Always have your own stash.
My mom stopped working originally when she had my sisters and I, and my dad was the sole income in the family. When she and my father got divorced, things were rocky and money was an issue. My mom always said to me and my sisters it’s important to always have your own stash in your own accounts. You can have a joint account with your husband once you get married, but keep some of your own money earned before marriage for you. You never know when you’ll need it.
Divorce doesn’t have to be a mess.
Regardless of the issues my mother and father had, my mom always kept things under the rug. I knew that money was tight and my father wasn’t paying child support, but, my mom never said a bad thing about my father in front of me, nor to me. She made sure that I saw my father as much as I was supposed to and as much as I should/wanted to growing up, and made sure that her opinion of him did not tarnish our relationship overall.
Strength always comes from struggle.
My mother is by far, hands down, without a doubt the strongest person I know. Through all of life’s bullsh*t, she always has a smile on her face, she always makes sure that people know she is there for them—and, above all, she never gives up. She’s told me countless times that struggle is the backbone of any person in the world—and without struggle, we would never know what it is like to truly enjoy the peace and quiet.