My setup is pretty easy to clean. I have the stove rear-vented into the fireplace with a tee, connected to a stainless liner. All I do is remove the cap on the bottom of the tee, attach a plastic bag to the open bottom of the tee, and brush down into the bag. I think I could clean from the bottom if I wanted to, but my one-story roof isn't too steep.
I brush the liner once a year; I get about a quart of stuff. There is a little bit of flaky stuff at the top 4' of the liner, where the flue gasses have cooled. Below that, all I see is soot, which I wouldn't expect to burn at all. I'm not too worried about a little flaky stuff at the top...I think it would be very hard to get enough heat up that high in the chimney to be able to ignite that.
That sounds like me. I didn't
try to do everything wrong; That's just how it worked out.
I burned wet Red Oak, only split and stacked a few months. I had stove pipe to the top of the masonry chimney, not chimney liner, and it would rust through from condensation if I waited too long to change it out (like three years.) Needless to say, it was un-insulated. I would only brush my chimney when draft slowed down in the stove to the point where smoke rolled out when I opened the door, usually once or twice a year. Elbows would be full of creosote to the point of being half blocked off. I ended up having few chimney fires...they started after re-loads, when I had the stove burning hot to get the stove up to temp. Usually could cut the air and put 'em out in a minute or so, and somehow I never burned down the house.
Then, about seven years ago, I found this forum and got "dry-wood religion." I got many years ahead on my split-and-stacked wood supply and lined the chimney with an insulated stainless heavy-duty flex liner. I think the likelihood that I would ever have a chimney fire now is extremely low. Plus I have the added insurance of the insulated liner.
enigmablaze, your biggest worry is going to be getting dry wood by next fall, but it's possible to do. It's hard to buy dry wood; Sellers will call it "seasoned" but I would re-split and test several pieces of the wood with a moisture meter before buying it. It should already be in the low-20% range in order to be usable next season. Then stack it in the wind and top-cover, letting wind blow through the stack from the side.
If you have a chain saw, you may want to get your own wood. One possibility is to find a tree service that will drop free wood when they cut close to your house (specify the length needed) and start splitting and stacking Tulip Poplar, soft Maple and other fast-drying woods (no Oak unless it's for a couple years down the road.) These woods won't burn quite as long as the more dense species, but they will get you through until you can get ahead.
If you have access to a woodlot, grab
small, dead trees (<8",) standing or down, with all the bark gone. Those will be almost dry enough to burn when you cut them. The upper branches of larger dead White Ash may be fairly dry.
Check your chimney frequently at first, until you have a handle on how clean your setup is burning.