Even though it isn't 100% gauranteed the divorce is going to be finalized...it does feel 80-85% certain so I'm starting to look around at areas in my life that I can down-size things.

Once the STBX becomes my "ex" there will be a lot of things I will be cutting out...
Her...cell phone, med benefits, car insurance, car payment, and I will likely have lower utility bills in the house living alone. All in all I expect to save about $375 to $400 per month just in those things alone.

Of course - I have $1500 per month in child support for over 10 years, so it's not like I'll have "extra" $$ each month...HaHa!!

That's where the "down-sizing" comes in...
What all have you people that are paying child support done to help cut cost around the house and in your life without suffering TOO much of a lifestyle change?

My plans...
Sell the boat - never use it anymore anyways
Sell my truck - if no boat...don't need a truck
**will replace it with a fun sports car or something but more importantly...a lower monthly payment
Re-finance the house to lower the interest rate and prob save some money per month
Stop smoking (win / win) and save some $$
Eat out less and cook at home more

I figure with these adjustments I should be able to save another $500-550 per month.

Add that to the savings from not paying all "her" stuff anymore and I'm up to saving $900-$950 per month. There are prob a few other things I can cut out / reduce to cover another $100-200 more in savings.

Anyone have any ideas or can offer ways they've cut / saved to cover the costs of child support or just the new modified style of living?

Pretty much, getting rid of my ex-wife was the downsizing my budget needed.

Child support limited how much she got, so I "got a raise" when she walked out in 2003.

She could no longer charge on my credit cards, etc.

I paid off close to $70K in debt WHILE going through the divorce over the course of two years.

So the biggest downsize for me was having her off the payroll.

I kept the house, the majority of my 401(k) and the debt was already paid off, even though she got an income equalized percentage of the debt based on the total when she left in 2003.

Your mileage may vary, but I found having the cheater off the payroll to be more than enough downsizing of the budget.

So what did I do to pay off the $70K in debt?

I sold some stock from my employer's stock purchase program. I was losing money anyway, so I pulled out the remainder and paid off some bills.

I sold one of my cars, bought a cheaper one, and paid off debt with the difference in proceeds.

I e-bayed everything I no longer needed that she left after she moved out.

I stopped my satellite TV as I had it to provide channels I couldn't get on cable. We had both.

When I traveled for work, I drove to collect mileage reimbursement.

I worked extra overtime. I got paid for when I was on-call, plus paid if I was called out, so I took on-call when I could. She moved out. No way to get 15 hours/week when she no longer lived at home, so I worked when I didn't have my daughter.

The rest was simply the natural consequences of having her off the joint checking account.

Everything that wasn't needed was cut. I dropped the YMCA membership she was using to stay in shape for the OM.

I split the car insurance policy, letting her pay for her gas, car insurance, etc. I let her pay her car payment. Since she had the minivan, she got the minivan payment as well.

Figure out where the money is going, and cut what you can. You would be amazed at how many $20/month "leaks" folks have in their budgets. Find enough of those and it adds up to real money.

Oh, and I gave away stuff to Goodwill, and wrote it off on my taxes. I suppose I could have had a yard sale. I simply changed my withholding to reflect the deductions and got a larger paycheck. I try to owe on 4/15 anyway. A refund is just giving Uncle Sam an interest free loan.

I cut out DSL, TV, cut back on my cell, and paid close attention to the grocery bill. I gave up skiing. We dropped the YMCA membership. I cancelled all my credit cards and the lawn service. I stopped buying books and we used the library.

I found that without any TV, I got more done. But at $15/mo for Netflicks I could see any TV show worth watching, although not this year's runs.

There were some tough and scary times like when I went to the grocery store and couldn't pay. My little daughter was with me. I don't think either of us will ever forget that. But in the end, it all worked out.

One thing we did do, that I think was the right decision in the beginning, we kept the girls in their private school at great sacrifice. This made sense for the first year or two when they needed stability.

In the end, I think you need to prioritize what about your lifestyle you don't want to give up. List them in order with a price tag next to them. Then, start cutting from the bottom up.

Best advice there.... each person having gone through has sacraficed one thing or another.... but did so in the order that was important to them. Doing that list helped me figure out what was more important...

ie: cable vs childcare or groceries.... obviously the latter won but when i got on my feet again got basic cable back.... all about making a budget of things you "have to have" and working within that.