topic Re: Garden Club Meeting - February 2013 in Credit Cards

Garden Club Meeting - February 2013

tinuviel — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 18:52:33 GMT

Greetings, fellow credit gardeners! The new month begins tomorrow, but I'm beginning the thread a little early. I usually like to start the night before the first of the month, but I'm sick with cold/flu symptoms and don't know how I'll be feeling later. Best to get things kicked off while I'm still reasonably clear-headed. And so, I hereby convene the February meeting of the myFICO Garden Club. :)

For those who are new to the concept of gardening, it involves refraining from applying for new credit or seeking CLIs that require hard pulls. Soft pulls CLIs, however, are not only acceptable, but are encouraged. The idea is to allow one's current TLs to grow and mature, waiting for inqs to age or fall off, and possibly waiting for "baddies" to be removed or age off. During this time, one tends to one's current accounts and watches their AAoA grow and the new credit ding fade.

So, if you're at the stage of your credit journey where you're ready to enter the garden, please come and join us. You may pick up your complimentary watering can and garden gloves by the front door -- you can even choose your favorite color! We're proud to offer a well appointed clubhouse. There is a snack table set up. This month I've set out an assortment of tailgaiting foods, including hot buffalo wings, sweet sesame wings, several pizza pies with various toppings, a large club sandwich ring, and a variety of chips/salsa/dips. And as always, we have mini-quiches (enjoy, Relevate!). There's also a nice selection of cold beers. Once again, please feel free to bring and add anything that you'd like to add to the festivities. And, in the corner diagonally across from the front door, there is a fully stocked bar, along with a wide selection of soft drinks. If needed, there are some anti-itch medications stocked in our supply cabinet near the door -- Lanacaine, Benedryl, etc. If you need to place your reports in the deep freeze, we also have a freezer, located next to the bar, so go ahead and throw your reports in!

Come on in and make yourself comfortable. Make a gardening plan and commit to sticking with it! Are you planning to wait six months before applying for additional credit? A year? Until the last of your baddies drop off? Whatever your goal, we're here to support you. If you feel the "app-itch" coming on, let us know and we'll try to help you through it.

Now, if you happen to leave the garden prematurely, that’s your decision and we respect that. You are always welcome to come back, pick up your gardening tools and start over again. But please, celebrate any approvals on another thread. While we are happy with members’ success stories, we really do want to keep this thread’s focus and tone to be consistent with gardening efforts. You are certainly welcome to celebrate soft CLIs on this thread, though, as they do not involve inqs or apps for new credit.

GARDEN CLUB CHALLENGE AND RECOGNITIONS:

Garden Club Challenge: Pick a firm date for staying in the garden and post it in your siggy!

Garden Club recognition levels: To qualify, your reports must contain:

No new tradelines of any type on one's accounts (this includes backdated Amex accounts, as they are STILL new "seedlings").
No HPs for anything that would allow for the possibility of a new tradeline being issued or increasing the CL of an existing tradeline.

You will be able to add the following to your siggy if you have abided by the above for the following time periods...

Less than 1 month - seedling

1 month - bronze spade

3 months - silver spade

6 months - gold spade

12 months - platinum spade

24 months or more - diamond spade

Please note: recognition levels reset once you add an account or incur a HP. We recognize that there may be very good reasons for "leaving the garden," and we respect whatever thoughtful decisions members make. As stated previously, members are always welcome to come back, grab their gloves and start gardening once more.

Seedling:

Bronze:

SIlver:

line to put at top of sig:

Gold:

line to put at top of sig:

Platinum:

line to put at top of sig:

<img src="http://i.imgur.com/vVRv5.png" border="0" alt="" title="" width="120" height="80" align="right" />

Diamond:

line to put at top of sig:

So, please feel free to come on in and share your gardening progress. If you're new or returning, what are your goals? If you've been here for a while, how are things going? Let's all mingle, and support each other in our respective gardening efforts!

Re: Garden Club Meeting - February 2013

shakalaka — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 18:59:19 GMT

First :smileyvery-happy: Achieved all my goals in January for the time being. Let those seedlings grow.

Btw. it is still January :smileyhappy: but ... who cares. Get well soon. All the best tinuviel.

Re: Garden Club Meeting - February 2013

PleioneG — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 18:59:58 GMT

No more apps ever! My next step is Mortgage land in 2015! Let the journey begin!

Re: Garden Club Meeting - February 2013

tinuviel — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 19:02:30 GMT

shakalaka wrote:
First :smileyvery-happy: Achieved all my goals in January for the time being. Let those seedlings grow.

Btw. it is still January :smileyhappy:

Congrats! Achieving goals is great! :)

And yes, I know it's still January. As I mentioned in the opening paragraph, I'm starting the thread early because I'm sick and want to get it up while I still have the strength to be coherent. Thanks for the well-wishes.

Re: Garden Club Meeting - February 2013

shakalaka — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 19:02:35 GMT

tinuviel wrote:
shakalaka wrote:
First :smileyvery-happy: Achieved all my goals in January for the time being. Let those seedlings grow.

Btw. it is still January :smileyhappy:
Congrats! Achieving goals is great! :)

And yes, I know it's still January. As I mentioned in the opening paragraph, I'm starting the thread early because I'm sick and want to get it up while I still have the strength to be coherent.

Thanks,

I already did edit my post. :smileyhappy: Get well soon.

Re: Garden Club Meeting - February 2013

youngchick27 — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 19:06:38 GMT

This is my first post, although I've been perusing the forums for weeks. My last app was 1/12 and I don't plan on applying for anything for 6 months to a year. Excited to be gardening!

Re: Garden Club Meeting - February 2013

RockinRay — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 19:06:46 GMT

I picked up a new RF Moeller card this month. Issued by Wells Fargo. My wife wants a new Rolex...

So, we will get her one and use the 12 month 0 interest promo. I should state that we have the cash in savings to pay for her new watch. I just like to use the banks money... :)

Otherwise, I have and will continue to "prune" and garden.

Re: Garden Club Meeting - February 2013

09Lexie — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 19:11:17 GMT

I plan to stay in the garden for the next 2 months and let my CL' s grow. I have a few inq's that will fall off in March and I will be ready for an app spree in April. My app spree from the fall will have settled some and my holiday util will be down to <9% (Assuming no GE inspired CLIs :smileywink: ).

Tinuviel: Get well soon. That flu can be a beast to get over.

Re: Garden Club Meeting - February 2013

tinuviel — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 19:11:35 GMT

youngchick27 wrote:
This is my first post, although I've been perusing the forums for weeks. My last app was 1/12 and I don't plan on applying for anything for 6 months to a year. Excited to be gardening!

Welcome to both the forums and the Garden Club! Happy to have your here! :)

Re: Garden Club Meeting - February 2013

dodgeball — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 20:21:45 GMT

Okay got all the cards I need, really nothing out there that says I got to have it right now. Starting right now I am in the garden for a min of a year than I will take another look from there

Re: Garden Club Meeting - February 2013

jla84 — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 21:37:37 GMT

Ok, it's not even February and I've already fallen out of the garden! I decided to app for the Citi Thank You Premier card because I stopped participating in the commuter pre-tax program at work, and have been looking for a good card to earn rewards when I buy my monthly metrocard. I was instantly approved for $6500! The AF is waived for the first year, and I will then assess how well this card works for me. I'll earn rewards for grocery stores and drugstores too, so hopefully this wasn't a total waste of an INQ.

ETA: Though this was a kind of spur of the moment app, it's also been about 10 months since my last app, so I'm not too worried.

Re: Garden Club Meeting - February 2013

jsucool76 — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 21:35:15 GMT

Few more days till my gold spade :-)

Re: Garden Club Meeting - February 2013

tcbofade — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 21:44:41 GMT

jsucool76 wrote:
Few more days till my gold spade :-)

Me too, Me too!

To be honest, I'm awfully frustrated looking around at all of these weeds...util isn't really going down any....scores aren't really going up any...

I'm hoping for a FICO boost when my last "new credit" reaches six months old...

Re: Garden Club Meeting - February 2013

tcbofade — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 21:46:45 GMT

RockinRay wrote:
I picked up a new RF Moeller card this month. Issued by Wells Fargo. My wife wants a new Rolex...

:smileysurprised:

Ray???

You get beatins!

(J/K...I'm jealous and you know it!)

Re: Garden Club Meeting - February 2013

RockinRay — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 21:51:58 GMT

tcbofade wrote:
RockinRay wrote:
I picked up a new RF Moeller card this month. Issued by Wells Fargo. My wife wants a new Rolex...

:smileysurprised:

Ray???

You get beatins!

(J/K...I'm jealous and you know it!)

LOL - she deserves a new Rolex. She has put up with me for the last 23 years and has worn her current Rolex for that long. I just got a new one and now she wants a new one too... We will keep her old to pass down to one of the daughters. I plan to sell my old one when it comes back from service.

Ever since we lived in Texas, we have worn the "Texas Timex"... LOL

Re: Garden Club Meeting - February 2013

ceemee2203 — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 23:34:01 GMT

I make no promises, lol, but I'm going to try to continue gardening.

AMEX just updated on TU so my new cli (sp) and the backdating goodness has arrived according to CK. My AMEX now says opened May 2008 instead of May 2012.

CK says my AAOA is now 5 yrs 11 months instead of 5 years 6 months. Unfortunately, it's still 5 years either way. CK went up 3pts and transrisk 13pts.

Can't wait to see what myFico says.

Re: Garden Club Meeting - February 2013

Sweets8E — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 23:48:03 GMT

Still here!!! Woo Hoo!!! Gotta be strong, gotta be strong...

Awe man, feel better Tinuviel. That flu that's going around is awful. Take care.

Re: Garden Club Meeting - February 2013

bluesnowman — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 00:13:33 GMT

Back in the garden for another month. If all goes well, I should be earning my silver spade this upcoming month. I still have another 4 months until I decide to apply for the 2 cards I want, so yeah it is taking a lot of patience and restraint to not apply for anything right now, but I figure if I can do it for almost 3 months, another 3 won't be much longer. Tinuivel- Get better soon, I just spent the last few days battling the cold, and have since gotten better so I feel whats going on with you...

Good luck to the rest of you in your gardening efforts for the upcoming month!

Re: Garden Club Meeting - February 2013

Epcot — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 00:20:16 GMT

I have been loyal to gardening since november. I am 12 days from regaining my silver spade. Hope no itches pop up.

Re: Garden Club Meeting - February 2013

Revelate — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 01:34:17 GMT

Went through the app spree in January. Gardening while attempting to figure out how much weedkiller I'm going to need. Have all the forseeable tradelines for a while at this point, including two $0 AF cards which are pure farming implements, so thankfully there's nothing else I really need at this point. Especially hearing that USAA is going to start offering EMV Chip/Pin cards, that'd tickle me pink!