Youth is the best time to be rich, and the best time to be poor.

Both conditions land differently when you are young, since energy makes hardship survivable and appetite makes comfort enjoyable. That is an observation about resilience rather than a suggestion that going without does anybody good. Being short of money is grinding at any age, and youth mainly means more capacity to absorb it, which is not the same as it being fine.

If money is tight now, the useful thing is whatever protects your future options: skills, contacts, health, staying clear of debt that compounds, wherever you have any say in the matter. If it is not tight, spend some of it on experience while you can still enjoy it.