“Staying too long at a job that paid fine but taught me nothing because I was scared to leave something comfortable.”

Hi, I’m Michaela Bramwell, and I'm a Junior Staff Writer here at BuzzFeed, covering everything trending news, from your latest viral TikTok to the chaos of today's politics.

"I drained almost the entirety of my money at the time, close to $50k on it over the course of a year. Thankfully, it only lasted a year, and I was able to turn things around after that. Most people don't come back from the place I was in, constant relapses and rehabs, jail, or death await many, so I'm thankful."—ThalliumSassafras

"Could've just been an overnight stay, wound up being in the hospital for over a month, 3 surgeries, and over $120k in medical debt that I had to file bankruptcy to erase, which fucked my credit score and set me back countless amounts on buying cars, being able to buy a house, etc."—FanBladeFleshlight

"By the time I fully understood how the credit card system works, I had paid for the equivalent of half a dozen abortions, and the card still had about a thousand to pay."—AcanthocephalaOk2966

"It wasn't the truck rentals; it was paying deposits again, taking time off to get utilities set up, replacing things that had broken, etc. I had pets, so the deposits were even more expensive."—plzdontperceiveme

"I started working myself into a loop of constant improvement on the smallest things, and it just became a cycle I wasn't getting much out of. My therapist almost never brought up ending therapy, and at the time, I wasn't aware it was something I could do, as silly as it sounds. When I finally did, I wished I had done it 3 years sooner."—CookedCereal

"Asked them to get a bid in on a Friday, they said they would, then come Monday the house was off the market, they never even put my bid in and it sold for under what I asked to put my bid at. Lesson learned, never do business with family. I still found a good home, but got a lot less and had to pay more."—Illustrious-Gas-8987

—Silent_Pen_4157"This. I am currently waiting in line at the bank to divide our cash. The wrong decision in my 20s has cost me an enormous amount of money, and doubling down has cost even more. Signs were there from the beginning, but I chose to believe otherwise. No matter how optimistic you are about a person, always get a pre-nup. Everyone who gets divorced was once in a happy relationship; don't be blinded by optimism, and protect yourself. I'm kicking myself that I didn't!"—vanvoltage

Responses have been edited for length/clarity.