Well, I don't watch TV or have streaming services. I have internet because I have to for work. The car note is high, but that's because we bought a car together before I ever thought she might bail, and I got stuck with it all. I haven't had time to save money to get a cheaper car because of all the cash outflow.
I've been a huge fan of personal finance for a long time, and I kept it together the whole process. I even quit smoking, which has helped a lot.
If I could afford everything without her help, I absolutely would tell her to shove it. I have a few bargaining chips for our support negotiation meeting coming up. Bottom line is she voluntarily stepped down, and without the child support, I'm just about maxed out. I've cut out unnecessary spending as much as I really can, and I'm now paying 100% for after school care. After the D finalized, my bills increased. It's literally just necessities...I have no extra memberships or anything, and she ended up not taking on any significant percentage of the debt (she ended up with about 3000 IRS debt, but I got stuck with another almost 20k in joint debt that she didn't take as part of the deal to get her freedom and give me primary custody).
Honestly...I wish I could tell her that. I can't move out of the area to get a better job (which would probably double my income, tbh) because of the geographical restrictions she requested, and my family is 1,200 miles away, so I don't have any backup. I already skip lunch breaks to make OT. It helps, but it's not quite enough to make everything happen yet.
