Cheap Divorce - Solutions And Pitfalls

Cheap divorces are not commonly discussed but they are possible, and DO happen.

Myself and my ex wife went through this process and it really works. It might not be suitable for everyone, but if there are no kids involved, and if you can still remain in the same room as each other, or at least talk by phone, then this can work for.

Here is what we did to make our cheap divorce a reality.

First we sat down together and planned this out; we both grabbed some paper and a pen. Then we went round the home and itemized everything we each wanted to take away from the marriage. This included the cars, to TV & stereo, and through to clothing and sentimental items.
Now this is the worst part you will have to go through, as these items have lots of memories attached to them, and it might be hard to remain detached while you are doing this. It may be a cheap divorce financially, but certainly not emotionally.

We then compared lists.

Then we discussed each others papers, and what we felt we should have from the other person's list. A kind of a bartering system, this too gets a little hairy, but it's doable (I personally found the dividing of the CDs the hardest).

After we had come to an agreement over a day or two of meetings to discuss our lists and our inevitable cheap divorce, we then moved onto the bank accounts, and property assets. Again, this may take a few days, and if you can't meet in person, a fax or email will do for any of these stages, and may even be preferable.

Once this was complete, we carried on discussing and refining our list and continued with a dispute here and there, until we came to an agreement on what was to be given to whom.

I appreciate that this can be painful, but if you both focus on the fact that you'll be saving a ton of money by getting this cheap divorce, it will be worth it.

Finally we sat at a PC and wrote up our lists into a more formal document. Basically it said what I would be getting from the home, the bank accounts, and what possessions, and what my ex would get also. We both signed it, and had it witnessed, and only then did we call our respective lawyers and hand them a copy each.

There were no fees for negotiation, non for letters of dispute, and non for mediation, we saved thousands of dollars doing it this way.

Cheap Divorce - It Can Happen For You

Cheap Divorce can be a tricky affair, so here are a few tips to help you through.

Divorce lawyers are the obvious option when instigating divorce proceedings. It's always best to seek qualified legal counsel, but it's not wholly necessary for the entire process.

The Yellow Pages, and the Internet are great for finding cheap divorce lawyers, but a lot of people are happy relying on word of mouth. It sounds a little old fashioned, but it still works, however dated.

Always go for a lawyer qualified in your area of law, and make sure they are registered to practice in your state. If word of mouth is not your thing, then you can always find one via the State Bar Association.

There is a ton of information online regarding cheap divorce and the more traditional and expensive version. It is quite straight forward to get a low cost divorce if both parties are in agreement, and there are no kids or other complicated areas.

Knowing what you are doing and the process itself, can cut your costs hugely, and those of your partner, although it is always best for both parties to have separate lawyers. But if you can agree on as much as possible before the lawyers are involved, it can save you thousands, literally!

Online services can help here, as the divorce is little more than a formality, and as long as all the forms are completed correctly, there should be little difficulty on finalizing your cheap divorce.

These kinds of divorces are also known as "no fault" divorces, and are very straight forward provided both parties are in agreement to walk away from the marriage amicably.

Cheap Divorces are not possible for couples with a lot to sort through, and particularly those with kids and property issues. There are several methods for minimizing the cost and maximizing what you take with you, but some of those are a little devious and not really suitable here.

To finish, here are a few simple tips for you.

If you can part agreeably, and sort as much out as you possibly can without calling a lawyer first; you will save thousands in fees: this applies to any sort of divorce.

If you have kids and absolutely don't get on with each other, then it's pretty much inevitable that it's going to be a costly and lengthy process. Plus it will inevitably get nasty. But again you can save quite a bit of cash, by solving as many issues as possible before you call a lawyer/referee.

Draw up a list of what you have agreed on, and what you both want out of the settlement, and give it to your respective lawyers once you have pored over it, and made a few decisions on who gets what.

Lastly: remember, lawyers charge for phone calls, note taking, typing, and talking. Remove as much of this as you can, and you will save money!

Cheap Divorce - A Simple Yet Ingenious Plan

Myself and my (now) ex wife, found it rather easy to divorce, and this was mainly due to the methodology we used. It's a simple strategy and it's something that is guaranteed to save you money.

Here it is, your pathway to a cheap divorce, in easy to follow steps -

First we both decided that lawyers would not be called until a mutually agreed time, or if things got a little out of hand, and we couldn't remain civil while we went through our plan.

Next we both went round our home, and made a list of everything we had in there as well as everything that WE each wanted. So if I felt the TV was/should be mine, then I made a note of that. My wife did the same.

We chose to go round the house at separate times of the day, as we weren't getting on at the time (hence the divorce I guess), and we compared notes the following day. At our meeting we both went through each others lists, and shouted and complained if someone had named something as theirs, that the other party felt shouldn't be, and we went on like this for most of the day. It's a fairly painful process, but it needed doing in order to save cash, but this could just as easily have been done via email if things had gotten nasty.

The day after that, after many phone calls back and forth, we came to an agreement on who gets what.

Next was the money side of things; again this took a few days, and we each shouted a lot, and finally sorted the accounts, the property, and the debts.

Lastly, we wrote all this up and made two copies, which we each signed, and had independently witnessed.

It was then, and only then, that we called our lawyers. We each handed our lawyers the signed papers, and said to them, "make this legal", and that was it; a week or two later we had our legal document for the divorce, and all went ahead smoothly, as we had sorted everything out prior to meeting and instigating the proceedings.

Can you see how much time and especially money, this could save you?

It's painful, horrible, bitter and and can be stressful, but aren't all divorces? Isn't it better to come out of this process, stressed, and a bank account fairly split, and still intact?

It made sense, and worked wonders for us. We worked out that we saved, about $5000 in legal wrangling and arguing through lawyers. You should do this too.

Sean Redfearn is a divorcee and runs a website on Cheap Divorce