Budget Help

supermansmommy

I apologize if this post doesn't make sense. My mind is sort of a mess right now and I feel like my thoughts are really jumbled. So I've decided to pursue a divorce and have been meeting with attorneys over the past week. I've narrowed it down to two who have comparable fees and retainers. I am saving for the cost of divorce and will also be borrowing from family and friends. I have an idea of what my c/s payments will be, but I don't know how long it will take for WH to start paying support and I know my son and I will eventually need to downsize to a smaller and more affordable place. The unknowns are making it really tough to figure out a budget for the future. Right now I'm saving any and every penny (WH and I have separate bank accounts) for the retainer so I'm not focusing on paying off debt, just paying the minimums. I feel like financial fear is something that's holding me back in this process. In addition to $10k in CC debt and $70k in student loans that will follow me post-divorce, I will have another $5k-6k minimum for the divorce and relocating that I have to repay to f&f. How do I figure out what I can afford in the way of rent? I know there are areas in our current life/budget that I coudl trim back (cable, cell phones, etc), but I'm not sure how much a single plan will differ from a family plan for those things. Know what I mean? how much will the grocery budget change, etc. Am I just using this fear as an excuse to not move forward? Can someone help me get started on figuring all of this out? I need to figure out a budget that will allow my son and I to live on our own, pay daycare, buy groceries, pay the minimums on my cc and student loans so I can pay off my family and friends first (then obv that money would be redirected to my other debt).