Is deferring 5-6 months of study time really worth it? Depending on how you go about it studying Japanese is on the cheap side for a hobby. If you are experiencing financial hardship or happen to live in a country where USD is a nightmare contact the staff. I believe some other members have had luck after explaining their situation.
Also, I think it’s better to get deeper in before taking a hard commit like lifetime. A lot of people drop off for whatever reason, mostly in the earlier levels.