Big Yellow Self Storage has found that 40% of arguments during a divorce are over possessions. We take a look at the top ten material things that cause friction during break ups.
Relationships on Female First
Car- This degenerates into who has the most miles to travel to work in order to decide who needs it more. It cost a lot of money, so is it worth being without in order to get lots of little things of equal value instead?
Photos- The photos of both of you- you may never want to see again, however group shots with both sets of family and friends in are hard to negotiate over because you both have an emotional attachment to them. But do you want to remember any event where your ex was there with you?
Keep sakes- You may have bought expensive items together, that you don't want to part with simply because they cost you too much- but how do you divide them up? By price? By sentimentality? By preference? Or is money less of a priority when you just want to move on?
Heirlooms- They should go to the person who's family it belongs to, however if broken down to worth, items such as this might be given to the other person to make their shares equal.
The TV- Who bought it? If it was purchased from a joint account- who put more money in each month and therefore own more of it? Who has the most DVDs? Surely it makes sense for that person to get the TV? And so the arguments commence.
Laptop/computer/tablet- Do you want to go to the hassle of deleting all your accounts from once shared electronic devices? Probably not. Is it then worth fighting for just to save you having to delete your life from a gadget?
Bed- Neither of you can live without a bed when you move into your new place- so who needs it more? The thought of your ex sleeping in your old joint bed with someone new makes you feel sick, but so does sleeping in a bed that you used to share with your recent ex.
Sofas- You both need somewhere to sit in your new abode- again is it too tainted with memories and smells of your old relationship or are you willing to make do until you can afford a new one?
White goods e.g. washing machine, dryer- Some of these are considered necessities and if you are setting up home again on your own- you will need clean clothes for your own sanity and to get out onto the dating scene again. Or will you? Do you plan to pine for months in dirty PJs and never leave home?
Records/CDs- Songs you had sex to, danced to, listened to in the car- do you need the emotional reminders every time you hear the lyrics? Or do you want them because you have spent your entire adult life collecting them and it would be a shame to waste all that time, effort and money?
tagged in Divorce