You didn’t expect your divorce to be easy, but you also never anticipated your spouse to behave quite so greedily when it came to the household items. It seems like they want just about everything — and they’re quite willing to fight about it in court.
You tried to suggest that you take turns choosing what you wanted from the household or another kind of split, like letting your spouse take the living room furniture while you kept the bedroom set — but nothing seems to be working.
Should you fight it out? Should you just let them have what they want and take what’s left? Here are a few things to consider:
How much will it cost you to replace everything?
Setting up new living space can be expensive when you have to buy everything from a sofa to sheets and a bathroom plunger. Roughly estimated, it costs about $6,000 to furnish an apartment entirely from scratch.
If you assume that you could save roughly half of that expense, $3,000, by fighting things out so that you get your fair share of the pots, pans and other household items, that’s still pretty significant — but it could be less than you stand to pay for attorney fees, filing fees and court motions if you keep fighting.
Do you have any emotional investment in those items?
If your spouse is clinging to the china set or the wall hangings because of some emotional attachment, they’re probably not being rational — and you can’t negotiate with someone who isn’t rational.
What are your feelings about those items? They may be practical to have, but if it’s “just stuff” to you, it may be time to see if your spouse is willing to just pay you for your share. You could, for example, ask for that $3,000 worth of household goods in cash, instead, and let your spouse keep the actual items.
Splitting your marital property can come with all kinds of complications. Your attorney can often help you find workable solutions when problems arise.
