Life post D is really whatever you make it to be. I'm a BS and very fortunate that everything worked out really well for me, and in fact life is better now than it was when I was married (and I had a good marriage).
I was not hurt financially at all and am actually doing much better now because my XWW was a SAHM so I was paying the bills for two people off one salary. Getting rid of the that financial anchor has freed up so much money that I am planning an overseas vacation next year, electing to do some home upgrades, and am able to send my kids off to an expensive sleep away summer camp.
Like everyone else that goes from full time parent to half time parent, there is an adjustment but it isn't all bad. When I was married I was not as interactive with my kids because I had a spouse to rely on. Now I am the parent that goes to all the school events, chaperones field trips, goes over their homework to make sure they are understanding it, and I take extra time to make sure I play with them (e.g. nerf wars around the house). So while my time when down with them the quality of my interaction went up and they look up to me more as being a great role model as a parent.
I've reverted to my old ways from before I was married and work out more, eat healthier, and am far more active in my community. This was only possible since I freed up a lot of time that was previously dedicated to activities with my XWW.
Dating has also changed quite a bit and I find it a lot easier at this stage of my life. I'm staying away from a committed LTR, because I just don't want one yet. But I am still able to go out with beautiful women regularly and they tend to be very good in bed and not have many sexual hangups. A lot of this is based on me being confident and direct, which is something I learned back when I was married.
I can't directly speak for my XWW, but when I see her she seems to vacillate between content and unhappy. She's the one that got the sh1tty end of the deal when we broke up. She is now working at a low paying job, is running out of money (she started buying a few items from thrift shops, which is something she'd never do when we were married), and is not as interactive with the kids as she once was. She still is a better mom than many people I know but the "kid extra's" are falling on my shoulder's, which I like. She's got a live-in boyfriend who is a major downgrade from me (looks, athleticism, intelligence, career, salary) but seems to be a pretty nice guy and is probably a better fit for her than I was. I kind of wish she was on this forum so she could put in her perspective. Who knows, she could be perfectly happy all the other times that we aren't around each other.
So I guess in summary, it is really up to the BS or WS to decide how they want life to be. Really, once you separate the ball is in your court and you can sit on the sidelines or step up and enjoy the game.