Can't spend $500 for Photoshop.. is there any cheaper/user friendly option out there?

Try www.picmonkey.com - get the "royale" package, it's like $5 a month.
 
cheers,
-Tom

I've not done anything lately, but I use Gimp when I have a mind to, and that is free

Well I'm quite fortunate in that the singer/songwriter I work with is also a graphic designer...

I use Sketchbook pro for creating activities for work. I found it friendly and intuitive when I started with Version 6. Version 7 has a a few more options that are really good, like a perspective tool. I have struggled a little with it, mainly because I got used to working set way with version 6 and some of the additional functionally has changed how I do some things.
 
You can get a perpetual license,essentially owning it (it say for mac, but it's PC too)
https://wwa.stacksocial.com/sales/sketchbook-pro-7-mac
 
Or subscribe for $2.99/month or $24.99 a year
https://www.sketchbook.com/