On top of some people's New Year's Resolutions list, you'll probably find super generic goals, like "lose weight," "start taking dating more seriously" and "stop spending money on music festivals and fancy coffee."
But some people fill their lists with more hard-hitting things that have the power to completely flip their life upside down — and getting a divorce may just be one of those things.
Whether it's because you found out your spouse is cheating on you or you realize you're no longer in love and want a fresh start, that "new year, new me" mentality might just motivate some people to kiss their marriage goodbye.
Here are six women on how they secretly plan to get a divorce in 2017:
1. Mid-summer night's dream
I plan to get divorced in the summer. We'll go on our family vacation, like we do every year, and then, when we come back, I'm going to present my husband with divorce papers. I just want to keep things feeling normal before then, so my kids don't know I'm up to something. I know if I do it before the vacation, they won't forgive me, and they will be hurt.
— Denise B., 43
2. Waiting for his birthday
In 2016, I found my husband was having an affair with someone he works with. He does not know that I know. I found out by reading his emails one day and have way more proof than I need about this affair. I have a plan of getting my things together before letting him know that I know. I want to make sure I'm set up to live and function on my own after a divorce. So I'm working hard at my job to get a raise and also looking at new apartments to rent. My day to let him know I'm leaving him is in June, on his birthday.
— Sarah R., 31
3. Saving up money
Getting a divorce costs a lot of money, and then, you have to recover from taking a big financial hit once it's over. I've been trying secretly to save up money on the side, which he doesn't know about, so I can afford a good divorce lawyer and take him to court to get custody of our kids.
— Brenda R., 38
4. Already found a new place to live
I'm not in love with my husband anymore, and I have a feeling he knows that. I've been secretly thinking about getting divorced for a while, but it's on my 2017 resolution list. I want to get divorced and move some place new, and I already found a friend who said she'd let me move in once I go through with this.
— Cheryl C., 37
5. Meeting with lawyers
Nobody knows this yet, but I've already met with two divorce lawyers. It will be a shock to the world when I get a divorce. My reason is that I know my husband is cheating on me. Once January 1 happened, I started the process of secretly planning for a divorce.
— Erin V., 29
6. I'm doing it slowly
Getting divorced is a very emotional thing, especially when you have three kids with the person. It's not something I am positive I want to do, but I am looking into my options. If it's going to happen, 2017 is the year because it's time for everyone to move on with their lives and start fresh. So I've been looking into things very slowly with a December 31 deadline.
— Camila H., 35
