Both of us were raised to pay our own way. Not that we haven’t gotten help from family, but the rule has always been “If you can’t afford it make do or do without”.
Cheap junk furniture? When we started out everything was thrift shop, consignment store or hand-me-down. Over the years we’ve replaced things, and they’ve gotten nicer. And yes, sometimes nicer has been put-together. I don’t think we ever bought a room at a time and probably never will. But our house is safe, comfortable and attractive. And we’ve never had to ask for money to furnish it.