Financial spreadsheet

I need to prepare a spreadsheet to work out my financial needs having 2 little children and having given up a bright career, I need to work out what I''m going to ask for as spousal maintenance, has anyone got a template I could use?

How do I protect myself from future living expenses going up? For example swimming lessons etc? School uniforms? Can I?

Thank you in advance

As regards your second request, the answer is yes, it is possible to
index link maintenance payments.

In the old days this was linked to RPI, but ( and I speak here from the point of view of someone who used to have to pay SM ) I preferred
some other index ( I think it was the CPI but i can''t be sure ) because my pension and benefits were linked to it.

But yes, it''s certainly a possibility to index link. Perhaps surprisingly, even from the point of view of the payer, I saw certain advantages.
If payments are not index linked they can easily become out of date and then I could be confronted with a vary ion application, which
could cost me rather more.

LMM