You’ve heard of wedding and baby registries, but have you heard of divorce registries? They’re starting to spring up and becoming increasingly popular. While they’re often started by and marketed toward women, anyone can use them.
Certainly, a divorce registry isn’t meant to take the place of a fair property division agreement. However, when people go from sharing a home to living in two separate residences, there are things they’ll inevitably need to buy. By creating a registry, you can give friends, family and others in your life a chance to help out with the myriad things that you’ll need – or want.
You can register for items large and small – as well as for help
Registries like the one on the website Divorcist let people ask for help as well as stuff. Maybe you need someone to walk your dog or maybe some help with moving or hanging pictures. Maybe you need a security system now that you’re living alone.
Divorce registry sites like Fresh Starts also give you a chance to ask for things for a child’s room. This can come in handy if you’re sharing custody and want to make your child’s bedroom in your new place special but don’t know where to start.
A divorce registry can also give you something to direct people to when they ask how they can help. Whether they can afford to buy you a new sofa or just come over and help you paint one weekend, it lets all of your friends pitch in, regardless of their budget.
As we noted, a divorce registry is by no means a substitute for getting a fair property division agreement. However, it can help you keep from arguing over who gets the espresso maker and focus on the more important elements of your divorce.
