I have a 1994 Ford Thunderbird, v8, rear wheel drive, 4.65 litre engine, and I am leaking transmission fluid, right underneath the car, kind of like if I were to go straight down from the gear shift (sorry about the poor description) I am hoping that my problem is just a leak because right now I cannot afford a transmission. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
It’s hard to say without seeing it and the description is vague, but most transmission leaks are comparatively cheap to fix.
The only expensive leak would be if the front pump (commonly called the torque converter) seal is leaking. The transmission has to come out if that is the problem. Everything else is minor IMHO.
The real danger would be if you allow the fluid level to get low and damage the transmission.
If the leak appears to be coming from roughly where the shifter is located then you may have a shifter shaft seal leaking.
This usually means dropping the pan and that is as good as time as any to change the fluid and filter.
Hope that helps anyway. 
I agree with Okie that transmission fluid leaks are typically a matter of seals, and ought not to be too expensive to repair. Talk to a transmission shop, get an estimate.
Thanks for the feedback