She hasn't proposed anything yet, but its coming. I used the calculator to get a ballpark figure. My concern is that I will be "forced" to provide so much child support that I will no longer be able to afford other things like team fees, piano lessons, college tuition/room/board etc. There is no extra. Anything that goes out for "child support" comes from other funds that I was using for just raising kids. I guess I will have to just wait and see.
At least she stated that she doesn't want to seem "dependent" on me, so she said she will not be asking for spousal support.
Dad, that is one of the most unfortunate downsides to divorce. A family divided simply cannot live the same way.
I will tell you right now that the smartest thing would be to immediately plan for student loans to provide college tuition/room/board etc., and your children should at least be working during the summer to supplement their college expenses. Yes, maybe you didn't want your children to be burdened with student loans, but life is life.
That alone will free up a significant amount of cash...maybe even enough that there won't have to be cutbacks on other things.
However, you should also consider some downsizing as well. Look at your cell phone plans, your home phone plans, your cable TV/Sat/Dish plans. Look at your insurance coverage. There is often significant money to be saved there with not much pain.
Let me give you one good example: I was paying quite a high amount for a family plan for myself and my daughter for our cell phones. She was using huge amounts of daytime minutes, but I was using only a few hundred. I discovered that by getting rid of the family plan, and putting the two of us on separate plans, based on our actual needs, cut the total cell phone bill almost in half.
Look at your "extras" and see where the money is really going.
One thing that will surprise you is food and sundries. If you are going to be sharing the children 50/50, your side of the food and sundries costs will be cut in half, so a portion of any child support you will pay will just be shifting money you are already spending, from you to mom, without actually raising any costs...with 6 children, that is significant.
Also...if you don't currently cook...LEARN. You can eat well, eat healthier, and save a ton of money.
