If you feel like keeping YouTube premium you could always vpn to another country and get it for stupid cheap. I believe I vpn’d to Thailand and pay $2 a month for it. You only need the vpn to set up the sub and then you’re good to go.

I’m more of a lurker as well, but I want lemmy to be successful so I’m trying to learn to be more active

At this point does it matter? If it turns out tomorrow we have proof we live in a simulation, it doesn’t make my life any less real. I still gotta go to working tomorrow lol.