22 year old male. Full time student, part time worker, beneficiary of some student grants and loans, final year of full time education. About $9000 in 0% APR student loans which I expect to pay off in full within 24 months.

I currently work and can afford my rent- I have a roommate, my student grant subsidises the rent, and even then the apartment is pretty cheap for Toronto. I'm not exactly frugal but I really don't spend much money on nicities like bougie groceries or clothing or random crap on Amazon. I try hard to save >20% per paycheck but I am at a point where I need to stop saving for a little while until work picks up in a month or so.

I have many friends from back home, as well as a number of friends who are Toronto locals. I am one of very few who is paying his own way to rent near campus. Granted, I spent the last few years with my folks heavily subsidising my education and housing, and I'm now in my first year of paying my own way entirely. In this high cost of living environment, I am feeling the strain. I'm not poor at all (neither is my family), but when I make dumb purchases I feel it hard. I am mercifully no longer in consumer debt, but I am constantly paranoid about falling back into the financial ruin I was in back in Spring (>2.5k in CC debt, unironically struggling to eat). I have promised myself that I will never be broke again.

My friends often ask me "when will you move back to Homeville?" since, of course, almost all of them live with their folks. I love my friends and family, but to be honest, I have dreams. Ambitions. When I'm done with this damn degree finally, I want to be a game developer. Toronto is one of Canada's hubs for the game industry. Moving back home feels like a step in the wrong direction. I love my parents but I feel it would be stifling living in their bed, eating their food. Plus, I really like being just a few minute's walk from my cafe/pub/bookstore.

Am I being an idiot? I think, despite what the Money Guys/Dave Ramsey say, rent is arguably a waste of money. I could commute from my home into the city if I landed a job there after grad, but I feel like it's more than just commute times and financial stability. There's something spiritual— I feel like I am progressing in life by taking full responsibility for my financial self.

To be clear, I am not throwing shade on my friends. Times are hard, I have a remarkably good deal on housing, and I would never have moved here in the first place if it weren't for my parent's unmatched generosity for the last few years. But I feel like it would be foolish of me to move back home and not capitalise on my position here.

In the last six months I have, for better or for worse, become far more anxious about money than I've ever been in my life. I am budgeting and I am intentional with all my money, I take far more responsibility for my urban indulgences, and I am invested in the market (just a few hundred bucks) for the first time in my life. But at the same time, I sometimes feel like a nervous wreck. I check my bank account every few hours. I pay my credit card daily. I've been without a proper wallet or a pair of headphones for months because I just can't click that buy button on Amazon (which is idiotic, because I easily spend the same amount of money on beer in less than two weeks lmao).

I just want to do the right thing for my self improvement, but also for my long term finances lol. I am very appreciative of any advice.