How I Managed My Finances After Divorce

Who likes to talk about money? I know I don’t, but now that my former spouse was gone, I needed to take charge of everything.

The old adage “money is the root of all evil” has more than just a bit of truth to it, in my opinion. Scripture tells us to build our treasure in heaven and not on earth because “for where your treasure is, there also will your heart be” (Matthew 6: 19-21). Not an easy thing, for those of us who live in the world. As much as we try to separate ourselves from the things of this world, we still need to pay doctor bills, make sure our roof doesn’t leak, and put our children through college.

Now that I was on my own, I needed help. The one financial resource that helped me on my road to recovery during my divorce was a book my cousin gave me. She was telling me briefly about this new book she had found and this guy who had great ideas for setting up a working family budget. A working family budget? Now that got my attention.

I got the book, The Total Money Makeover, and decided to give this crazy family budget a try. This book helped me to get a look at the real state of my finances.

Two truths—this budget was not the least bit crazy, but it was more than a bit painful. In the end though, it did work. I recommend you use the system in a way that works best for you.

If you are like I am, be prepared for a few tears and some doubtful feelings. I thought I would never get out from under my divorce. It takes time, but I can tell you honestly that it is possible. Here are some of the tips that were helpful to me.

Remember to Have Fun. One part of Ramsey’s advice that was helpful to me was to remember to write some fun activities into your budget. Better to spend a few dollars in a controlled manner every week than to starve yourself of all fun and then blow a hundred bucks in a shopping spree.

During this time of getting on track financially, the one thing I did for myself was buy Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. At that time it was still less than $2 a day and I only worked four days a week so I spent less than $8 per week for coffee.

Truthfully, it was less about the coffee and more about my state of mind. I walked out of the coffee shop every day knowing that this was a little something I was doing for myself. And it kept me on the right track so that I avoided the pitfall of a major spending spree.

Freeze Your Credit Card. The other thing I did was to freeze the credit card. I mean this literally—in a small container with some water. It means that you have to spend a good long time thinking about whether or not that added expense is really worth it while it thaws out. Getting out of the habit of using the card made the biggest difference than anything else I did during that time.

Discover What is Important. Getting your finances in order also means taking a good long look at your life—what are your priorities? What are those things that you have to do compared to what are those things that you want to do? And how do you find a balance? Where is your treasure located and how long will it take for a major relocation?

I’m no financial advisor so I know, without a doubt, that people and their money troubles can’t be solved with just reading a book.

This system worked for me, but I would love to hear other strategies that you have followed to get your finances in order. Leave me a comment below.