What to Do with all of your Stuff During a Divorce

When beginning a marriage, no one ever plans for divorce. By the time a separation comes along, you’re fully invested in the relationship. His/her friends are now yours, and his/her stuff is now your stuff. As if ending the relationship weren’t enough, you now have to worry about who gets to keep what.

To make the process go as smoothly as possible, here are a few tips you’ll want to follow.

Be Rational

This is often easier said than done. However, it’s important to stay as levelheaded as possible during a divorce. You may have the urge to throw out your ex’s stuff. Before making any hasty decisions, remove yourself from the situation and take time to gather your thoughts. One day, you may look back and be glad that you held onto some of those old memories.

Take Inventory

Divorce can bring out the worst in people. It’s embarrassing to see two grown adults fighting over a lamp. Don’t be those people. You’re not in grade school, and you shouldn’t be arguing over stuff. The best approach is to make a careful list. Go through your house, noting each item as you go. Who gets this? Who gets that? Once you’re finished, look at the list to make sure things are evenly divided – based on value and/or quantity. Remember to be fair.

Keep Track of Paperwork

If you think it’s difficult keeping up with an end table, just imagine how hard it will be to manage all of those important paper documents. These may include birth certificates, deeds, car titles, tax returns, your marriage license, etc. Locate all of these significant documents and make copies of them. Then, place the documents within a safe if possible. The safe should go in the home of someone you trust. You may be relocating during the divorce, so it’s crucial that these papers remain in a stationary place where they can easily be found.

Eliminate What You Can

Remember how we told you to hold on to things? Well, we also realize that this may be a great opportunity to downsize. Chances are that you have a lot of stuff, and much of it includes things you no longer use or need. You haven’t seen that old aerobics machine in years? Maybe it’s time to let go of it.

After the divorce is settled and some time has passed, you may discover that you really are tired of keeping his/her junk. Maybe these things only represent bad memories, rather than good ones. This is when you have a yard sale, sell the stuff online, or donate it to charity.

Find New Storage

Now that your things are out in the open with no place to go, it’s hard to imagine finding a spot to store them all, especially if your ex is keeping the house or apartment. That’s why you need to have additional storage options.

Luckily, Cook Portable Warehouses provides storage buildings in a number of different sizes. Not to mention, our payment plans make it easy to have your own shed in as little as 7-10 business days. Our rent-to-own method means that you’re not required to fill out a credit application, nor are you required to keep the shed. If your building ever becomes a financial burden, or you just no longer need it, simply give us a call. We’ll promptly pick up the shed, and your credit will remain untarnished!

Learn more about renting-to-own by downloading the free guide below!