If anyone is having a hard time with "upkeep" in there economy, there is a trick to avoid upkeep on ships. More specifically dreadnought level capital ships that can cost 8k to 11k upkeep per month cycle.

Basically the way the game works is depending on where your ships are located, it will subtract the income generated from the planet they are stationed on. However if you move your ships on enemy planets the upkeep no longer counts towards your monthly cycle cost.

You can also keep ships in "travel" between two planets rignt at the end of each cycle and it will not count towards your total upkeep cost. Basically this allows you to afford multiple massive dreadnoughts. It's not game breaking but definitely something to use when understanding the remakes economy.