Are you facing a divorce? Are you worried about how you will afford legal bills, court costs, and other related expenses? Divorce can often be an expensive process. Complicating matters is the fact that you may not have access to all of your bank accounts that you shared with your spouse. Or you may have been reliant on your spouse's income, giving you little ability to pay hefty legal costs. Fortunately, you have alternatives to an expensive divorce. Here are a few tips to help you save money so you can start your new life on solid financial ground:

Share appraisal information. Getting appraisals is a big part of the asset division process. To split your assets, you need to know how much they're worth. To get a fair value for things like homes, cars, boats, and other property, you may need an appraisal. In many divorces, each party will pay for their own appraisal and then the two parties will negotiate a fair value. However, if you're on good terms with your spouse, consider sharing valuation information. You can agree beforehand that you will each accept whatever value the appraiser provides. That way, you save the cost on appraisals and also reduce unnecessary negotiation time.

Use a mediator. Lawyers can be expensive. And the more you use the lawyer's services, the higher your costs are going to go. If your divorce goes to trial, you could have a big bill on your hands. A less expensive alternative is to use a mediator. In mediation, you and your spouse negotiate with each other, without professional representation. A mediator helps you and your spouse keep the conversation moving forward and encourages compromise in important areas. By using a mediator, you can each avoid high legal bills and still work out a settlement that works for both of you.

Get your divorce paperwork online. There are a number of websites that allow you to purchase standardized divorce paperwork. This can be a good idea if your divorce is fairly straightforward, with little to negotiate in the way of spousal support, split of assets, or child custody. This can also be a smart choice if you and your spouse have already decided on most of the terms of your divorce.  

For a small fee, you order and print legal divorce forms. You can usually put in information so the forms can be slightly customized to your situation and your settlement. You simply sign the paperwork and file it in court, avoiding high legal expenses.

For more information, visit a site that offers divorce paperwork. There, you can likely find everything you need to finalize your divorce at an affordable price.

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