A smaller home is not only easier to maintain (think cleaning, repair, the money that goes into upkeep, etc.), it’s less expensive to maintain, and less time consuming to maintain.

But let’s talk numbers. Downsizing leads to a smaller home leads to less debt and less risk. Your current net income, number of dollars you have safely in the bank, and amount of existing debt should all be used to determine how much house you can actually afford, and one life event that can affect all of the aforementioned items is – divorce.

Whether you are a working woman, a stay-at-home dad, a top-earning executive, or a freelance artist, your net worth after a divorce is typically less, and downsizing is quite common. Understandably, downsizing may be one of the last things you want to think about when dealing with a divorce, but believe it or not, this one action may help make you feel a lot better about moving forward. A certain freedom comes with downsizing. Selling the shared home so you can find a smaller place that is more suited to your new (single) life, is a big step. Taking care of a large home requires a large bank account, and this may not be feasible during a divorce.

The agreement met with your soon-to-be-ex spouse will determine how the proceeds of the home sale are distributed, as well as who gets what in terms of belongings. When deciding what you will take with you use your new place as a guide. Measure closet space, cabinet space, and watch out for accumulating multiples of anything. Be realistic about the amount of space you actually have. If the furniture is too big, don’t hang onto it! Replace it with appropriately-sized pieces.