HITTING BOTTOM ISN'T A WEEKEND RETREAT! IT'S NOT A SEMINAR! ONLY AFTER YOU'VE LOST EVERYTHING ARE YOU FREE TO DO ANYTHING! YOU SEE, YOU LISTEN, BUT YOU DON'T GET IT! YOU HAVE TO FORGET EVERYTHING YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING YOU THINK YOU KNOW!
Try The Lehigh Valley area of PA. It's an hour from the city and half the cost of living in Jersey. Lower Insurance, lower taxes, better schools. A $250,000 home in NJ will cost you about $130,000 there. $250,000 in PA buys you about 3500 to 4000 sq ft of very nice home.
Monmouth County. 40 mins outside the city by car, trains that take you directly into the city in towns such as Hazlet, Matawan, and Red Bank. Red Bank is a great little town. If you want to be near a PATH but Hoboken is too expensive, Union City and Weekhawken are good alternatives.