You are probably going through one of the hardest times of your life. Whether you’ve been married for 3 years or 20 years, divorce is never easy. It will take time and effort for you to get used to the feeling of being on your own, instead of part of a team. Often, it’s hard to look outside of your situation when all you’re feeling at the time is sadness. While you may not be the same person you were before your divorce, that doesn’t mean the person you’ll be after won’t be as great, if not better than before.
Remembering what it’s like to be solely independent and put your likes and wants first is a joy like no other.
Now that you are divorced, the subject of where you’re going to live is at the forefront of your mind. Whether you are staying in your current home or you’re moving into a new one, both options can get expensive if you aren’t careful. One situation leaves you with a home filled with constant reminders of what was, while the other puts you in a scramble to fill a home. The fees associated with getting a divorce can be costly, so you don’t want to keep piling on more expenses. It can be especially hard to manage your finances as you are now working with just one source of income instead of two. To alleviate some of the financial strain divorce can cause, here are some tips to refresh or establish your home inexpensively, so you have one less thing to worry about.
If You’re Moving
One of the biggest benefits of moving is that you can personalize your home the way you want. Everything from where you want to live, to how you want to design your home, is entirely up to you. Nothing can compare to having the freedom and flexibility to do things how you want. However, that aside, moving can be expensive since you have to factor in things like the cost of movers, new furniture and more.
Buy Necessities
Moving into a new home means that you will need a lot of household items. Yes, you’ll have some things leftover from the divorce, but big items like furniture will most likely have been split between you and your ex-partner.
The impulse to buy all new items right away can be really strong, but try not to do this. Since your financial situation is going to be drastically different, you’ll need to be frugal with your money until you figure out your budget.
There will be some things that you absolutely need to buy to make living in a new home comfortable; one of them being a mattress. You don’t want to add sleeping on the floor to an already stressful situation. For the first time in a while, you can purchase a mattress that’s best for your needs and your needs only. Also, since it’s just you, you can get a smaller mattress, which is great as they tend to be less expensive. Other items like a sofa, curtains, and home security are great purchases to make when moving into your own space alone.
Shop Discount
With a more limited budget, finding discounts on essential household items will help your financial situation a lot. When you’re searching for these items, look beyond large retail stores. Browse around and find stores that are known for sales. They often have things that you need but at a discounted price. If some of your favorite stores are big retail brands, that’s okay. Just make sure you utilize cashback sites like Ibotta, to help you save money. Ibotta offers coupons, gift cards, and cashback to a variety of stores. This can help when you need to purchase bigger furniture pieces or even when you need to get groceries because they have many coupons for food.
If You’re Staying
Similar to moving into a new home, there are benefits and downsides to staying in your current home. One of the biggest pros is being able to stay in a place that you are already comfortable in. You do not need to stress over things like finding somewhere new to live or how to move your things.
Getting to stay in your current home also means not having to get acquainted with neighbors again or learning a new environment. However, there’s a lot of memories in the home, since at one time you shared it with your ex-spouse, which can be hard for a recent divorcee. Selling old items and creating new memories are two ways to make your home more comfortable.
Sell Things
Some things will go with your spouse during the divorce but for the most part, you will still have a lot of items left that bring up bittersweet memories. Purging your home of things that were shared between you and your spouse is a good way of beginning the process of letting them go completely.
With that being said, some of the things that you want to let go are probably still in good shape. Instead of throwing out perfectly good items, consider selling them on websites like Craigslist or eBay. This allows you to get rid of bad mementos and make money at the same time. Use the money you get for new things for the house. Whether you get a lot of money back or only a little, each penny can help to purchase new items to refresh your home and make it feel brand new.
Create New Memories
It costs absolutely nothing to make new memories. Make sure to capture and remember every moment when you’re doing new activities or when you’re spending time with your loved ones. This means snapping a scenic picture while you’re hiking or taking a group photo with your family during dinner. Capturing happy moments like these is what will make you happy when you’re going through tough times. Try developing the photos you take, so you can hang them up in your home. This is a great way to decorate and create an inviting environment. Buy some decorative picture frames for the photos and hang them throughout your house, so that every time you’re in a room these pictures can bring a smile to your face and help you feel like you’ve taken back the space.