Divorce hits different when you’ve spent years as the anchor of your family—the emotional CEO, chauffeur, chef, nurturer, and peacekeeper. For stay-at-home moms, the question of whether to remain in the marital home isn’t just financial—it’s personal, gut-wrenching, and riddled with guilt and fear.
And yet…
💡 This is your moment to stop surviving and start strategizing.
I’m Paulette Rigo, Certified Divorce Coach, Credentialed ADR Mediator, CEO of Better Divorce Academy, and the author of Better Divorce Blueprint. I help women just like you reclaim clarity, confidence, and control—without sacrificing their sanity or financial future.
Here’s what you need to know before you decide to stay or go.
🔍 Step One: Know Your Numbers
Before you let guilt or fear make your decisions, gather your facts.
What’s the full cost of staying put?
Is the mortgage paid off, or are there hidden financial traps like deferred maintenance, rising taxes, or pending repairs?
Will child support or alimony realistically cover the gap?
✨Clarity is power—and the numbers don’t lie. Partner with a certified divorce financial expert who understands the unique needs of stay-at-home mothers navigating divorce.
🏠 Step Two: Don’t Let the House Handcuff Your Freedom
Yes, the home holds memories. First steps. Birthday candles. The height chart on the pantry wall.
But hear me clearly, mama: You are not failing your children by choosing financial sustainability over square footage.
Staying in a home you can’t maintain long-term is like clinging to a life raft that’s slowly sinking.
🏡💔 Sometimes, a smaller, more manageable space brings more peace and stability than staying rooted in the past.
🧠 Step Three: Think Five Years Ahead
Will the house still make sense when the kids are older?
Will it limit your ability to rebuild, retrain, or restart your career?
What will your credit, cash flow, and retirement look like?
📅 Future-you deserves more than survival. She deserves safety, joy, and a financial foundation built for growth—not guilt.
⚖️ Step Four: Understand Your Rights
Too many stay-at-home moms assume, “I’ll get the house—I raised the kids here.”
❌ Wrong.
Property division laws vary by state, and what feels fair emotionally doesn’t always line up legally.
⚖️ This is where a skilled private mediator (🙋♀️ me!) or divorce attorney is essential. You need to understand what’s negotiable, what’s strategic, and how to leverage your position without letting fear lead the conversation.
❤️ Step Five: Choose the Home That Lives Within You
You are not your home.
You are not your zip code, your address, or your granite countertops.
💫 You are the heartbeat of your children’s stability. What they need most is a calm, empowered mother who models strength—not one who crumbles trying to uphold an illusion.
Sometimes the bravest, boldest thing you can do is say, “It’s time to begin again.”
💌 Ready for a Fresh Start?
Let’s rewrite your next chapter—wisely, gracefully, powerfully.
🎯 Book a complimentary strategy call with me at BetterDivorceAcademy.com.
🎙️ Or binge some healing truths on the Better Divorce Podcast—because knowledge isn’t just power; it’s peace.
📘 Want the full roadmap? Download my bestselling guide: The Divorce Survival Kit: 12 Must-Know Moves Before You Lawyer Up—your first lifeline to clarity.
👉 You don’t have to do this alone. You just have to take the first step.
With wisdom, truth, and a whole lot of grace,
Paulette 💖
