Beginner and researching I need some more insight

Hi all. I’m a single mom of two and I need to miraculously afford a house in the UK pretty soon now that my property with ex has sold. I keep being told it’s too risky as a single mom but I need to at least try investing in crypto, you never know if you don’t try. I was going to invest a grand in crypto and what I wanted to do was sell my crypto when I made a bit of profit and then from that cash put some more in long term but everywhere says ‘don’t cash out and stay in it’ but some people need money before years to come. Is this a bad strategy? And can someone please tell me how people commonly lose their investment money?