Our area has a parenting magazine that lists summer camps for the kids. Most have a few spots open for scholarships. If you can find a local publication like that (usually at the grocery stores or the library) you can get great ideas your children can do this summer.
Thank you, I will look into this.
I'm sorry, but I just don't understand that. If your income is indeed that low, the last thing you should be thinking about is a trip to Disney World, especially when you just took one. Yeah, I know I'll get flamed for this, but you came here looking for opinions. If you're at poverty level, you should be putting that money aside for food and bills.
I thank you for your thoughts. Just so eveyone is aware, I do pay for food, and bills. That was not the kind of information I was asking about. What I was asking about were things specific to being a single low income mother of three. Things specific for my children. My YMCA offers a special Single parent family price, as well as offering scholarships. I think that is a wonderful thing. As far as WDW goes, my past two trips were not paid by me. My children have family who want them to have fun just like other kids. They are lucky. And I am very grateful.
Okay first of all she said she is about 10k above the poverty line, which is roughly $21K for a family of four, so that would be around $31K. If you make under around $36 or $37K you qualify for the EIC and don't pay any federal taxes, so I'm thinking that she DOES buy food and pay her bills and that your comment is pretty much out of line. Summer camp is EXPENSIVE. I will have to pay $250 for ONE week of camp for ONE child so I can work and my income isn't much more than the OP's. Any help in terms of scholarships, grants for low income, etc. for camp or extracurriculars would be a great thing for many. Not to mention, it frees up more money for family things, like a WDW vacation.
It's highly unlikely that the OP will qualify for any government programs if she receives child support anyway because that will bump her income up too high. The IRS doesn't count CS, but every other government agency does.
I think this is exactly why I didn't know about the EIC. But I will read more about it to see if I do qualify. I am around $10,000 above poverty level for a family of 4. I may be sitting on the fence of not qualifying. I don't know. But I will look into this.
I must beg to differ. If you pay no taxes, and receive the gift as you say, you're not spending your own money - you are spending mine and everyone elses that actually pays taxes. I wrote a check today for over $9000 to the IRS and my state. You're welcome.
I know i'll get flamed for this, but I can't help it.
Goodness, I don' t know what to say. My children are lucky to have family who paid for our trips. We are very lucky to have enjoyed them. I won't flame you. I am just sorry you are mad at me for not earning a lot of money this past year, being single, and having family who paid for vacations for my family. For the record, I did not have to pay Federal Income Tax as my income was too low, but I did have to pay CT tax which was quite a bit for me. Not sure if that matters much to you... Again... sorry you are so mad.
Actually that's not what child support is. There is the basic child support and there should have been a situplation that he also needs to pay 50% of the cost of childcare in addition to child support. I would file a petition to modify the support order.
I went through an 8 day trial. The support was ordered by a Judge. I do not share expenses for anything other than medical and dental. Apparently in CT, Judges do not order such things. Only in amicable divorces are things written that way in the divorce settlement.
In PA child support it pay for food, clothing and housing. After school care etc. is in addition to CS. PA also has a great collection record and a non-paying ex a year behind would be sleeping every night in jail. They would only be allowed to leave for work. PA garnishes wages for CS and if you quit your job a bench warrant is issued if you did not have another job and set up garnishment from your new employer.
That is not true of all divorces. I have a cousin who is in CT and he had to pay not only CS but any child care costs (his split was 80/20) etc. So maybe they put that in the divorce decree.
My other cousin in NJ's ex pays child care on a kid to at least 12 (not sure what age, since it is based on NJ law as to when a child can stay home alone) too. Again it maybe in the divorce decree.
I would think your ex makes close to the $31K you do if you have a 50/50 split on medical and dental.
For my cousin in CT that split of 80/20 was based on income and he had 50% of the time with the kids (one week at each parent's house with the other parent getting Wednesday dinner and night). The parents had to stay in the same district to allow the kids to use the school buses to come and go to the parent's houses. If either left the district than the other got full custody with the other getting visitation.
Doesn't CT go after back CS?
I think I answered your questions in the above comment. CT does go after back Child Support once it has been ordered by a Judge. I went for a year without support because my first two lawyers took my money and never got me into to court to get the support. They never filed for a date that would mark the beginning of the Child Support. I sold off my jewelry to pay for them, and the first two got me nothing at all.
I am sorry that folks are so angry at me for asking my question in the first post. I am a great mom, who loves my children dearly. I have gone through a horrible 3 1/2 year divorce, an 8 day trial... It has been very difficult. My Ex has the ability to hide his income, and he did. The Judge did nothing. Apparently CT is known for favoring men. All I know is I dearly hope that no ever has to go through what my children and I have all been through. The good news it is all finally over.
I count my blessings every day. I surely hope to not be in the financial situation I am in next year.
