The second point: the amount of conflict between you and your spouse. There are several reasons why you want to keep the amount of conflict at a minimum so that you can get a divorce without it costing a ton of money. First, it can help you control costs. But second, if you have low conflict and you can trust each other, it means that you won't have to spend a lot of time in front of a judge battling things out so that the judge can decide for you. If you have a lot of conflict, you will be communicating through your lawyers, at your lawyers' hourly fees. This means a whole lot more money going down the drain.

Alright, on to the third part of getting a divorce without spending a lot of money. There are actually four different ways that you can get a divorce. Generally speaking, from least to most expensive, the different processes you can use are: no-lawyer divorce, uncontested divorce, mediated divorce, and adversarial divorce. Let's go through each one, briefly.

1. No-lawyer divorce. You don't have to hire a lawyer to get a divorce. Instead, you can just order the forms yourself, and fill them out. If you want to save money but you still want a little bit of direction, a number of lawyers offer prepaid legal plans that can give you unlimited advice from a lawyer in your state for a set monthly fee (usually around $26). Some states have even set up self-service divorce centers so that you can file your own divorce (such as Arizona). If you decide to go this route, make sure that you know everything that needs to happen, how to do it, and how to do it most efficiently. This way is also best for people who haven't been married for very long, so possession hasn't gotten complicated.
2. Uncontested divorce. This is the most popular way to divorce, because it's quite simple and pretty inexpensive. It also means that you don't have to go through a messy fight. Other than not hiring a lawyer and doing everything yourself, an uncontested divorce is the cheapest way to do things and it also will generally have the least amount of conflict and it will be the least public form of divorce.
3. Divorce mediation. Divorce mediation is popular in some parts of the country, and not popular or new in others. The idea behind divorce mediation is that you and your spouse sit down with a neutral mediator so that he or she can help you work out your issues in a more calm and peaceful way. The nice thing about mediation is that it is entirely confidential, and it can be flexible so that you can get what you want. The mediator doesn't give advice, and isn't your lawyer, but instead helps the two of you sort out issues so that they don't erupt into arguments and so that you don't end up with an adversarial divorce. You can also bring your lawyer to your mediation sessions, if you would like. Generally speaking, people are happier with mediation and more content with the way that things end up.

The fourth part: the complexity of your affairs. If your possession of certain assets is tangled, then it will take longer-probably-to work things out. But sometimes couples are so angry that they will fight over the smallest things, and spend all of their money fighting over almost nothing in court.

Finally, stay in control of your divorce so that your settlement is better and closer to what you want, you can save money, you will have a better relationship with your ex, and the process will be shorter. Don't let the divorce get out of hand.