We next consider the court's classification of defendant as a supporting spouse. Just because one spouse is a dependent spouse does not automatically mean the other spouse is a supporting spouse. N.C. Gen. Stat. A surplus of income over expenses is sufficient in and of itself to warrant a supporting spouse classification. The resultant income-expenses surplus more than adequately supports the conclusion that defendant is a supporting spouse.
Defendant next contests the amount of alimony the court awarded to plaintiff.
As stated earlier, a trial court's ultimate conclusion as to the amount of alimony will not be upset absent a manifest abuse of discretion. We find no such abuse here. Specifically, defendant contends the alimony award exceeds that which he is able to pay. N.C. Gen. Stat. This time, defendant did assign error to both issues, and each will be addressed in turn.