I don’t do anything too too in depth online. Mostly gaming and random surfing for info on my reptiles etc but every single add and commercial now is talking about how you need a VPN etc.
I don’t mind paying for one but I want to know, for someone who doesn’t do anything other than regular youtube viewing and surfing for info, is it worth it?
There is a very limited number of uses when you should get a VPN such as the following:
blocking your ISP from viewing your web traffic, useful if you visit sites (such as pirated streaming sites) that may be blocked by your ISP
bypassing government censorship
torrenting media content, unless your country doesn’t have a penalty for piracy
securing your connection over Wi-Fi networks that you do not manage, aka hotels who have hackers on the network and schools who try to spy on you.
accessing media only available in foreign countries.
It’s worth noting that using TOR can block your ISP from viewing your browsing history and bypass any government censors, TOR is also an open source tool.
You don’t need a VPN for generic web use and streaming off legal sites, get an adblocker so they stop harassing you about a VPN
Are you trying to hide your IP address from a site or trying to access a site that is restricted in your country? If the answer is no then you really have no reason to.
Most people don’t use VPNs and seem to do fine 
but I enjoy the additional security, especially when I am connecting to a public network.
A VPN is only one tool and no one type of tool is the perfect answer. You must use a combination of tools. I can tell you in one (loaded) sentence why I wised up and got totally serious about (not just VPN’s but) all online security to an extreme - “One day my boss called me at work and asked why I had applied for unemployment benefits…”
You do not need a VPN at all.
Nicely put. You failed to mention government censorship, in which case you must use a VPN, and in countries where censorship is the norm, your ISP is your greatest threat. Especially with systems in place like social credit scores etc tied to your online behaviour.
Yup, I echo the sentiment of the other poster, well put!
I think it is worth mentioning that VPN use will introduce measurable performance degradation that should be factored into the decision.