Thursday, June 07, 2007

Financially Speaking

One would think that by having your oldest daughter turn 18, your child support would go DOWN, however, we are faced instead with an increase of $33 per week. That may not seem like much you but to us that is a large bit of our budget. $33 is more than our weekly grocery budget.

This is not a complaint about child support or anything like that. Please don't think I'm wanting to start a flame war or anything. I'm just being forced yet again to re-evaluate our budget. I'm praying that we can financially afford for me to stay home. My health really depends upon it.

And so, once again, we're going to be tightening our proverbial "thrift belt". It seems impossible for us to tighten it anymore. I'm simply going to be selling more stuff online and promoting myself as a professional organizer. Where there is a will, there is a way. I'm going to find the way!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I know it can be a burden on some families. I want to say thank you for paying it and not being bitter about it. My EX does not pay and yes I do everything I can to get him to pay. 36,000 is what he owes me. My son could go to college on that money.

Why is it going up? That does not make sense to me?

Kali said...

Once every 5 years (or if there is a change in circumstances) the CS can be reviewed at the request of either party. The change in circumstances in our case is the oldest turning 18. The ex asked for it to be reviewed. Since they made changes to the weekly income requirements, his went up to $147 per week for two kids rather than $114 a week for three kids. He called the CS office but they said they do not care if she uses the money on the kids or not (She makes them do without so she can have 2 new vehicles).

No matter what, we are going to do what is right. The only time Hubby did not pay is when she ran off with the kids for a year and then when we had no contact with them (she wouldn't allow it) for two years. However, we are paying on the arrears each week as well.

The children won't be put into the middle or left out financially by us, that is for sure!

nancyr said...

Men really are "over the barrel" sometimes re. child support. It is unfair that a mother would not be "punished" for running off with the kids, and not allowing the father to see them.
My step son left his mother's home at 17, and basically lived with friends for over a year. When my husband went to court to see if he could stop paying child support to the mother, the judge raised the amount a lot, even though the boy had not lived in her home, or had been supported by her in over a year. He would have been happy to have his son live with us, or pay money to him, but she would not allow that to happen.