Child support???

Question

I ran across another question regarding child support, and now I am curious as to what people use their support money for. When I was a kid, my mother never got it. Where my neighbor waited for the mailman to come every two weeks and then she was off to get her hair and nails done and party. When I recieved it, I believed that 100% of that money went for my daughter for toys, clothes, college, or whatever she wanted never bills. My friend recieves support and says that money is hers for dealing with her kids and not having any help. She can do with it what she wants to.
So my question is how do you honestly break the percentage down for the support you recieve?
For me it would be 0% Bills, 100% Kids, 0% Personal (for me)

Answer 1

while i do agree with you it really depends on where you come from and how you are raised the money is considered to include living expenses like food and nappies etc and there are alarming stats where iam from in australia including 46% of single parents receiving child support are spending less than 20% of it on their kids...disgusting huh may be due to the fact that 1 in 3 single parents here are under the age of 19 and/or unemployed.

here law makers are planning to abolish all the current laws and make the parent prove with receipts and all exactly where 100% of their money is going which is about bloody time!!

good to see a mum with the right idea, good luck

Answer 2

It all depends upon the moral character of the person receiving the support. It should be for the kids, and maybe for the household in general to buy things like food and toiletries if the parent is unable to buy those things without the support. But it is wrong to go spend the money on hair and nails, or to make up for having to "put up with" the kids. In an ideal situation the parent raising the child and receiving the support would be able to pay all of the bills with their own income and set all of the child support money aside for the kid, but that rarely happens, often women who are left to take care of a kid are barely able to make ends meet.

Answer 3

Well I have never received child support, But my daughter gets social security money because her father past away.. which i guess is basically the same thing... Anyway i pay for her day care, rent and electric bill. I have about 50 dollars left over, we go out to eat and then i buy her something or i put it away for the vacation i plan on taking her on in a few years.. or college... wow that sounds selfish of me... But its all for for her, i don't get any help either besides that money.. SO, Anyway all i can say, for the people who go out and spend it like it's their money... Its really not, If they didn't have the kid(s) they wouldn't be getting that money, and they should be ashamed of themselves for spending it so selfishly....

Answer 4

I'm sure there are people that use the support they might get for some pleasure for themselves. But, what I was told by child support is that the money is to go to pay for 1/2 of the bills. That means electric, food, rent, gas... things like that. It goes for clothing, school, and any other extras, or necessities. While the child I am raising is not biologically mine, I have paid quite a lot out of my own pocket for daycare and a lot of other things. The father is well over $10,000 behind in support. IF I ever got all of the back pay that he owes, wouldn't I be entitled to something extra for myself? It would be very easy to say that I have spent thousands of dollars to raise a child (and, I do consider her mine, even if I didn't have her) while her biological dad bought himself very expensive gifts and didn't pay a penny in support for years. I wear used clothes and buy my child the new ones, new shoes, pay for music lessons myself, pay for all the extras that school costs, medical bills he won't pay, and all the other things involved in raising a child. So, if you are saying that, if, and that is a HUGE if, he ever pays even a small portion of that back, I can't buy myself a new pair of jeans, that would be wrong?

Answer 5

I can only answer for myself. I do pay bills with child support money. I have to. Simply put, if her father and I were together, part of her food, medical copays, rent/utilities, gasoline to drive her places, clothing, haircuts, etc would be paid by him. So the support money takes care of that also.

I incorporate the money into my budget, and pay what needs to be paid. I don't know how much exactly is for the roof over head and the lights/heat/food/etc, as opposed to the shoes on her feet and the barbies in her closet.

I did my nails once in 7 years, and stretch my haircuts to 3 months apart. I buy my clothes on clearance, or by mail... my shoes are PayLess. When she gets something extra (like theatre tickets, or a trip to Disneyland) I explain that the reason we can afford it is because Daddy helped Mommy out by sending money to help take care of her.

I give him credit, because it's how I would want to be treated. If I have "extra" money, it doesn't go to me, it goes into her savings account. It is NOT MY MONEY. I am not being paid to "put up with" my own kid. I feel sorry for all the children and dads who don't see the money going where it should, and I think you asked a great question.

Answer 6

I agree with Yvette. Puhlease people... of course it is 100% kids. Does that mean mommy can't get her nails done EVER because she gets child support????? If she is paying all her bills and not being kicked out of her home every month or lights shut off or no food or clothes for the kids?????? She can't have her hair done or anything????? She has to be a nun because she gets child support???? She can be paying all the expenses out of her money and when the child support comes that is just the extra she would have had if they had still been together. You people need to grow up and the mothers who act like they are better than other mothers need to grow up. My husbands ex is a smoker.. do you think I sit here and say my husband is paying for her cigarettes because he sends child support every week?? His kids always have nice clothes and food and toys and a roof over their head. That is pretty shallow to ask people what they use their child support for. Thanks Yvette for laying it down for everyone to see reality!!!!

Answer 7

This question is particularly sensative for me. My husband and I have 5 children. Four of them from his previous marriage and one we had together. His ex-wife is $6,000 behind on payments. She pays every once in a blue moon. The court ordered amount is $300 a month, yes, for four children. She does sends clothes and buy things for them occasionally and she lives three states away.

I would love to say on the rare occasions that she does send us child support that it didn't have to go for a bill or groceries or gas but a lot of times it does. I wish we were blessed with the fortune of being able to spend any money she does send spoiling our kids but we can't and it doesn't mean that we don't love our kids or that they don't get what they need or that my husband and I spend the money frivilously. We work miracles on a shoestring budget. So it is very offensive to me that you judge woman like me because I don't go buy my kids every new toy with the little bit of money we receive, when I feel that making sure the bills are taken care of so they have the security of home is more important.

My husband and I make sacrifises everyday for our kids; and if their mom sends $50 and the bills are paid and the kids have everything they need and he and I feel like we deserve to go out for dinner, I think we should be able too. My kids are well taken care of and get everything they need, we just can't depend on their child support. Sometimes it goes to Chuck E Cheese, sometimes it goes for a new pair of needed tennis shoes and sometimes it goes for some down time for us. I just don't think things are as black and white as your suggesting...

Answer 8

My husband pays child support for a child he had before we met. I believe that since the child support is so high a portion should be court ordered to be put aside to start building a college fund for the child. Or money the child should get upon turning 18 years old. I do not believe the mother in this situation is using the money for the child. I think child support is a great idea, however i believe certain rules should apply...like you said, women should not be allowed to use this money for themselves, and sadly i know a few women who do. The money is suppose to be for the childs needs, clothing, hair cuts, school supplies, school functions. I do think though, that depending on the mother, the child support money could be used to help with groceries ect, if needed.

Answer 9

Child support payments are supposed to cover many things. It was developed to contribute to food, clothing and shelter and the bills that come with having a child in the house (utilities etc). Remember that the key word here is SUPPORT.

A friend of mine pays $400 a month for child support. His Ex wife uses it to pay for expenses that benefit the child like rent, food, heat, clothing, car expenses (kids need to be transported places), doctor appointments etc.

Answer 10

50% of moms blow the money that's a big reason for dead beat dad's. A guy at my job that's paying the max 55% of his income ( good job not MC"d") to his x-wife got called saying she was to broke to buy food, yet she had a brand new sports car in the drive way , besides the two year old sedan he left her,and a nice new boat out back when he got there ( she moved out of state), he bought the food and quit paying, he brings them food every two weeks and pays her light bill and rent in cash and in person, and is ready to go to jail when the enforcement people come for him........................... he figures he will just do that since she lets the kid starve anyway

by the way Yvette there's no way unless you have ten kids, I'm fat as hell Hell were all FAT here and we eat constantly and don't spend that much in food FOR ALL OF US

and rent; 1000 oh my god i live in a NEW 3/2 house with allot of land in a nice neighborhood for 700 ,Heat 300??? , turn that thermostat down my god are you preparing to live in hell or do you live in Antarctica?
? 300 for lights??? turn them off when you leave the room!