Moving to SF on a budget: what to skip and what to buy
Start with a bed, bedding, towels, basic clothes, work equipment, toiletries, a lamp, and the small kitchen items you truly use. These make a room livable immediately.
Skip large furniture, decorative purchases, duplicate cookware, and organizers until you have lived in the room for a few weeks. Shared homes often already have more of these things than you expect.
Use secondhand sources, borrowing, and neighborhood groups for the rest. A low-cost move is less about finding every bargain than avoiding purchases you will have to move again.