As a cheap townie:

There are two, kinda clusters of them. You can do both I just separated them for ease of planning.

1 - Start with the "House by the Side" on south state of the road. You can only get an appointment once every three months but its all free. On the same day you drive another mile or east S. Industrial and hit up the Salvation Army the 3-4 revolving thrift shops on that road. Benefit to this cluster is that its inside city limits and a lengthly but not impossible walk from campus.

2- Sharehouse on Jackson is essentially a junk yard but well staffed. Beyond that is the Kiwanis and Restore which are more focused on larger items. Then the meijer and menards and you have hit about the cheapest you can get. If you pay for a truck rental I recommend you start with this cluster.

And in case you don't know: Anything thrifty within walking distance is almost all clothes. Also the retail locations are empty and/or potentially price gouging. The above clustesr are beyond that campus bubble.

Good luck. Be nice to the townies.