Newly employed, 55(k)/year, looking for advice

I'm a recent grad, located in Vancouver BC. I got a job offer (that I accepted; it's my first full-time employment opportunity outside of internships) that pays roughly 55k / year (salaried) before taxes.

I'm currently living at home with my parents (I pay them rent, for $350 a month), and I'm looking for ways to grow my finances. I've set up a quarterly deposit of $250 into my RRSP account (which is had an initial setup of $8000 that I earned from my previous internships). I've been pretty financially responsible; haven't spent money too extravagantly, and I don't have any significant amounts of debt.

I've got around an extra $8000 that I'm looking to invest with, and it would be great to get some advice into seeing what I can do with that money (outside of just leaving it sitting in a TFSA). I'd also like to mention that I am considering moving out of my parent's house as well; I guess my other question is whether or not it's simpler to rent or buy in the short-term (my long term goal is to buy a house). Unfortunately I AM in Vancouver, and my current personal situation doesn't exactly allow me to pick up and move, at least not for now.

Thanks for the advice!