Moving out?

[cgsea]

Hello,

My wife has asked me to move out of the house we are currently renting together. (Both names are on the lease)

I found an apartment and she will be filing for separation in the next couple of weeks. She is looking for work but hasn’t found anything she is interested in. She is telling me I will have to pay rent at our house (which I can understand), all utilities, her insurance, cell phone bill, cable bill, gym membership, food allowance, gas, misc money, alimony, and then child support.

This sounds like a little much if you ask me. I’m active duty Coast Guard and have suggested marriage counseling several times. There are no issues in the marriage other than her telling me she has fallen out of love and the grass has to be greener on the other side. We have two young children together.

My question is, I thought all those expenses were child support and alimony, not in addition to.

Sorry for the novel, this has not been easy for me. Thank you kindly in advance for any advice.

[Kathleen_Putiri]

I would first look at the child support calculator to determine what a reasonable amount of child support would be. After calculating child support, to determine what an appropriate amount would be foralimony, I would look at what her actual need is compared to your ability to pay.

She should be paying her own living and household expenses from these amounts. I would make sure to provide her with at least enough to cover the rent (or make the rent payment directly) as long as you are also on the lease.