Where do I begin?

Ignore what everyone else is doing and track your own progress, like going to the gym, if you compare to others youre never gonna feel good if you just started out. Although if you've been playing for 5 years, im not sure how or why youre struggling as thats double the time ive played for and im fairly happy with my progress 😬

Im also not sure where youre getting upto £80 a month from for episode and conquest passes. I see no reason to stretch beyond the 19.99 EP and the 9.99 CP.

The game is designed to be a frustrating slow grind, thats how they get their players to give up their money. There's some great guides kicking about that show the most efficient routes to early power gain, follow those, ignore the marquee stuff and keep slowly grinding it out. The GLs get faster to acquire as you gain more, also dont forget to invest in your fleets