Life Lessons I Learned from Judge Judy

I used to be an avid watcher of Judge Judy. I think because my ex got me hooked on watching her originally, I’ve stopped watching over the last few years. That and they changed the time, which I never seem to remember 🙄😆.

But having watched her enough I can safely say I have learned from her show, and I thought I would share those lessons with you.

• Never, ever have a roommate if you can avoid it (this could potentially include partners). Why? Because if you choose poorly, you are stuck with that person until the lease expires or you con some poor sucker into subletting making you an asshole (yep MS Word flagged asshole 🤣🤣🤣).
• If you do opt for a roommate, WRITE EVEYTHING AGREED UPON DOWN ON PAPER from what everyone is expected to pay, chores, partner sleepovers bathroom schedule, groceries, if it’s acceptable to have parties etc. Whatever is important to you, get it written down, signed (in blood perhaps 😆) and notarized by all parties, present every roommate with a copy (maybe post a few around the apartment/house) and hide the original just in case things get ugly and you end up in court. Trust me, if/when I live with someone again, this will be addressed 😁.
• If someone (particularly a romantic partner) says they will pay for you to accompany them on a trip, record the entire conversation because you know if something doesn’t go the way they hoped, they are going to want you to cough up your share.
• Document every transaction that involves money changing hands. When someone says “show me the receipts” you just pull them right on out save yourself the aggravation 😊.
• Know the laws in your state regarding engagement rings and broken engagements if the ring is expensive enough that someone might file suit to get it returned. If it’s a family heirloom, no matter how mad you are, do the right thing and give it back.
• Attitude with a judge will get you nowhere and may work against you!
• As Judge Judy likes to say, “if you tell the truth, you don’t need a good memory”. It gets hard keeping lies straight 😜.
• If you’re winning the case, don’t add any unnecessary information – you may do more harm that good (I’ve seen that happen more than once on her show 😬).
• With any kind of contract, read everything very carefully before signing ✍🏻. A lesson I’ve learned the hard but thankfully not to expensive way.
• If you think a situation is squirrelly 🐿, document, document, document.
• And the most important lesson I’ve learned, STAY OUT OF COURT if you can. And if you can’t, make sure to hire a great lawyer!

Just a few helpful tips to share (some I’ve actually utilized 😮). I would love to hear about lessons you’ve learned from your favorite Judge show. Comments are always open and welcomed!