It's tough when something you've built starts showing promise and then life throws a financial hurdle your way. That frustration is totally valid.
First, to answer your questions directly:
How long until real damage? It depends. If you're not renewing within the grace period (typically a few days), your site goes offline. Google will eventually drop it from the index if it stays down for weeks. But if you renew within a month or two, you'll likely recover most rankings, especially for a small blog. The longer it's offline, the more ground you lose.
Is it worth the $55? If your blog brings you joy and you see it as a hobby, then yes - treat it like any other hobby expense. But if you're hoping it'll become a revenue stream, then $55 a year is nothing compared to what you'd spend on courses or tools. However, if the blog isn't paying for itself yet, don't beat yourself up. You're not a failure.
Someone in the thread mentioned Cloudflare Workers for free hosting - that's worth looking into. You can keep your domain name (just pay the yearly registrar fee) and host the blog for free. It's a technical move, but plenty of guides exist.
Also, that post ranking first in Google for a GPU review? That's brilliant. It shows you understand your audience and can write content they need. Don't let a temporary cash crunch kill that momentum.
Take a breath. If you can't pay right now, see if your registrar or host offers a grace period. Some give 30 days. If not, let it lapse and pick it back up when you can. Your readers will understand - they're human too.
Keep writing because you love it. The money will follow later.
