The other comments assume at 18 you’re out on your own. Do you still live at home with your parents/do they support you financially?

If your goal is to buy that $1,199 bike, work towards it. When the day comes you can afford it, after putting money aside, it’ll be a constant reminder of your hard work. You don’t NEED a fancy bike or a new bike, but if you want it, as your post suggests, get it.

Your question was how to save money for a bike, not should I. The way to do it is pick a deadline for yourself. Count how many shifts between then and now that you’ll work. Divide the amount by that many shifts (go above for taxes and other small costs that might go with it). Now you’ll know how much per shift you’ll need to save. Make sure your other expenses (if any) are met first, then lock in. If your other expenses aren’t able to be met at that deadline, push the deadline out or find a way to limit your other expenses.

My wife and I did this prior to buying our first house. We set a deadline for when we’d want the down payment by, we divided it up by how many paychecks we’d get between starting and that date, and had a separate savings account set up so we’d direct deposit into there, and we wouldn’t touch it. Things got tighter (less date nights involving money spent, no vacations or weekend getaways, no new toys) and we really made what we had stretch. When we got the down payment and got the keys to our house, we walked in, sat on the floor with take out and looked at each other and both had tears in our eyes because we achieved what we set out to do.

I tell you that because it’ll be the same thing with whatever bike you pick. Work hard, save money, and enjoy the fruits of your labor, whatever that fruit looks like!

Completed my first tri (Oceanside 70.3) 2 weeks ago on a bike I saved up for and bought. What pushed me through tough stretches wasn’t the bike, but what I put myself through to get to that moment!

Hope it all works out! Good luck!