What is the best budget laptop under $250(USD)?

There isn't one.

used. with Windows running near $100 cost alone to laptop makers, there aren't any in the price range you're discussing.

Tablets, yes. But don't expect Windows 10 on one at that price.

Hence -- a used laptop. Be certain to check its operation thoroughly before buying

You're not going to be able to do any of that well on a $250 laptop. Just a heads up so you understand what you're getting yourself into. Photoshop, especially, needs some pretty beefy specs to run well, if at all. A cheap laptop will not do that.

Just be mindful that a $250 laptop loads web-pages significantly slower than a 3 year old iPhone, so don't expect to do much very fast. It's hard to recommend anything in that category other than a Chromebook or a tablet. I understand money is very limited for a lot of people, but sometimes you have to ask yourself if you really want to put $250 into something you likely will not be happy with.

You are better off buying something used like this:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Inspiron-13-5000-2-i...

Otherwise here you go:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-15-6-laptop-amd-a6...

Get a used computer, maybe on eBay.

Lots of people get a new laptop every few years and sell their old laptops for a little money.

You can probably buy a powerful but used high-quality laptop in good operating condition that will meet your needs for $250.

The top-of-the line laptops of a few years ago are not much worse than the spiffiest new ones.