My BF lost his job..

[AGDee]

Originally Posted by alum

I always got the impression that the kids were with you. Why would you be paying cs if that's the case?

We have 50-50 custody. I have them for a week, then he has them for a week. We are both very involved and attend all of their activities, take them to their extracurriculars, etc. The way the Friend of the Court figures child support in this situation is by figuring out how much I would pay him if he had full custody, how much he would pay me if I had full custody and figuring out the difference. He currently pays me $20 a week because he makes a little more money than I do. I use that money to pay their dues, field trips, medical co-pays, etc. and don't ask him for money for those things unless it's a large amount (like marching band, almost $500). But, if he was unemployed, I would probably owe him around $200 a week <gulp>. That would put a serious dent in my budget!

[alum]

That's really great that your ex-husband is still involved with his children despite marital discord. I have seen so many situations where that is not the case.

[LucyKKG]

Originally Posted by AGDee

Camping *is* a great, cheap vacation, if you already own the gear.

We're borrowing a lot of stuff from my parents.

[AGDee]

Originally Posted by alum

That's really great that your ex-husband is still involved with his children despite marital discord. I have seen so many situations where that is not the case.

I agree It does take an awful lot of communication to do things the way we do, but we get along pretty well most of the time, as long as we don't discuss money or have to live together.

[KSigkid]

Originally Posted by AGDee

They are predicting that the unemployment rate in Michigan is going to rise to 20% over the next few months so it's a common thing here now. Those links are great. Camping *is* a great, cheap vacation, if you already own the gear. One of my work friends lost her job a couple months ago. She is a single mom with two teenagers and is really freaking out now. She had two job prospects but both companies went into hiring freezes right after she interviewed. I made the mistake of posting something about dreading Monday on Facebook and she posted something like "Be glad you still have a job", which made me feel badly. I won't be complaining about work on FB anymore. In fact, I'm being more careful about complaining about work in general everywhere I go because it's such a sensitive topic.

Slightly off topic, but I think what your work friend said to you was rude and completely out of line. If she wants to be mad at the working world, go ahead, but she has to realize there are still going to be people out there who complain about their commutes, Mondays, etc. It's not a slap in the face to the unemployed.