Thinking about the question, getting paid to train really must be the best value in training. Military service has been mentioned, but another option for a lot of people is signing up for CPR/AED training through their company. If your company has it available, you can get CPR/AED trained "on the clock" at no cost to you.
I would say "FREE" training would be the next best value. There are tons of great FREE resources online (including this website). Shows like
First Person Defender are great! Programs like Community Emergency Response Team
CERT have basic medical training and preparedness training available at no direct cost to you.
Dry-fire is some of the best training out there that is largely free. While there can be some minor costs of purchasing a snap-cap or getting a target, there is tremendous value and convenience in dry-fire and dry-practice. Regularly practicing the fundamentals of marksmanship to build accuracy, practicing safe gun handling, practicing drawing your firearm, and practicing a variety of shooting positions can put you way ahead of the competition. There are websites with FREE
dry fire drills. I like to dry fire against the TV by playing movies with lots of bad guys so I can practice target discrimination.
There are a host of great books and DVD's out there which provide a ton of value at low cost. You have to be careful with these as they are never equal to taking a class or live practicing, but books and DVD's can often get you halfway there by building the right mindset & tactics. Books like
The Best Defense or
The Tactical Advantage have a ton of invaluable information.
While it can cost a little more than books or DVDs, airsoft guns are an inexpensive way to do target practice and realistic gun handling in your home or backyard.
There is really no substitute for live training.
NRA training is inexpensive and widely available. Fundamental classes like "Personal protection in the home" and "Personal protection outside the home" have been very helpful to me over the years.
Appleseed is run by volunteers and provides an incredible value in terms of both time & money. Appleseed does an outstanding job at teaching gun safety, the fundamentals of marksmanship, and teaching vital American history that somehow never gets mentioned at school. Appleseed teaches the basics of riflery to a high level at a speed that many might not have thought is possible.
Competitive shooting can be a good value, as it can put you and your gear through more realistic conditions at a reasonable price. The caveats are that you have to use your use your actual street gear and shooting at paper/cardboard is never the same as operating on a two-way range. If you compete often, beware of building bad habits.
In the end it is hard to put a dollar figure on the value of your life or that of your family. Private instruction, training at big name/high quality programs, combatives, and most especially Force-on-Force have been well worth the money to me.
I would add that proper fitness and health is too often neglected in America today.
Lieutenant General Mark Hertling: Obesity is a National Security Issue. Sadly I've lost too many friends due to weight/poor-fitness issues. The
secrets to living a long life include living an active lifestyle.
