When most people finish their university degree, they look for a 9-5 and start thinking about buying (or renting) their own home. But my decisions were very different: I chose to do a Master's Degree despite having no financial help, and then started doing freelance work from home while building up this blog and my YouTube channel. I'm driven by following my dreams rather than following society's expectations, and I'm absolutely fine with that because I know I'll be happier in the long-term, but right now it's means that I don't always have a lot of money. I know that this is temporary, but that doesn't make it easier.
One thing this experience has taught me is that I really don't need as many eyeshadow palettes, pairs of shoes, or other pretty but unnecessary things as I think I do. I do not need to buy or own things to be happy and achieve my goals.
Even when I go and see my friends, I find that planning what I'll be spending money on and deciding a budget in advance is really helpful. I add up the likely cost of the public transport, the food, and anything I want to buy (if anything) and create a budget and stick to it. That makes it sound like I'm tapping away on a spreadsheet before I make any plans - but I promise I'm not! I tend to do it in my head, and it's become such a useful habit that I'll most likely continue to do it when I'm bringing in more money.
I'm not going to lie and say that it's easy, because it isn't. It's easy to feel out of the loop because you can't buy this or that product or you miss out on an event. I'm sure that a lot of my readers in their twenties can relate to that. But just because I don't have a lot of disposable right now doesn't mean that will always be the case, and it won't be for you, either.