Originally Posted by
coopthepirate
both my job and my school are really close to me and i'd like to get by day to day without having to drive and pay for gas(i'm kinda low on funds at the moment).
I don't know what you mean when you say you are really close, but to me that suggests that you could walk to both school and work. If so, that might buy you time to save a little more/do some research.
Otherwise, BD has some inexpensive bikes if you can find one that fits you. And there's always craigslist. But fit might be a problem if you are inexperienced, in which case you might need the help of your lbs.
Good luck.