If you're struggling with the cost of living right now (reasonable), this is your PSA to...
Google universities/colleges near you.
If you can't get out to more than one, look up which one has the highest tuition.
Look-up when the graduation date is
Drive neighborhoods near the university the week before graduation
So much stuff gets left out on the curb. Wealthy college students tend to prioritize convenience over money, so instead of carefully reselling their perfectly good stuff, they frequently give it away or put it out with the trash because that's easier than moving, reselling, or donating. Take advantage of this.
I furnished pretty much my entire apartment from college giveaways and yardsales.
What I got for free:
Mattress and box springs
2 10 ft area rugs
The massive 9-drawer chest (that has a label on the back that it was custom-made and shipped across the country) that my TV sits on.
This is the Lit Aube et Crépuscule (Dawn and Twilight bed) by Emile Gallé. It was made in 1904 and is at the Musée de l'Ecole de Nancy. The materials include Rosewood, ebony, mother of pearl and glass. The bed symbolizes dusk, dawn and life. Dusk is a butterfly at the headboard with a landscape of night. Dawn is a butterfly at the foot of the bed, illustrating the renewal of the day. The crystal part of Dawn is said to represent life as a “cosmogenic egg”. For more info see the museum’s website here.