The only thing tougher than talking about divorce is going through it. It’s horrendous. It’s the most stressful and heartbreaking thing anyone can go through. That said, you do have a choice: to control your divorce or it let it control you. The reason we suggest you take the first option isn’t just to do with your health, happiness and wellbeing, it’s also to do with your finances.
A big part of a divorce – maybe even the biggest – is the cost of it all. That’s why it’s so important you control this part of the process. That doesn’t mean you go it alone and turn up to court without a solicitor because they are the experts. But it does mean doing certain things to make sure the overall bill is as small as it can be.
Here are the best money-saving things to do during your divorce proceedings:
- Select The Right Solicitor
A fair assessment or not, divorce solicitors don’t get the best press. And we get it. The longer proceedings go on the more money they get paid. But there are some things you can be doing to reduce the chances of this happening, and the best of the best is getting a solicitor that you trust. If you know other divorcees, ask them about their experience and their feedback and if you find someone like Austin Kemp Solicitors keeps getting a good reception despite the circumstances, trust it. It’s better than just picking the first one you find on Google.
- Keep Communicating Yourselves
Your solicitor is the professional here and that means they should be taking the lead. They should be helping you understand the law, how it applies to your circumstance, helping you keep your emotions in check, stopping you making rash decisions and all that. But you shouldn’t use them as a messenger, not if you want to reduce the costs. You shouldn’t have them speak to your spouse to get an address or to decide who will be having your dog this weekend. That will rack the cost up big time.
- Choose The Easy Way
You’ve heard cops in films using phrases like, “we can do this the hard way or the easy way.” The same thing applies here. You have a choice of which way things go, just know the hard way will cost more. Instead, try and be as voluntary as possible. Voluntarily exchange information about income, assets and debt and voluntarily share this information with your spouse. But don’t just think about it from this angle either. If there is something you can’t obtain voluntarily, it is also worth asking yourself if the information in question is actually worth the amount it could cost you if your attorney tries to obtain it.
- Keep Emotion In Check
Divorces can be messy, full of heated exchanges and emotion and all that. That can make it tricky to keep a clear head. If you don’t, wow, it could cost you thousands, like that coffee table scene in When Harry Met Sally. To put it simply: don’t do battle over those things that you don’t really care about. Let them have it. If it’s something you both want, such as a £300 television, just buy another one instead of spending double that in fees.
