Just get yourself an iPhone
Mashby takes some amazing photographs with his!
This is my camera, and it's far from top of the line. Was a more budget-friendly bridge camera when I got it in 2011.
The most important thing I've found is 1. knowing your "instrument" well (manual + lots of practice), 2. strategic lighting, 3. composition. You don't need a fancy DSLR to take good photographs. I think $80-100 can get a "good enough" camera these days, and the rest would be well spent on some lamps and a tripod.