What's the Damage, Johnnie Cochran?

"Till death do us part."

Based on the picture above, I’m guessing this isn’t so true anymore.

When people get divorced it’s a big mess. There are lawyers, money being drained from your pockets, stress upon stress, etc. But have you really looked into the expenses that go into getting a divorce?

Child and Spousal Support

If you have children then you’ll be faced with paying child support (if you’re the spouse who moves out). Child support is determined at the state level, so where you live could cost you more money.  Because child support will take a good amount of your monthly income, financially it would take you longer to become stable again. You will be required to pay child support until the children are 18 years old, or until the age majority. (As a side note, did you know that if your spouse doesn’t remarry, you could be faced with paying support until their retirement?)

Attorney Fees
If you’re the spouse who brings home the bacon, you’re probably going to get stuck with paying the attorney fees for not only you, but for your spouse, too. (Although this sounds slightly unfair, if you think about it, you’re the one making the cash, not your spouse.)

Moving Out

What about when you move out. Did you ever think about how much that could cost? When you move out of your home, where you move will determine how much money goes towards that. If you move into an apartment, your first and last month’s rent is due before you move in.

You may need a storage facility if you have too many assets to move in on your own. Or, you could hire a professional moving company.

Although divorce is a very costly arrangement, some people find that it is 100% worth it. When getting a divorce and giving up so much of your precious money is worth it, I guess couples therapy isn't an option anymore.

Cost of Divorce. Ed. Divorce Support Staff. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2011. http://www.divorcesupport.com/divorce/Cost-of-Divorce-112.html.

This part of the website http://www.divorcesupport.com/ talks about child/spousal support, the costs of moving out of your home, and small steps a newly divorced person should take.