i agree with wolfykitty, not 100% sure how to give super specific advice without knowing what character youre looking to cosplay, but my general rule for cosplay is that thrifting is your friend! ive found tons of really cool outfit pieces that i use for various homestuck characters. i thrifted my jade skirt, aradia outfit, a dress for fairy vriska, most of my kanaya outfit, etc etc. it took me a long time to slowly acquire a bunch of different pieces but thrifting is really good for cosplaying if youre on a budget! and if you have any sewing skills then you can always modify thrifted pieces to make them more suited to your liking or to fit canon better, although my other piece of advice would be dont worry too much about "looking canon" or anything like that! absolutely nothing wrong with simple/casual outfits, all that matters is that youre having fun with your cosplay :]