I've filed for divorce with just $3 in my account after my husband racked up $40K in debt on Pokemon cards. How can I separate our finances for good?

The discovery forced them to refinance their home, raising their mortgage payment from about $750 a month to $1,060.

Jay told Ashley he wanted to fix his reckless spending. He closed his credit card and even agreed to try therapy, but Ashley says he stopped going after one week. Meanwhile, the purchases didn’t stop.

In the eight months that followed, Ashley says Jay spent more than $8,000 on Pokémon cards. At the same time, they had no savings left and Jay’s bank account was overdrawn.

Then Ashley lost her job, one she’d held for almost 12 years. She had been bringing in about $5,000 more per year than Jay and losing that paycheck put even more pressure on the household. Her savings account balance is at $3.

When Jay recently came home with two more packs of Pokémon cards, Ashley knew she couldn’t continue living this way. She’s now moving forward with a divorce, has spoken with a realtor and plans to put the house on the market.

For Ashley, the next challenge is figuring out how to rebuild after years of financial strain — starting with just $3 in savings.

How to separate finances with little savings

Ashley is going to have some tough financial decisions to make in the weeks ahead.

The first one is protecting the money she does have. If her finances are still connected to Jay’s, she may want to open a bank account in her own name and make sure any income or benefits she receives are deposited there.

“Separate all financial accounts as much as possible and do not share access to them,” Lili Vasileff, a CFP and certified divorce financial analyst, told Moneywise. She also recommends changing passwords on financial accounts if a spouse has access and putting instructions in writing with financial institutions about how joint accounts can be accessed.

Ashley will also need a clear picture of what she can afford on her current income. That means looking at the bills that keep a household running — the mortgage or rent, utilities, groceries, transportation, insurance, medical expenses — and figuring out what has to be paid first.

Vasileff also said people preparing for divorce should know exactly what it costs them to live, identify all sources of income and make a list of all assets and debts, including who legally owns each one and the current value.

This is not the time to worry about things like retirement contributions or building a large emergency fund. For someone starting with only a few dollars in savings, the immediate focus is staying current on essential bills and avoiding taking on more debt.

Ashley may also want to look into any assistance programs for which she may be eligible while she searches for work. Depending on her situation, that could include disability resources, unemployment benefits or other programs designed to help cover basic expenses.

Once her income is more stable, she can start thinking about saving again, even if that begins with a small amount.

That kind of cushion matters because many households are only one surprise expense away from financial trouble. The Federal Reserve found that 59% of adults experienced at least one major unexpected expense in the previous year, while 16% said they had not paid all of their bills in the prior month.

For Ashley, the goal right now isn’t fixing everything at once. It’s making sure the financial problems that led to the divorce don’t follow her into the next stage of her life.

What happens to debt when you get divorced

Ashley will also need to make sure Jay’s spending doesn’t create more financial problems for her after the divorce.

What happens to the debt depends on where they live, whose name is attached to the accounts and how their divorce agreement divides marital finances.

She’ll need to collect the financial records that show where things stand right now. That includes the mortgage documents, bank statements, credit card bills, tax returns, retirement account statements and any loan paperwork.

The accounts they share will need attention, too. Joint credit cards or lines of credit can become a problem if new charges continue while the divorce is being finalized.