survival fund ✶

what you’re actually funding (aka: how i’m keeping us alive)

this isn’t just a deadbeat-dad storyline. continued nonpayment of support after documented dv is the same abuse, moved from my throat to my bank account.

here’s the reality:

i’m a law student, a single mom, and a dv survivor.
there is no second income. there is no childcare safety net. there is no “fun money.”

everything you see me doing online is happening on top of:

• law school tuition

• zero reliable childcare

• no real food budget

• active court cases

• cleaning houses with my kid physically next to me because there’s nobody else to watch her

part of why i need help at all is because the person who hurt us is still withholding financial support on purpose. that’s not bad budgeting; that’s ongoing dv through money.

this is what donations actually touch.

✦ law school: tuition, fees, and the damn textbooks 🎓

i’m in an accredited law program. tuition each term is more than most people’s cars.
scholarships and loans cover part of it – not all of it. there’s always a leftover chunk that has to be paid in real money, or they put a hold on my account.

textbooks are their own horror movie. one casebook is easily $150–$300. i’ve done whole weeks of readings off screenshots and borrowed pages because i couldn’t afford the book yet.

✦ childcare (or: the part where i don’t have any) 🍼

i do not have full-time daycare.

daycare in my area costs more than most people’s rent. there’s a waitlist. there’s no other parent stepping in. so a lot of the time, it’s:

• me in legal meetings with a toddler

• me cleaning houses with my toddler at the job

• me studying with my kid climbing on my head

✦ food, diapers, and basic survival

my ex was ordered to pay child support in jan 2025. in reality, he pays nothing.

that means:

• every diaper

• every meal

• every late-night “we’re out of milk / snacks / wipes” run

✦ the hidden cost of “fighting it in court”

everyone loves to say “take him to court” like it’s free.

i don’t get simple e-filing for a lot of what i’m doing. so every motion, response, or exhibit usually means picking between:

• driving hours round-trip with an infant to hand-file

• or paying for certified mail so it’s legally served

✦ the point

you’re not funding “extras.”
you’re funding margin:

• so i can stay in law school

• so my kid is fed and housed

• so i can actually show up to court with the right documents

• so i can work and parent

if you’ve ever watched my content and thought,

“how the hell is she doing all this alone?”

the answer is: barely.

and any support you send goes straight into the unglamorous, boring, absolutely essential stuff that keeps me and my daughter alive long enough for me to finish this fight.

send support directly on venmo:
@sammielowe 🖤