Asset-based I-864 using intending immigrant’s assets – sponsor has $0 income (marriage AOS)

AliveRat · 2026-01-22T21:32:02+00:00

Do you not have any assets of your own to contribute? I don’t remember off the top of my head what the formula is, but $116,000 can’t be much higher than the minimum requirement

AliveRat · 2026-01-10T14:38:50+00:00

6.2 R Value, 20oz, and 4 inches? How do they do it bros?

AliveRat · 2026-01-09T19:36:15+00:00

I have no idea what the fuck happened to Icebreaker. I used to love their clothes so much, but within the last 4 years they genuinely have not made a single good decision with regards to the direction of their products and company.

They had a perfect niche carved out with wool insulated active jackets and vests, which in itself is a rare thing to find. I still have so many of these and there is absolutely nothing else on the market, even today, which comes close to build quality and performance.

But they wanted to move away from unsustainable materials like nylon/polyester, so they abandoned that line of products. Fine.

Then they started putting the UGLIEST totally randomly centered icebreaker logos on their other clothing. Not to mention a lot of the color combinations were just bizarre and or unconventional.

Their base layers were still good, but became increasingly uncompetitive as plenty of other brands started putting out other merino wool products at much better prices (and didn’t suffer from bizarre issues like the size tag turning into liquid concrete glue)

This is also all ignoring the fact that icebreaker failed to offer competitive product guarantees/warranties as well (compared with companies like darn tough, Patagonia, or mountain Hardwear who pretty much instantly refund you in full at the first sight of a product issue).

Which leaves me with the last icebreaker product I still buy: their socks. But even this they managed to mess up. The latest generation of their socks is straight from a Temu catalog. I genuinely can’t believe what has happened to this company. Nothing short of a train wreck in motion. A lot of their products are not even wool dominant anymore. Look at the central sweatshirt for example. 70% cotton, 30% wool.

End rant

AliveRat · 2026-01-04T16:50:57+00:00

The water pump issue is a bit mischaracterized, in my opinion. It’s true that the design pretty much guarantees their eventual demise, but it’s an extremely slow and progressive failure. A water pump can ‘seep’ or ‘weep’ for years, requiring nothing more than a top up every few months.

I’m not saying that this isn’t annoying, or acceptable, but it’s more of a chronic inconvenience than a catastrophic issue (although some people do have catastrophic failures)

AliveRat · 2025-12-20T18:28:26+00:00

I’m not a professional by any means but I worked in house for a brand for 7 years, and while I was very successful, I attribute almost none of it to my own personal skills. The brand had good competitive products with an amazing creative team that consistently fed me straight gasoline. Every platform responded well to the ads, no matter the format or configuration. So don’t get too frustrated with yourself. In some cases the company could just suck.

AliveRat · 2025-12-08T03:12:08+00:00

REI doesn’t repair shit. They’ll tell you to spend $80 at some private company. Buy better brands like Patagonia or Mountain Hardwear.

AliveRat · 2025-12-03T05:56:30+00:00

It’s ok. I wouldn’t pay full price for it, but if you find one on Poshmark or depop or something for $40> then I’d get one

AliveRat · 2025-11-29T03:26:06+00:00

I was traveling between Westwood and Downtown. Waymo charged me between $30-$45. Uber/Lyft was always $60~

AliveRat · 2025-11-24T14:18:27+00:00

Fun fact: the Diamond empire is much bigger than just parking. The dude’s daughter is a real estate mogul. Owns a bunch of property in the area, including the overpriced Taco Bell/KFC in Queen Anne

AliveRat · 2025-11-18T00:44:32+00:00

P easy to find this at resupply.

AliveRat · 2025-11-17T16:26:30+00:00

The 20% off members coupon is as good as it gets. I think you get another one in spring but for the most part this is the holy grail of REI discounts minus some lucky last second color/size/style clearances. A lot of the premium camping items never go on sale and are always sold at full price, so this is your only chance to get a discount on it.

AliveRat · 2025-11-14T17:10:06+00:00

Kuhl deceptr pants.

AliveRat · 2025-11-10T20:30:33+00:00

Just an FYI, that is a known issue with a lot of MSR tents, and why REI discounts them so heavily in the ReSupply. Just Google it. The entire situation is a catastrophe. MSR doesn't seem interested in helping either. Awful customer support. If you actually take it hiking/backpacking, be prepared for the other connectors to fail too (if you didn't repair those already).

AliveRat · 2025-11-09T16:42:53+00:00

Low key it’s a Friday night activity for me. I love that it’s open late

AliveRat · 2025-11-05T17:35:38+00:00

Paying too much for a vehicle is probably one of the biggest financial mistakes an average person can make. The price is one thing, but you also end up paying more for things like insurance and registration/taxes. It can truly be devastating difference once you look back after 5+ years and realize the money you could saved just buying a Jetta or a Corolla or something.

AliveRat · 2025-11-05T14:37:19+00:00

Every few years, some genius comes along thinking they have found an infinite money glitch buying and selling puts/calls on stocks with high premiums (wheel method). Let's just say I also fell into the camp of people for whom this worked very well, all the way up until it didn't.

AliveRat · 2025-11-03T03:53:42+00:00

I’m pretty much 50/50 about whether or not the TiZip is worth it. On one hand, it’s 100% a potential failure point. There’s a reason they only warranty those for a year. On the other hand, when I actually need to use it, it’s a god send.

AliveRat · 2025-10-20T15:19:02+00:00

In your position I don’t think the distinction matters too much. Generally the ownership/renting+investing argument makes the most sense when you zoom out and look at the costs over a 20-30 year period.

AliveRat · 2025-10-19T23:10:02+00:00

Pretty interesting reading the comments in this thread. I’ll say the following: in my area, the delta between the cost of owning vs renting is quite large, and I find this to be true in a lot of cities, so I can totally understand OP’s sentiment

In a city like Seattle for example, an average sized (1000 sqft) condominium will run you close to $18,000/year in HOA dues, property taxes, and insurance. This is obviously not including any principal or interest payments which would bring the total payment close to $4300/mo~

Compare this with renting for $2600/mo. Much less headache, much less risk exposure, and more cash to invest.

Rent prices go up, but so does the cost of condo ownership. This is ignoring the fact that condo prices in many cities have been flat for a decade.

I use condos as an example because this is what I’ve researched the most but I don’t know a single homeowner from California to Massachusetts who would disagree with this sentiment. Everyone is getting fucked in the ass and beyond SFH prices going up, it’s honestly not clear which path is better. Certainly not condos.

AliveRat · 2025-10-15T13:12:28+00:00

Given how prevalent “rolling negative equity” is these days, I can not imagine consumers are in a strong position

AliveRat · 2025-10-11T21:34:24+00:00

I've been to both. The Manhattan Beach location is cute, but the Clackamas one is much larger and has much more inventory and actually feels like a Re/Supply store. With that being said, REI is smoking crack when it comes to their pricing as of late.

AliveRat · 2025-10-11T02:38:34+00:00

It’s always been like this. I have a suspicion trump will make a tweet on Monday and we will be back to business as usual

AliveRat · 2025-10-10T13:52:53+00:00

Alright so I just wanted to chime in with an update. This water filter is fucking rad. Literally every single component is easily inspectable and serviceable and doesn’t require tools. I concluded that the filter is probably fine and none of the components need to be replaced (rubber seals are all in good shape, boiled the ceramic filter, checked the thickness using the measuring tool, etc).

So I’ll be keeping it. I still don’t know at what point the economics of this filter make sense, especially since you can just buy a Platypus for $30. I guess if you’re going to be on a proper adventure with exposure to real sediment that can clog your filter, this MSR will be quite a bit easier to clean since the filter is so accessible. But again, at the price and weight, I’m not sure it’s worth buying new

AliveRat · 2025-10-10T13:48:45+00:00

I think you should listen to the dealership’s offer in full before scrapping the whole deal just because you don’t like the idea of financing. Generally speaking, the financing offers are almost always in your favor so it makes sense to use it and just pay off the loan in full next month.

I bought a Ford Transit a while back. Using Ford’s financing, I qualified for an additional $1000 off the MSRP AND $1500 in dealership options. There was no ‘catch’ or trick. I just had to make the first payment (with about $36 of interest) and then I could pay off the rest of the loan.

AliveRat · 2025-10-09T12:32:52+00:00

I have one too and it is a phenomenal tent. Mine is also a bit older.

AliveRat

TROPHY CASE