Sponsor income requirements?

Hi there, I (a dual citizen) am in the research stage of moving back to TX with my UKC husband.

filing the I-130 is the first step and I have read to apply at least 10 months before you plan for the big hop across the pond.

I have checked the Federal Poverty guidelines for a household of 2 for this year to get an idea of what to expect and the required %125 is $20,575. (and i assume i would need to show that I have been making this much for at least 6 months)

As I do not have $20,000 laying around in any way... would I need to move to the states 6 months before we start this process and search for a job that pays as much? 

Please say there's another way around this?

In my silly mind I was planning on moving us in with my dad while I looked for work. Better yet, I was hoping to secure a job before moving back and be able to start working upon arrival. Guess that wasn't a good enough plan haha!

I'm stopped in my tracks only after researching the first step, lol. oh boy. But if I could reach UK citizenship, I can do this! somehow...

any advice or personal experiences greatly appreciated!

I don't know much about it except that you can use your family or friends to act as co-sponsor and count their earnings/savings.

The rules are more liberal than coming this way! 

filing the I-130 is the first step and I have read to apply at least 10 months before you plan for the big hop across the pond.

Yeah, they recommend starting the process about 10 months before you wish to move, so that you have enough time to get the visa.

The I-130 is the first step, which can take anywhere from about 2 to 5 months to be approved. If you apply using DCF (Direct Consular Filing) at the US Embassy in London, which can only be done if you both live in the UK (so you can't have gone back to live in the US yet), then it tends to be on the faster side (on March 19th, the London embassy was processing I-130s filed on Feb 1st).

See here: https://uk.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/government-agencies/dhs/uscis/i130filing-html/

I have checked the Federal Poverty guidelines for a household of 2 for this year to get an idea of what to expect and the required %125 is $20,575. (and i assume i would need to show that I have been making this much for at least 6 months)

As I do not have $20,000 laying around in any way... would I need to move to the states 6 months before we start this process and search for a job that pays as much? 

Please say there's another way around this?

For US spousal visas you can use a co-sponsor to meet the financial requirements, so if you have a friend or family member in the US who can meet the requirement, you can use their income to qualify for the visa.

I've never heard anything about having to work for 6 months in the US before applying, since most people here on the forum who have moved back to the US have applied using DCF, so the US citizen doesn't have to move back first.