GPS marvels bring a degree of sophistication to the GA cockpit (moving map displays, easy weather updates, etc) that was strictly the property of the "big guys" just a few years ago.
Don't delay in taking your written test. The FAA is now VASTLY expanding the question bank used for all written tests--they hadn't done it for the PPC knowledge test last I'd heard, but it may happen very soon. The number of possible questions will be 5x or more what it is today, and that means the current study materials (from ASA, Gliem, etc.) will have vastly reduced utility. I think this is a good change--it's too easy to simply earn the questions rather than learning the material right now. Still, if you wait things will get tougher.
Have fun out there! You'll be solo before you know it.
.) For serious travel, you may need to use a 182 or equivalent. As you know by now, the better the equipment you fly, the more it costs to rent. 3 or 4 years ago, I read an article which showed the cost of owning/operating a 182 at about $200/hour. IIRC, the 182 cruises at about 145. You do the math on the cost per mile. Yeah, it can be convenient in certain travel scenarios, but cars or commercial flying will almost always beat the price per mile. So, even if you plan to use a private aircraft for travel, you better also love to fly! Otherwise, you can't usually justify the expense. Especially when you average in the costs of getting your PPC and keeping current, etc.
