Also...

Install a free ad blocker, get a cheap VPN if possible (no more than $5/mo), and then learn piracy. There's so much free shit on the internet for you. Your artistic expression is infinitely more valuable than some shit vortex like Adobe getting an undeserved fraction of your hard-earned paycheck. 

I typically just order a day's worth of AirVPN if I only want one download once in a blue moon; if you have different needs Mullvad is a cheap pay-per-month service I've heard nothing but good things about. 

If you're in the US like I am, here's your reminder that
- Direct downloads (DDL) of content - i.e. if you ARENT torrenting; if you're unsure you definitely aren't torrenting - are not persecuted. 
- Torrenting media is not itself illegal. For example, archive.org offers most of its content as either DDL or torrent. It's just a different means to transfer data!
- The only thing ISPs actually give a shit about is distribution of media, and even then you're fine as long as you're using your VPN properly! (Notice how I didn't mention actual legal retribution - again, they only target media distributors, and you aren't exacty GilvaSunner or ThePirateBay.) Not to mention ISPs usually give at least one warning. And if you're in an area with multiple ISPs, feel free to jump ship if you fuck up enough times that they cut service.

/r/piracy has plenty of resources for saving your money, as do many other sites. And maybe even my contact section... :) 
You deserve to save money. The less you give to CEOs, the more you have for your fellow artist, and, hell, YOURSELF!

[you] "wait, if torrenting is secretly fine, what's the big issue people have?"

Well, aside from software/media producers wanting to protect their cash flow (again though, you decide who deserves your money!)...
When you torrent, you're basically downloading small chunks of data sent from other individuals' computers - individuals just like you who once downloaded the content and then opted to share it in return. That re-sharing is called "seeding" a torrent. When I say "The only thing ISPs actually give a shit about is distribution of media" this unfortunately can include seeding. 
Do you have to seed? No. But the reason so much content is even available is because of seeding! And a lot of content is only behind "private trackers" (aka invite-only torrent websites) to further the cycle of cool free content - private trackers only distribute data to those they know will re-distribute it in kind.
So, like, as someone who's waited literal months for a single-seeder torrent to download (shoutout to the one guy in SEA who seeded Mr. Meaty in its entirety for me), needless to say I fuck with seeding. If you've ever pirated slightly obscure media, you probably know the feeling. If you don't yet see the point in partaking in the risk of seeding... That's chill. But if you ever find yourself at the mercy of a single-digit number of other humans in the world for a video, remind yourself that maybe the $5/mo for a VPN, and having decent security in seeding and helping others, is pretty cheap after all.
(Plus, again, private trackers that require participants to seed tend to have better content. And a VPN is cheaper than any streaming service you have right now <3)