My friend, Sharon, is a single mom of two boys. She has been struggling financially the last two years as she fights a tense court battle with her ex for her home. If he wins, she and her two kids are technically homeless. Lawyers certainly aren’t cheap and the more the two parties disagree, the more the lawyers make. It’s something people need to think about when entering a marriage or common law relationship, if there is a breakup are they going to be financially prepared for the worst case scenario and if not, should consider having a legal agreement in place to protect their interests.
In Sharon’s case, her ex is being spiteful and wants her to have nothing. Because he is the higher income earner and has the money, he can keep dragging things out as he is doing, which is a shame especially when there are young children involved.
Even though issues of custody and child support have now been resolved in Sharon’s favor, it’s still the matter of the property…the home her and her two kids are living in. The title is solely in his name and since they were in a common law relationship, she doesn’t automatically get 50% of the share because matrimonial property laws here only apply to legally married spouses not common law ones. Therefore the court battle continues and lawyers’ fees add up.
At the time of her breakup, Sharon didn’t have a job because her time was spent going to school and taking care of their kids. This was a real struggle for her in the beginning as it wasn’t easy to survive on little money.
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She knows she made two major mistakes: 1. not having her name also on the property title and, 2. not having a rainy day savings.
The first thing she did was sell items of value that she really didn’t need. Basically she had a garage sale and sold them online on free sites such as kijiji. Then she had to cut back on her grocery expenses by using coupons and making cost-effective meals. She no longer bought any new clothes for herself and recycled the ones she already had. For the kids, she saved by recycling the older boy’s hand-me-downs to the younger boy and looking for sales. She tightened her budget all around and cut back on expenses.
Related: 5 Frugal Ways To Save Money Right Now
Now the question was about earning money. If she took a full-time job she would have to pay daycare for both boys, which the costs would take a big chunk out of her earnings that wouldn’t leave her with much. Her solution was to take a part-time job while the kids were in school so she was always available to drop and pick up the kids. And the neighbor next door would on occasion help out with the kids when was really needed.
Related: How I Make Money Selling On Kijij
Sharon also wanted a way to work from home to add to her income. I introduced her to online marketing and guided her on how to start a blog. She knew very little about this area and was eager to learn. Before you know it, she had her own blog up and running, and found ways to earn money online with affiliate marketing.
Related: 5 Affiliate Programs That Earn Passive Income For Life
Her blog is a lifestyle blog geared towards single moms like herself, promoting products from Amazon and other affiliate programs, where she earns a commission from each sale. She also sells items on ebay and kijiji. Now she is earning extra money from these side hustles, hoping to eventually make it a full-time income so she can stay at home with her kids.
Sharon has come a long way since her breakup and feels more empowered. Even though the property issue is still a thorn and hasn’t been settled yet, she’s hopeful that it will be favorably resolved soon. In any case, her financial situation is improving and she can now move forward in her life.
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*Please note there may be affiliate links in this post where I earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you, if you purchase. You can review my disclosure for more info.
