No one wants to be in this situation but the sad reality is that many women find themselves here; divorced, raising children and in financial distress.
This is the first in a series of three articles discussing how to find help for divorced mothers with no income.
In this article I will begin discussing the small things you can do immediately to start taking your life back.
5 Things You Can Do Now To Improve Your Situation 1.
The first thing I want to discuss is child support.
This may sound odd, but 11% of women who are separated or divorced do not receive any kind of support from their ex-spouses.
The best help for divorced mothers with no income is child support (and alimony if you are eligible).
Make sure you apply for these and if they are awarded to you, make sure you contact your caseworker if your spouse fails to pay.
2.
Next, work on minimizing your expenses.
Help for divorced mothers with no income also comes in the form of reducing your expenses.
This is very hard with children in the picture, but you must go through and asses absolutely everything you spend money on.
For example, you do not need cable television and if you have a cell phone, why are you paying for that landline if you can't afford it? Try not to get to down about cutting costs where you would prefer not to; remember that your situation is temporary.
3.
On the subject of debt, one thing that a lot of women try to do is pay down their credit cards.
This is defiantly something in the long run that you want to focus on, but right now you need to forget about that huge credit card bill and better use your money to take care of your monthly housing and utility costs.
Make the minimum payments to keep your credit in good shape, but don't put more than you have to for now.
Start calling your debtors and letting them know your situation; some of them may be able to reduce your payments for a certain period (usually 6-12 months).
Another resource that can offer help for divorced mothers with no income is a credit counselor.
Have a meeting with one and see if they can help you get your bills under control and start saving.
Something else to pay close attention to (if you haven't already) is getting your name off of any joint credit cards, loans or accounts you had with your ex-spouse to protect your credit.
4.
A great way to find help for divorced mothers with no income is to get involved with community organizations.
Go to your church and ask for help.
If you do not have a church, find one and tell them your situation.
Although churches won't generally give you money, they will know of all the local programs and support systems available to you.
5.
Another great resource to find help for divorced mothers with no income is through Government Benefits.
Get on your Governments website and apply for everything that you can like social assistance, child tax benefits, and any assistance they offer with housing and utilities.
There are so many benefits available; you just need to take the time to apply for them.
Also try using your local 2-1-1 service if your area has one.
Just dial 2-1-1 and this can connect you with information on help with your bills, housing, child care and medical care.
To find out more about Government programs and private organizations available to help you, read part 2 and 3 of this article series.
What You Can Do To Secure Your Future Help for divorced mothers with no income can be found in many forms.
However bad your situation is at the moment remember to always believe in yourself and realize that you do have the power to change the course of your life and your children's life.
There are thousands of other single mothers who have done it, and you can too.
Life does not play favourites and success really is a mindset.
The most important thing you can do for your children is find a way to have a steady income.
This may be hard if you need to work around school and extracurricular schedules.
Look for jobs that will allow you to work during times that they are in school or jobs that you can do from home.