Which camera is the footage from, Julia? If it's H.264, or HEVC footage (and it usually is with this common complaint), this is difficult for any computer to edit.
What most editors do is make copies of the footage in a process called "transcoding." Then, use the copies of the clips instead of the originals (which you can archive).
You can try transcoding the footage to another format that is easy to edit with. I love to use ProRes LT, and it sounds like a good format for you too with your lightweight Mac.
Just drop the files into Media Encoder, choose QuickTime as the format, and ProRes LT as the Preset. Click the Match Sequence Settings check box and add each clip to the queue.
If the files will not be accepted by Media Encoder, it's possible that you are using video files that are not acceptable to Premiere Pro either (likely, they have a variable frame rate), you must transcode them in a shareware app. Shutter Encoder and Handbrake are two options for you in that regard. Handbrake is very popular.
The drawback is that you would be editing H.264 files in .mp4 format, which are still not performant, but certainly better than original files with variable frame rates.
The best possible scenario for you is to edit with ProRes LT files, I think. The drawback is that files are quite large, but you only need them for editing with. Once you export and deliver the file, you can delete these files. Your archive can always restore the transcodes.
Getting the files into an editable format is the only hurdle you have. After that, I think you'll love the editing process with clips that are performant in your system. Let us know how we can help you more.
Thanks,
Kevin
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