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If you want to be ready for anything, you may want to figure some of the following expenses into your agreement now: |
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Baby-sitter and day care |
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Birthday parties |
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Camp |
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First Communion |
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Bar and Bat Mitzvah |
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Sweet-16 party |
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Application fees for colleges |
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Travel costs to visit prospective colleges |
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SAT, achievement test fees, and tutoring costs |
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Other tutors as needed |
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Orthodontia |
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Psychotherapy |
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After-school activities |
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Sports activities, uniforms, equipment, and fees |
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Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts |
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Car, driving lessons |
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Wedding |
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Wait a minute, you might be thinking, if all those items are extras, what am I paying child support for? Answer: Food, shelter, clothing, telephone, utilities, and so on. Of course, depending on the amount of child support you are paying, your spouse may have to use some of the support for these extras. |
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Be careful, though. Anything you sign may come back to haunt you. Harvey, for instance, felt so guilty about leaving his wife, Jessie, that he agreed to pay for each of their four daughters' weddings at the Waldorf Astoria, or someplace comparable. The daughters were only teenagers at the time. Unfortunately, Harvey's business took a turn for the worse. Although he could not afford the expensive weddings, he was obligated to pay for them. He went into debt to do so. |
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If you have a breakdown in negotiations, you can fall back on your state's child support formula. Beyond that, seek help from your lawyers or a mediator. |
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