Not so fast.....
I am in the same boat you are in (3 kids, never have any money). I have never been able to start a plane with the engine or retracts already in hand to start the project. BUT I have built two ziroli planes (a stuka and p-40 which look and fly as good as any I have seen WITHOUT spending much money.)

First, pick a plane that does not have retracts (Ziroli stuka is an excellent choice, plus it flies awesome!).
Second, buy a dremmel tool, a small SCROLL SAW ($75 new, much less from a pawn shop), and a combination sander (usually a 6" disk and long belt sander combo...again about $75 new, much less from a pawn shop).

Buy the plans from Ziroli (I would never suggest scanning a friend's plans because I want nick to be rewarded for his hard work in designing and drawing the plans)....about $45.

Buy all the wood from Lone Star Balsa (but since they just burned down, find one of their compettitors in Model Aviation....) but check the prices against Lone star's advertized prices to make sure you aren't getting SCREWED. I spent a total of $135 for all the wood for my stuka from lone star. Would have cost me at least $800 from a hobby store or other places.

next, START BUILDING.

Total initial investment is about $300-$350 including saw and sander (My next ziroli plane was much less to start).

I bought a used Brison 4.2 with electronic ignition for $450, but you could buy a NEW G-62 for much less, and a used G-62 for less than the price of an OS .70 4 stroke.

Buy "a little at a time" as you work. A little glue here, a servo there....etc. -speaking of glue, buy a huge bottle of tight bond from home depot for $7, 1/100th the price of CA.

Bottom line is that it will take you around 9months to build this plane to completion and you dont have to buy the paint and servo's up front. It is such a gentle flier that I have just plain high torque servo's in it. (Crappy servo's for my bomb drops, throttle, and a $12 sirus see-thru servo that runs all 4 flaps!.....if it goes bad, all the flaps will get stuck in the same position. Hasn't given me ANY problems in the 8 years I have been flying my stuka).

The best part about this, is the next time you build a ziroli, you will already have the sander and scroll saw!

Eventually I got a small welder ($115 from harbor freight) and a large air compressor ($150 from harbor freight), and a paint gun (about $40....hell, I used model master spray cans on my P-40), but those were over a 5 year period, and now I am not afraid to start any projects as long as I cut my own wood. I just cut out the ribs, use 3m stick spray to glue it to the sheets of wood, and use my scroll saw to follow the lines. This really got me back in the hobby because it breaks up the monotony of building. I love cutting my own stuff!

There are other things you will need to buy, but not for a while....heavy duty switch, fiberglass cloth, paint (latex or krylon is dirt cheap), and the cowl, spinner and canopy (each about $40 I think).

Bottom line is, if I can do it, anyone can. Just dont be in a hurry and dont be afraid to ask any questions. The other reason I chose the stuka for my first giant scratch build, is it is one of the few planes that Ziroli has an inventory list of quantity and size wood to buy for.

I have a couple video's and a bunch of pics on my website. -Good luck!

Patrick
www.putfile.com/pahtreek