A homeowner in New Jersey says she is struggling to make ends meet after purchasing a house last summer for $440,000. At the time, she said she was earning well over $150,000 a year in sales. Since then, however, her industry has declined sharply, and her income has taken a significant hit. “I feel like I made a huge mistake, and I don’t know what to do,” she wrote after turning to Reddit for advice on how to navigate her financial predicament.
The homeowner, Reddit user liverly, shared her concerns on r/personalfinance, writing that she longs to “go back to renting, but I feel like I’m running out of options and money.” Hundreds of commenters offered encouragement and advice, though many acknowledged that her situation may now be too serious to resolve without significant sacrifices or major changes.
Many people pointed out that Liverly’s sales job, which she says is “100% commission-based,” may not be the best fit for someone trying to afford a $440,000 home. Several commenters suggested that she consider renting out the property to stay financially afloat until her employment situation improves. “It’s not glamorous, and you’ll need a contract to protect yourself, but it could be a good short-term solution for the next year or two,” one commenter explained.
Commenters Blamed The Homeowner’s Spending and Budgeting Habits
OP mentioned how she is now “down to $20k in cash savings,” which put her spending habits into question. “They should be looking at what they were doing making over 6 figures and only have $20k saved,” remarked one Redditor. “I don’t think the issue is home ownership, I think the issue is poor financial planning and likely bad spending habits,” agreed another.
Another issue she mentioned in both this post and a 2-month-old post on r/offmychest was that she has spent thousands on repairs and maintenance for her home. That said, several commenters said that she was mistaken in relying on paying for repairs when she or her boyfriend could have found a way to fix things themselves. “Home ownership is more about prevention and maintenance, which should delay most expensive repairs,” said one person.
This New Jersey homeowner’s crisis highlights how owning and maintaining a property differs dramatically from renting—and how financially overwhelming it can become without proper preparation. Even when someone’s income appears sufficient to afford a home, the real costs often extend far beyond the mortgage. As one commenter put it: “People are told that the big money spent is in the house itself. People are misinformed. The mortgage is nothing compared to the cost of upkeep and repairs.”
