You’ve likely heard the saying that relationships involve a lot of give and take. That’s often the theme that underlies a situation in which a spouse decides to sacrifice their career to move somewhere new for their spouse’s job. Spouses may also give up their careers to raise their families.
Many spouses who give up their careers in either one of the above-referenced situations count on their traditionally employed husband or wife for their financial backing. This is often why they request alimony as part of divorce talks. These funds can bridge the gap as they rejoin the workforce.
So many spouses who set aside their careers to raise their family aren’t in charge of the household’s finances. This can make it challenging for them to keep track of the expenses they have. There are certain expenses that you’ll want to make sure you don’t neglect when making a demand for alimony.
Expenses often overlooked in alimony requests
Keeping track of expenditures is one thing if you’re regularly involved in managing your household’s finances. It’s a whole different thing if you simply use a credit card or make cash withdrawals at your discretion, though. It can be challenging to keep track of how everything adds up.
Some expenses that you’ll want to account for when trying to calculate your support needs include:
- Annual or biannual expenses such as memberships, property taxes and auto insurance
- Household expenses
- Gifts
- Monthly parking fees
Going over your credit card statements can help you determine what you spend money on.
Many divorcing spouses say in retrospect that they saw that their marriage was coming to an end before it did. You should start keeping an accounting on your everyday and irregular expenses the minute that divorce appears to be on the horizon. Doing so will help you tremendously when it comes time to seek alimony.
