For me my stbx was paying however stopped and did so under the advice of his "DUI Club" .. I immediately insisted that my atty file for temporary support .. I actually had to argue with him about it .. I'm grateful I stuck to my guns. There is something everyone who is filing should be aware of ALWAYS have ALL of the current financial information available. I was able to get paystubs .. tax paperwork and thankfully for my STBX because of his drinking issues wasn't very sharp and the people who were guiding him they were all doing it out of spitefulness on their part. In fact I have often said I will gladly send a flowers at the end of all this to his original tramp and his ex wife .. they did me the biggest favors .. let's not forget the keg of beer to his DUI Club .. lol. this is all information though that will disappear OR in my case my STBX refused to provide .. it was HYSTERICAL when we walked into court and I looked at my atty and said .. take this to hearing IMMEDIATELY .. I have everything you need. He was shocked and then laughed .. we went to hearing and OMGOSH .. the judge was sooo not pleased with his atty or with my STBX .. my atty smelled like roses. I can't begin to tell you I have spoken specifically to other women and one woman in a similar situation to me has been to court 10x just trying to get temp support it has been awful for her .. I offered to go to court with her if she needed emotional support. Anyway, I guess it depends on state laws, how long you have been married, what kinds of assets you have currently and in my case I was a SAHM for most of our marriage because of his instability I had to fill in the holes on many things, what kind of relationship do you have currently? Is he the kind of person who will pay without having to go to court or is he like my STBX .. that money is HIS and he's NOT going to pay. in my situation had I not filed temp support that eventually had to be automatically deducted. You know your situation best and divorce can get ugly .. mine won't pay regular bills forget about support .. so I had to take a harder stance.
Linda: What a spouse gets/doesn't get depends on many factors, i.e., the length of marriage, employability and age of the spouse, whether or not the person was a stay at home mom for many years and the health status of each and the alimony laws of the State. There was a huge difference in the health, income, employability with me and my ex and I'd stayed home for ten of the 21 yrs. I got alimony for a couple of years and worked very part time due to health issues until my Dads Estate kicked in. A lot of alimony is restorative in nature to help the spouse get back on his or her feet and it is temporary. It seems as though with foreclosure there is a cash flow problem somewhere. My ex was laid off but paid all the ordinary bills and took me to a food warehouse once before the court ordered alimony. If you have a good job, you may not get alimony. The laws are changing. Check the laws on this site and call an Attorney or your nearest Bar Association or Legal Aid if you cannot afford a Lawyer. If you are getting alimony, a divorce agreement will be written by an attorney with alimony and many other things mentioned. Try cutting your expenses in the following ways: Food Pantry or discount or food warehouse and shop at Thrift Shops. Look into cutting back your cable t.v. service, if applicable, cut back to one phone, etc. My ex gave me my first alimony check at Christmas so I did not know what it was (gift?)