How much savings did you have when you entered the US

[25Euros 3]

hey,

I'm just wondering how much savings you had when you entered the us? I'm totally freaking out over this because I can save money but it bothers me that it's not as much as I want to.

(My SO can def. support the both of us but I'd feel bad....)

Edited April 14, 2015 by 25Euros

[EmigratingSwede 16]

We had about $50000 each when we moved. Half of that quickly disappeared as a downpayment on a house.

[jjbandero 39]

Not very much, that was because I came here initially on a work visa so I had a job waiting. Since you are coming on a CR-1 visa, you should be able to get your green card shortly after you arrive, that will allow you to work if you wish. Otherwise, there are other ways to reduce your spending, for example, we get a lot of coupons from different stores where we live, and you often get great deals on household consumables and groceries. There are also a lot of online tools that help you identify discounts and many stores will honor price-matching.

As your SO can support both of you, that should help take some stress out of the situation, don't worry too much, you will be established soon enough and start contributing.

[BaronB 42]

How long is a piece of string? If you are planning to work right away you probably don't need that much in savings. If you plan to have a vacation for a few months then obviously it helps to have lots of savings. I think it's a good idea to have around 3 to 6 months living expenses saved up in case it takes a while to find a suitable job.

[Udella&Wiz 325]

We had planned ahead and anticipated that we needed at least 5-6 months of living expenses since I couldnt work initially and we had a blended family with 3 children and life wasn't going to wait. I received an Unemployment benefit from Canada which was nice as well. We weren't big on having our normal lifestyle go down the tubes so having savings was helpful.

[TabeaK 517]

With the loss of the Euro against the Dollar, not as much as I'd like anymore, but I am shooting for 6 months of my current net salary saved up + money for buying a car. Should be doable. My SO can also support us, but having that cushion is very important for me given I won't be able to work for 3+ months.

Edited April 16, 2015 by TabeaK

[NikLR 13,227]

Pretty much none. I knew I could get some income because of EI from Canada. Both hubs and I scrimped and saved that first year because immigration ate into our savings.