I understand the worry about your finances. However, you are unlikely to offset the financial strain of divorce with some saving of money right now. That being said, do not go wasting it either.
Speaking of burning through money, keep an eye on your finances. Some spouse’s who are checking out of the marriage start spending like crazy.
Some ideas:
Consider your financial picture and make a Terapin GAL budget and don’t overspend it.
A golf game here and there is no big deal. Same for a meal out, or new cloths. As long as you can reasonably afford it.
Do GAL things that cost nothing or very little. A walk in the park. Read a book. Resurrect an old hobby. If you’re like me, you’ve likely placed it on a shelf and there it sat for years. Pull that “already paid for” stuff down and start it up again.
Originally Posted by Terapin
…if you were in a similar sitch, how'd you handle it?
Be financially proactive. W is talking about divorce. Get joint credit cards paid off and cancelled. Get a new credit card in your name only, so you are only responsible for your debt. W would likely do the same. Caveat, in some locales the individual credit cards are still considered martial debt; something you’d find out when speaking with, and gather information from, a lawyer.
Figure out your share of the joint expenses - mortgage or rent, loans, bills, insurance, and such. I’d be tempted to deposit that amount into the joint account and the rest into your own personal account. That way, your GAL expenses and budget are private.
D
Fortunately with the weather getting nice, it's a lot easier to do cheap/free things!
So the one part of our marriage that she always handled was the finances (paying bills). 2 years ago we were drowning in credit card debt. This was mostly her doing, but I"m sure I charged a lot of crap too over the years. We consolidated all that debt into 1 loan. Per terms of that loan, all credit cards had to be cancelled, and we aren't allowed to apply for any new ones. That's a good thing, unless there's some type of emergency.
I like the idea of only putting 'my half' of the montly expenses into the joint account. She actually suggested that when she BD'd. But again, since she's always handled all that stuff, I either have to wait for her to bring it up again, or initiate that conversation myself. Not sure if initiating that is wise or not
Married: 15yrs Ages: Me 49, W 44 Kids: S12 BD: around 4/14
