That’s my point actually. Court-ordered child support payment minimums are massively greater than actual costs. Any by the way, even those USDA costs are ridic

That’s my point actually. Court-ordered child support payment minimums are massively greater than actual costs. Any by the way, even those USDA costs are ridiculously inflated. It’s based on survey data, not actual expenditures, and the people they ask have every reason to inflate the numbers (child support, welfare, tax credits, deductions, etc.). It’s mostly childcare and housing costs, but even the other categories are ridiculous, like hundreds a month per child on clothing and books. Come on. So far, I’ve gotten almost everything second-hand for almost nothing, and my son does just fine in a garage apartment with me.