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Ken and Deb are a couple facing a heart-wrenching life decision in the middle of a poor economy—divorce. Married for 12 years, the couple has a 9-year-old son and twin 7-year-old girls, one with Down's Syndrome. "Having the three children, it's been taxing on us. It just seems like we never get a chance to be alone and be together and just talk things out," Ken says. "We're just not on the same page."
Deb says she doesn't put Ken—or herself—first. "My children are first and foremost in our life, and I don't think that's a good way to build a marriage or a life either," she says. "You kind of cast the other person aside."
Ken and Deb signed separation papers in April 2008 but still live together in the house they purchased 10 years ago. "Ken and I have been living in separate rooms since last November. He lives down the hall in what used to be our home office, and it's very difficult living under the same roof," Deb says. "Unfortunately, we cannot afford to financially divorce and move on with our lives."
To complicate matters, Ken recently found out that he will be losing his job. "I think if Ken and I separated, we'd both be more relaxed and we'd be happier people," Deb says. "Obviously, we cannot afford to maintain separate households."
Deb has come to Suze for help with her question—can she afford to get divorced?
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