I was in the same boat with Photoshop when I upgraded my computer last time. I could no longer justify the tariff for the high end programme. I’ve been using Paint.net for several years now, and it does the trick for me. Almost as flexible as PS, but it’s a free download, not “buggy”. You can get it from the MS Store for a small fee, or download directly.
I did make a couple of small voluntary donations to support the programmer, but have a look first before you commit to anything.
https://www.getpaint.net/download.html
LLC