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.