Green tortoise has great vibes, used to go there before I moved to the city. Cooking lunch there instead of eating out will save you enough $$ alone haha.

seems they have a 7 day max limit now

Makes sense, if they didn’t people would just live there, it’s so much cheaper than the rest of the city haha. Still recommend it as a bridge between finding a hacker house or more expensive / more distant accommodations

For short-term housing, this could be a good option if your budget is ~$1000/month: https://och.berkeley.edu/housing-secondary/price-under+1100/...

Hostels in SF are like $60 a night for a tiny bunk bed in a room of 6

Never stayed in Hostels before... Any worries about your stuff going missing?

I've never stayed in a US hostel, but hostels I've been in all have lockers for your stuff. Although I'd be nervous about a hostel in the US--again, I've never been to one--but I'd be worried that the clientelle would be a bit sketchier than your budget-conscious tourist.