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HannahP

And we were so freakin' poor!

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Husband and I are going on five years of marriage, over eight of having actually lived together.

I'm 26. When I was 18, I graduated high school and immediately moved to North Dakota to shack up with my now-husband who was at university on a student visa at the time.

Just the other night, we were reminiscing about the good ol' days --- and damn, we were so freakin' poor back then. Not third world, eating dirt poor but poor enough that a bag of potato chips could send us into the red with our bank account. I vividly remember selling back a bunch of old textbooks - we made about $300 on two years worth of combined textbooks - and we were so excited. Seriously, that was the most amount of money that we'd ever had at one time. I think we went out to eat at the local Chinese buffet with that. And maybe got the car fixed.

Eight years later --) we have a mortgage, two car payments, two fairly stable jobs. Make a little over six figures after taxes in combined income. (Which, where we happen to live, makes us positively middle class.) We're not rich-rich but I was able to drop about $400 today on some clothes for me, a video game, and then some much needed new bedding and not even think about it.

We've come a long way from a simple bag of potato chips.

/rambling

//can anyone relate?

we met: 07-22-01

engaged: 08-03-06

I-129 sent: 01-07-07

NOA2 approved: 04-02-07

packet 3 sent: 05-31-07

interview date: 06-25-07 - approved!

marriage: 07-23-07

AOS sent: 08-10-07

AOS/EAD/AP NOA1: 09-14-07

AOS approved: 11-19-07

green card received: 11-26-07

lifting of conditions filed: 10-29-09

NOA received: 11-09-09

lifting of conditions approved: 12-11-09

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Filed: AOS (apr) Country: Philippines
Timeline

After high school I had nothing - no money. I was the eldest child of 7 and had to help support them. I also wanted to go to college but couldn't afford it. So I joined the army for 4 years, graduated from college. Got out of the army and worked in a government job. I recently sat for and passed the CPA exams. Now I am like you considered middle class. So yes I can relate.

Sent I-129 Application to VSC 2/1/12
NOA1 2/8/12
RFE 8/2/12
RFE reply 8/3/12
NOA2 8/16/12
NVC received 8/27/12
NVC left 8/29/12
Manila Embassy received 9/5/12
Visa appointment & approval 9/7/12
Arrived in US 10/5/2012
Married 11/24/2012
AOS application sent 12/19/12

AOS approved 8/24/13

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Filed: IR-1/CR-1 Visa Country: Serbia
Timeline

I was dirt poor growing up in immigration camps, but it seems harder now than it did back than. My husband came 6 months ago and 3 months ago I got pregnant within the next 2-3 months we have to move out and NYC isn't cheap but god willingly we will survive and hopefully be able to talk about it like you are today.

[font="Century Gothic"]Married March 27, 2010
Sent out I-130 December 29, 2010
Recieved NOA 1 January 4, 2011
Touched January 6, 2011
Recieved NOA 2 May 9, 2011
Interview September 27, 2011
Visa in hand Septmeber 30, 2011 (it would of been the same day as the interview but they requested some more info)
POE - JFK, NYC October 12, 2011 [/font]


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[img]http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/d/4;0;23/st/20100327/e/Since+our+wedding/k/ccbb/event.png[/img]
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After high school I had nothing - no money. I was the eldest child of 7 and had to help support them. I also wanted to go to college but couldn't afford it. So I joined the army for 4 years, graduated from college. Got out of the army and worked in a government job. I recently sat for and passed the CPA exams. Now I am like you considered middle class. So yes I can relate.

Yuck, I got lucky in a lot of ways with my history as a child. (Youngest of eleven, but my dad is a doctor.) My young adult years were mostly a self-imposed poverty.

It is weird, isn't it? to compare the two lifestyles. Not immediately having to buy the cheapest of a product. Or having to save over a few months to buy a needed coat or new pair of shoes.

we met: 07-22-01

engaged: 08-03-06

I-129 sent: 01-07-07

NOA2 approved: 04-02-07

packet 3 sent: 05-31-07

interview date: 06-25-07 - approved!

marriage: 07-23-07

AOS sent: 08-10-07

AOS/EAD/AP NOA1: 09-14-07

AOS approved: 11-19-07

green card received: 11-26-07

lifting of conditions filed: 10-29-09

NOA received: 11-09-09

lifting of conditions approved: 12-11-09

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I was dirt poor growing up in immigration camps, but it seems harder now than it did back than. My husband came 6 months ago and 3 months ago I got pregnant within the next 2-3 months we have to move out and NYC isn't cheap but god willingly we will survive and hopefully be able to talk about it like you are today.

Good luck! It can be a hard couple of years, I agree, but hopefully you guys will be able to overcome those challenges and thrive and grow. And in eight years, you can also come back and repeat my story. :D

Congrats HannahP :thumbs:

"Poverty of goods is easily cured; poverty of the mind is irreparable". (Michel Eyquem de Montaigne).

...are you calling me retarded? :(

we met: 07-22-01

engaged: 08-03-06

I-129 sent: 01-07-07

NOA2 approved: 04-02-07

packet 3 sent: 05-31-07

interview date: 06-25-07 - approved!

marriage: 07-23-07

AOS sent: 08-10-07

AOS/EAD/AP NOA1: 09-14-07

AOS approved: 11-19-07

green card received: 11-26-07

lifting of conditions filed: 10-29-09

NOA received: 11-09-09

lifting of conditions approved: 12-11-09

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We were very comfortable on two incomes..... before we had a baby.

Not so comfortable these days!

We don't struggle - but we don't have the same cushion that we used to.

11-24-2006 Annette and I meet in Rome

09-09-2008 Engaged!

01-30-2009 Fiance petition filed

03-22-2009 Fiance petition approved. Case moves to U.S. embassy in London

04-01-2009 Package received from U.S. embassy in London

06-01-2009 Visa Medical (London)

06-23-2009 K1 Visa Interview (London)

06-27-2009 Passport returned by embassy. K1 Visa received!!

07-04-2009 Fly to Denver (port of entry - Houston, TX)

07-25-2009 We are married (the joint happiest day of my life)

08-07-2009 Social Security number obtained

08-20-2009 AOS, Advanced Parole and Employment Authorization forms filed

09-24-2009 Biometrics appointment (Aurora, CO)

10-05-2009 Advanced Parole received

10-09-2009 Employment Authorization received

10-13-2009 Colorado Learner's permit obtained and driving test scheduled

10-21-2009 Driving test taken and passed

11-30-2009 Green Card Interview (Centennial, CO)

12-08-2009 Green Card received

01-04-2010 Employed

01-28-2011 Our daughter is born (the other happiest day of my life)!

11-21-2011 Filed for Removal of Conditions

12-28-2011 Biometrics appointment (Aurora, CO)

03-16-2012 Card production ordered

03-23-2012 Card received

09-04-2012 Application for Naturalization filed

10-05-2012 Biometrics appointment (Aurora, CO)

12-11-2012 Naturalization Interview (Centennial, CO)

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Filed: AOS (apr) Country: Philippines
Timeline

Yuck, I got lucky in a lot of ways with my history as a child. (Youngest of eleven, but my dad is a doctor.) My young adult years were mostly a self-imposed poverty.

It is weird, isn't it? to compare the two lifestyles. Not immediately having to buy the cheapest of a product. Or having to save over a few months to buy a needed coat or new pair of shoes.

Yes it is a different lifestyle in a big family if you were the eldest or the youngest. It shapes your personality and perspective. But hard work does pay off no matter what kind of a start in life you get.

Sent I-129 Application to VSC 2/1/12
NOA1 2/8/12
RFE 8/2/12
RFE reply 8/3/12
NOA2 8/16/12
NVC received 8/27/12
NVC left 8/29/12
Manila Embassy received 9/5/12
Visa appointment & approval 9/7/12
Arrived in US 10/5/2012
Married 11/24/2012
AOS application sent 12/19/12

AOS approved 8/24/13

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