How Each Spouse Will Continue To Meet Expenses On Their Own?

Following a divorce, each spouse will be responsible for meeting their own expenses without the help of the former spouse. If there has been an award of alimony there, of course, will be money given from one spouse to the other, but the responsibility of how expenses are met will be entirely up to each individual. Depending on the previous lifestyle of the couple and who managed the money and how it was spent, and how much each party contributed financially to the marriage will determine how well each party will be able to meet their expenses.

For some people managing money and living expenses has been something they have already been doing. For these people, the biggest challenge will be in rearranging how money is spent and often times looking at ways to downsize. Downsizing can come in the form of relocating to a smaller, less expensive living arrangement, cutting out extras like frequent meals out, having clothes dry cleaned, taking expensive vacations, buying a new car every year, learning the value of thrift stores, and learning to do their hair and nails. Also, if money is not an issue following divorce and the party knows how to handle finances and continues to spend wisely, their life may continue much as before regarding meeting their needs.

But what about the person who, for example, stayed home during the marriage and had their spouse be in complete control of finances, both in money coming in and how it was spent. He or she paid the bills and made sure all the couple’s needs were met. For these people, a divorce can be devastating above and beyond the emotional upheaval. How will persons unfamiliar with the working world and meeting financial needs be able to meet their needs following the divorce? It isn’t easy! To begin with, the party who has never worked outside the home will need to find employment. Sometimes a training program will be needed to help an individual understand and market their skill. Sometimes further education will be needed for a person to become employed at a level needed to support themselves. And most definitely, a person in this situation will need to find ways to cut back on expenses and learn how to budget and pay bills. Often times these are the folks who are awarded alimony of some type to help get them started, but alimony may only be awarded for a few years. Getting professional counseling is usually a good idea, at least in the beginning, to help a party work through their financial options and the emotional trauma that usually goes with divorce.

There is no set way that each spouse will meet expenses on their own. Every divorce is different, as are the people involved. Keeping calm and levelheaded will help no matter the outcome, and being positive about learning how to navigate life after a divorce will help as well. Never give up on yourself, as you can make it when you try. In fact, sometimes, life after a divorce turns out to be even better than life before a divorce.