Just got divorced

I'm a 40 something woman who just experienced divorce. My ex and I bought a 3 bedroom house 7 years ago. It had a basement and a 2 car garage. The basement was unfinished and the backyard was a blank slate. My ex was extremely handy and he put a lot of effort into making our house a home. He redid the floors, the kitchen, the bathrooms, added an outdoor kitchen, finished the basement and put in an in ground pool. I had a good career, so we were able to afford all these upgrades. After the divorce, we were able to sell the house for a lot more than we bought it for. The profits were split 50/50. I bought a cheap 1 story 2 bedroom 2 bath house in a good neighborhood in a different city and now I'm in the process of getting rid of a lot of useless stuff. I put a lot of items in a pod and kept some, but kept a few items like tools, picture frames, the outdoor furniture, and some decorations. I'm starting from scratch and I realize how much time, money, and stress goes into maintaining a home. When I lived in the big house, I spent thousands on new appliances, furniture, televisions, and other electronic items. The big house had a lot of problems. There were squirrels that chewed through the wiring in the outdoor kitchen and caused the speakers to malfunction. The pool was a lot of work, but when I finally figured out all the maintenance issues, it was a great luxury item. The basement had a lot of problems. We had a lot of rain in our area and the basement would flood. The laminate floor buckled and the paint on the walls were ruined. I realized I didn't miss anything from my old house and I'm glad I don't have to deal with all the maintenance and repairs. My new house doesn't have any of the luxuries my old house had, but I'm content.<br><br><br>Before the divorce, I was taking classes at a local college, working full time, and taking care of my step children who were living with us. I felt like I was being pulled in too many directions and I didn't have the time to do everything I needed to do. Now I'm working full time and taking a few classes here and there but things seem so much more manageable. I'm also saving a lot more money. The big house had a lot of expenses. There were property taxes, insurance, utilities, maintenance, repairs, and upgrades. My new house is significantly cheaper and I found a local credit union with a rewards program that offers cash back on gas, groceries, and other items. I also cancelled Netflix, UPS and Audible and subscribed to library apps. I still have a gym membership and pay for Apple TV+, but I felt like I was wasting my money on Netflix. I'm confident that I made the right decision moving away from the big house and I can't imagine going back to my old life.