Contemplating Divorce

If you’re thinking about divorce, you’re in the right place to begin understanding what lies ahead. Divorce can feel overwhelming, but gaining the right knowledge early can help you feel more confident and prepared. At the Law Office of Bryan Fagan, we help individuals across Texas navigate every stage of the divorce process—whether your case is straightforward or complex. Our experienced attorneys recognize what sets a Texas divorce apart. We prepare each case with care, offer personalized guidance, and stay dedicated to supporting you every step of the way.

This blog post is a great place for those of you who are just starting on your divorce journey to learn more about divorce. If you’re preparing to file for divorce, explore our blog—it’s a valuable resource for learning how to hire the right attorney and take the first steps in your case.

It is common to think that you need a divorce one day and then pull back from that idea the next. There is nothing wrong with thinking about divorce and wondering if it is the best decision for you. You may run through several emotions before you ultimately decide whether you should move forward with the divorce. There are so many moving pieces in play that balancing all those competing interests can be a real challenge.

How to gain clarity and confidence when considering divorce

Fortunately, if you can take the divorce component by component, piece by piece, you can arrive at a much more well-thought-out conclusion and feel confident that you are making the best decision for yourself and for your family moving forward. You may always have a nagging doubt about the divorce process. After all, it is not every day that you are asked to decide whether to separate from your life partner. However, if you are intentional about your decision, then you achieve peace of mind however the divorce turns out.

The key for you to start thinking about is what you can do to feel more confident and at ease when it comes to deciding about divorce. Feeling halfway between married and divorced is no place to be. A person is never running in neutral. You are either moving forward in a relationship or regressing.

While you may feel in the moment that you and your spouse are going through the motions and doing “ok” the reality of the situation is that you and your spouse are either actively working at improving the relationship or are passively (or sometimes actively if we are being honest) degrading the relationship. There is no in-between. Understanding this and then moving towards one end of that spectrum or the other is the key to this whole discussion. Feeling confident that you made the right decision comes second after you have expended enough energy thinking critically about the move.

What to consider before divorce: Key questions to guide your next steps

In today’s blog post from the Law Office of Bryan Fagan, we are going to discuss a handful of considerations that may be relevant to you and your potential divorce. Again, divorce is a unique endeavor that will not look the same for you as it did for your neighborhood. As a result, the best we can hope for in this setting is for us to list out some questions or considerations, and then you can take those questions and move forward to a place where you are comfortable with your decisio,n one way or another. Or you may find that your spouse files for divorce first and makes that decision for you.

If you have any questions regarding today’s blog post or anything else on our website, please do not hesitate to contact the Law Office of Bryan Fagan. Our licensed family law attorneys offer free-of-charge consultations six days a week in person, over the phone, and via video. These consultations are a great way for you to learn more about the world of Texas family law as well as about how your family’s circumstances may be impacted by the filing of a divorce or child custody case.

Learn as much as you can about divorce

If you’re thinking about divorce, there’s no doubt you’re feeling unhappy or unsettled in your marriage. While you may not be angry or full of rage when it comes to your spouse, divorce is something serious, so to consider filing for divorc,e you must be going through some difficult emotions and considerations right now. With that said, one of the most important aspects of this process is to be able to sort through those emotions while you are able and to educate yourself on the process and the concerns that you have regarding your marriage.

No matter if you and your spouse have been married for 10 years or 10 months, it is possible to have bumps in the road. Sharing a space with another person is difficult enough as it is. Take competing interests and the normal stresses of life, and you have a potentially combustible situation if you do not take the time to learn about how you are feeling and whether or not those feelings justify filing for divorce.

What could just be a bump in the road may be just that. However, if you are going through some serious marriage problems, then you would stand to benefit from figuring out how to weigh those concerns against the reality that is divorce. This is where you can go from merely thinking about divorce as a result of frustration in your marriage to performing a real-life pros/cons list to determine whether divorce is a viable option for you.

What the Law Office of Bryan Fagan can provide you with

As I mentioned earlier, this blog for the Law Office of Bryan Fagan is a great place to focus your attention when it comes to collecting information when thinking about divorce. We provide blog posts every day of the week, 365 days a year, so that you can have content to fall back on if you have questions about the world of Texas family law. We know that you have a lot of questions and that the internet, friends, and family can provide you with a lot of answers. However, we also know that too much information can be just as bad as too little information. The internet can provide you with a lot of information, much of it either untrue or not relevant to what you are going through in your personal life.

The attorneys and staff at the Law Office of Bryan Fagan can provide you with something different than an internet article on some random issue in Texas family law. Before we start to discuss some issues that you can and should consider when thinking about divorce, I am going to talk with you about three areas that our office can help you with as you begin or continue the search for divorce answers that are relevant to you and your family.

Why you can trust our blog and legal team for reliable divorce guidance

First, our blog posts are written with years of collective experience among our attorneys. We write about the subject matter that we have encountered for years in our practice. That means that you can trust that the information we provide you with in this setting is going to be accurate, trustworthy, and also relevant to your life. While we may not be able to know exactly what is going on in your life currently, we know what has mattered to other people who have gone through a divorce.

Next, we have a team of attorneys who can sit down with you in a one-on-one consultation and provide you with some perspective based on the specific circumstances that you are facing. Again, talking to your friends about their experiences in a divorce can be helpful to an extent, but it is not going to provide you with as much guidance as you would receive from an attorney. Our office will provide you with information that you can use to make decisions for yourself. Whether you have questions about child support, community property division, or simply whether you need to hire an attorney, we are here to serve you and your family.

How we help you start your divorce quickly and confidently

If you’re thinking about divorce and decide to move forward, our attorneys are ready to help you get your case started without delay. We won’t take your retainer and sit back. We’ll file your case within a day and promptly serve your spouse. Divorce is already stressful—we won’t add to it by delaying the process.

You can get your case off the ground by working with our attorneys and staff. In a consultation, we will provide you with a sample contract, so you know what you are signing up for. You can find our client reviews across the internet. Take a moment to see what others have shared about their experiences with our office. We’re proud to serve Houston and Southeast Texas—and we’d be honored to help you and your family.

Save money where you can

Setting aside some cash for a rainy day is never a bad thing. The tricky part is that in a divorce scenario you may not know when you can stop contributing to a jointly held back account and instead begin to make contributions to your account. Any money that you insert into a jointly held account could be spent by your spouse. However, withholding funds that he or she needs to live daily can put you in some hot water as well. It is a balancing act. However, there are some rules of thumb that you can put into practice in your divorce planning that may pay dividends for you later on.

All optional and discretionary spending should be curtailed as you approach your divorce. This means that if you were planning to make any improvements on the home, buy a new car or pay off debt then you should hold off on doing so until after the divorce. There is no telling what direction your divorce could go in so do not set about the course of spending a lot of money on items that may not even be “yours” in just a few short months. Re-painting the house or building a new pergola for the backyard may have been a goal for 2022 but it should not get in the way of paying for a divorce.

How to adjust your household budget during divorce

Divorce will tighten your household budget. You’ll face increased costs—attorney’s fees, court expenses, child support, and lost work time. On top of that, you’ll lose your spouse’s income, which once helped support the household. Since you’re getting hit from all sides, you need to fine-tune your budget and take control of your finances. Anyone who has ever created a household budget can tell you that there are two sides to the equation: the income and the “outgo,” Here is how you attack both sides of the household budget issue.

First, you can work on your income. Working a part-time job to increase your income during the divorce is not a bad idea. Talk with your attorney about the impact that doing so may have on child support calculations, but if you can work an additional shift at work or take on added jobs, then you may be able to increase your income sufficient to not miss a beat with meeting your other household obligations during a divorce. It would be nice not to have to consider taking out a loan or going further into debt to finance a divorce.

How to cut costs and live smart during your divorce

Next, you can start to reduce costs around your home during the divorce. If you are moving out of your home and need to rent a place to live you should pick the cheapest place possible that is still safe enough to bring your kids over and functional enough for you. Renting is like camping- it probably is not permanent for you. Rather, you should consider renting to be a temporary thing for you.

Do not talk yourself into “needing” a certain kind of home to live in during the divorce and immediately afterward. Also- cook for yourself during the divorce. Even if you feel exhausted during your divorce, that doesn’t give you a free pass to eat out for every meal. You still need to make thoughtful, practical choices. Spending money on food out to eat most days of the week can eat into your budget, as well. Rather, save your money and your calories by cooking at home.

Goal setting

Finally, you should start to think about goals and what you want to accomplish in your divorce. What are the most important things in your life? You can start there even if you don’t know much about divorce at this point. For example, do not confuse the need to create goals with the need to be able to accomplish those goals. We know that the first step in accomplishing a goal is setting a goal. An attorney is a great resource for learning about realistic goals for your case. Developing a firm base of knowledge for the divorce is also critical when it comes to being as prepared as you can be for the case and your life after the divorce.

Do not take for granted how important it is to have a goal or set of goals for your case. You can stumble into a divorce, but you won’t walk out of it with meaningful results unless you act with purpose and clear goals. Do not consider “getting out of the divorce alive” as a reasonable goal to have for your case. Rather, you should think critically about what is in your best interests and that of your children.

Refining your goals as your case progresses will probably be necessary, and that’s ok. Having the spirit of goal setting at the outset of your case makes it easier to think in terms of accomplishing something tangible for the divorce. At the same time, you can use these goal-setting sessions to understand what is most important in your case and to build a strong relationship with your attorney. These are qualities that will serve you well no matter what direction your divorce ultimately takes.

Conclusion

If you’re thinking about divorce, taking the time to understand the process, your rights, and your options can make a significant difference in how you move forward. Divorce isn’t just a legal decision—it’s a deeply personal one that affects your future, your finances, and your family. By educating yourself early and seeking the right legal support, you can approach this transition with clarity and confidence. Whether you’re facing a simple split or a more complex case, planning ahead empowers you to make informed decisions that protect your interests and set the foundation for a new chapter.

If you want to know more about what you can do, CLICK the button below to get your FREE E-book: “16 Steps to Help You Plan & Prepare for Your Texas Divorce”

If you want to know more about how to prepare, CLICK the button below to get your FREE E-book: “13 Dirty Tricks to Watch Out For in Your Texas Divorce, and How to Counter Them” Today!”

Other Articles you may be interested in:

1. Over the Age of Fifty and Considering a Divorce? Read This Blog Post First
2. Subtle Signs Your Husband May Be Considering Divorce in Texas
3. Avoid These Mistakes When Considering How Can I Get A Divorce
4. The Impact of Divorce on Children
5. Hiding Assets in Divorce: Red Flags, Searches and Penalties
6. How Does Incapacity Affect You During Your Divorce?
7. How to do Your Own Uncontested Divorce in Texas
8. How to seek out an expert divorce lawyer
9. What can be used against you in a divorce?
10. Uncovering Divorce Statistics: What Really Matters for Your Marriage
11. How much does a divorce cost?
12. How to file for divorce in Texas
13. Why would you get a legal separation instead of a divorce?
14. Do I need a reason to file for divorce?
15. How to handle a Texas divorce when you were married in another state