I have discussed working and how much of her paycheck she would get to keep and how much should be devoted to family needs. We have discussed what would be a fair split, but partly that depends on how much she earns. She has never stated it explicitly, but I imagine part of what de-motivates her from working is that she cannot spend all the money she earns on new stuff. Well, that and the negative impact on her divorce settlement.

As for steps in place, we are back to her not having any credit cards and living on a cash allowance. She gets a deposit every other week, same day my paychecks arrive. If she started working, I would reduce the automatic transfer to her account by whatever amount we agreed.

When you can see it coming, duck!