Everyone is familiar with the phrase “starving student.”

It’s a well-known fact that college kids are broke and subsist primarily on ramen noodles, coffee and cheap beer. Pretty much every student is praying for a financial windfall so they can afford a full tank of gas.

According to the Huffington Post, three New York college students purchased one of those windfalls.

Reese Werkhoven, Cally Guasti and Lara Russo bought a couch for $20 for their apartment. The couch was very uncomfortable and the trio investigated. They found more than $40,000 in cash.

“Our neighbors thought we’d won the lottery or something, because we were just screaming,” Gausti told [CBS New York].

They also found an envelope with a name on it. It turns out the money was the life savings of a 91-year-old woman. Her children had surprised her with a new couch and taken the old, cash-laden one away.

The students returned the money. For their efforts, they were given $1,000 each.