That's kind of what I figured...the good news is that I have time, and have no need for new credit anytime soon. Eventually though we'd like to move (hopefully in the next couple of years) and I hope to have the late mark off before we start shopping for a new mortgage. :( ... View more

Bump. ... View more

Thank you Peach! The only reason I didn't post all of my balances and APR's is because I've done about a million calculations myself for paying them off, and I didn't want anyone to think I was asking for them to help with that. My overall balance is about $12,000 (yeesh, I know) and my average APR is high, about 18% (even more yeesh). My overall util is about 70% (most yeesh of all).   I think that either of us could find an hourly job quickly, but it would take a while to find new FT jobs at our current salaries because neither of us have college degrees, and we've worked our way up to where we are. I believe DH is secure in his job, but I'm never sure about mine, because I work for a local government and layoffs are always dreaded every quarter. I do know that we could cut our expenses way down if I lose my job - getting rid of cable, taking the youngest out of daycare, etc. - but even then the savings might only last us a few months. If we didn't have young children I would definitely find a second temporary job right now, but between them and the need to go back to school to finish my degree, I know I don't have the energy.   Our house is only 4 years old; our cars are 6 and 8 years old. The 6-year-old is still running great; the 8-year-old has the potential to fall apart in the next year or so. We plan to run both of them into the ground, so no need for another car payment anytime soon. No health problems and no baby planned (I am really looking forward to not having any daycare payments when my youngest starts Kindergarten in 2 years). So savings is needed mostly for a job loss, and minor repairs, such as new tires or a new appliance.   Most of my balances are at least 6 months old, so I feel secure that I won't run them up again. We simply do not make enough money to use credit cards for anything but gas and bills. However, I'm worried that I won't have the self-discipline to not use the savings when things get tight (real money is easier to use for me than credit), which is why I feel the urge to use our extra money to pay off the cards now, rather then end up wasting our savings and still having balances. I'm okay if I end up with AA on a lot of my cards because I don't want to use most of them anymore. As it is I have our savings in different banks than our checking accounts, so that it's harder to access. :)   Thank you for your insight - I don't feel comfortable dipping into my current savings to pay down cards, but your idea of aggressively paying them down plus still putting a little in savings makes a lot of sense!     ... View more

Florida...mother-in-law guilted asked us to move down here after our first daughter was born.   Location is great for vacations - close Disney, 6 hours to the Keys, close to Port Canaveral for cruises...but I wouldn't call it "home." Although seeing a shuttle launch in the sky while driving to work is pretty cool.   Originally from PA and would love to move back up north someday! ... View more

  @BungalowMo wrote: Oh Man....I'd gladly take the hit to be able to refi!  Mine isn't too bad at a fixed 6.6, but knowing I'm in the ballpark of a 5%, less than 3 years into payments....That is a lot of interest to be saved there!    I hear you Mo...we refinanced only one year (to the day) after our original closing. We have an FHA loan, and only 5 weeks later not only did the rates plummet, but the homebuyer credit went from the $7500 loan to the $8000 credit! :( Our original loan was at 6.25% (which is still good but hard to stomach when they drop so drastically), and our new one is at 5% - and because we were able to do an FHA streamline refinance, the closing costs were pretty low and we didn't need an appraisal.     Also, the timing worked out so that our taxes and insurance were paid right before we closed on the new loan, so we didn't have to bring that money to closing. Plus we got a refund from our old escrow, so after everything was said and done it was almost nothing out of pocket. It might be the only time something has worked out so perfectly for me! :) ... View more

Thanks Lel! I agree - I'll take the lower interest rate for 30 years over a higher FICO. :) SInce the new mortgage was opened 4 months ago, maybe I'll get lucky and see a decent increase by the summer.   In the past I've always done so many new accounts at once, that I never really knew the effect of each one. I'll take it as a good sign that a new account can cause a 21 point drop! ... View more

@Anonymous wrote: yep!  Thanks that helps!  My statement is on the 9th, so I guess I'm gonna have to really be careful and make sure I pay by the end of the month.  Does it take payments long to post?   It used to be that HSBC would take 2 business days to post your online payment, unless you wanted to pay about $15 for a rush payment fee. But now they post your payment the same day as long as you pay by 8:00pm (I think) online. When I first saw this I thought, "Wow, they're actually listening to their customers' complaints!" And then I realized it was only because of the new credit card laws in effect. ... View more

I have 4 HSBC cards: an Orchard Bank MC, a Household Bank Visa, a Best Buy Reward Zone MC, and a Best Buy store card. The first 3 all report on the last business day of the month, and the store card reports on the statement date.   I hope that helps! :) ... View more

@daisyduke wrote: I ordered three dresses online that put my one card to more than 50% utilization. I knew I would return two out of the three, but I missed the window!! Now that big balance has reported to TU and EX,. My limit on this card is only 2K, so you see I charged $1385 and that posted already to TU and EX (not to EQ as of today).   Question is, by having a card that is running at 50% utilization, if I pay it off next cycle, prior to being reported, will I gain back the points I am going to lose?   Meaning, let's say I get dinged 15 points, by next month when the card reports as "0", will I get back those 15 I lost? or does it take time to recover from the damage? idk   Thanks in advance for any advice.       Daisy, I'm guessing that if you're anything like me, the dress you kept was the most expensive of the three. Isn't that the way it always works? DH just doesn't understand.   Anyway, I'm certain that the points will bounce right back. I've been up and down so much and they really do change that quickly. The only thing is you might have to pull your report again to see the score change, since you know the Score Watch doesn't always update right away... ... View more

@Anonymous wrote: I'd still call. It's 90 days later and still no answer? Sounds suspect to me. I probably should call. At this point, if the application were somehow still active, or never processed, I'd ask them to cancel it (if that's even possible). I applied 3 months ago, which was only 6 months after my newest account, and was then willing to take the AAofA ding. But now it's 9+ months and I don't want a new account! I'll update if I find anything out... ... View more

@Anonymous wrote: @wndrwmn78 wrote: I app'ed for this card on December 2nd and never heard anything. I called twice later that month to inquire, and both times they said they were still working on it. At this point I can only assume that I was declined and they never bothered to send me a letter, unless the letter was stolen from my mailbox or something.   By law, they have 30 days to inform you in writing the reason for a decline stating the reasons, the information used in determining the decision, and what to do, etc.    I appreciate that logic...even so, that would mean that it took them over 2 months to make a decision. I suppose anything is possible, but I'm more inclined to believe that I somehow didn't see it! ... View more

I app'ed for this card on December 2nd and never heard anything. I called twice later that month to inquire, and both times they said they were still working on it. At this point I can only assume that I was declined and they never bothered to send me a letter, unless the letter was stolen from my mailbox or something.   ... View more

DH got me a Kindle for Christmas so I have a ton of books on it that I've not yet read. I seem to be collecting them. The last novel I read was Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol which was a fun read, if not his best. I'm currently reading the non-fiction The Demon-Haunted World - Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan.   I just saw the movie Shutter Island and plan on reading the novel by Dennis Lehane soon, as he's an excellent writer. Terriffic story. ... View more

I (the wife of course) handle our finances, which stresses me out to no end! I've never been able to figure out how to budget our money...I get all of the bills paid and on time, but it's always a day-to-day thing - I have no "big picture" of our money and can't seem to get a significant amount into savings. However, I am actually the lesser of the two evils, as DH is AWFUL with money. He spends without even looking at his bank account - I can't tell you how many times I've had to transfer money because he's overdrawn his account.   I've yet to figure out a way to control his spending (nothing extravagant - he just overspends at the grocery store and restaurants) without taking his debit card from him and cutting it up. I've seriously contemplated doing that and just giving him a cash allowance for the week, but it seems so controlling. :( But after reading other posts, I'm wondering if I should set up a personal checking account for him, and only leave enough money in there for his personal expenses, or groceries if he's shopping that week...then I can use the joint account for paying bills and putting money into savings. ... View more

I'm not sure they're to live by, but two of my favorites are:   "Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds." - Albert Einstein   "Nothing is beneath you if it is in the direction of your life." - Ralph Waldo Emerson ... View more

Also, I just saw how many posts you have to my 236 - holy crap have I been away for a while!! ... View more

Thanks Daisy! :) I agree - as much as I love the look and the ease of wood floors, sometimes carpeting is really nice to have. Especially when the kids are rough-housing and falling down! So I may just have to suck it up and clean the carpets often. If we do replace the floors, I'll be sure to post our progress.   It's good to be back! I think I was obsessing over my credit too much, despite not having much to do but pay down the credit cards, and I needed to step away so I could focus on other things. But I'm ready to be consumed again.   ... View more

@MattH wrote: @daisyduke wrote: Wonderwoman how did your floor turnout? do tell? I"m thinking of putting a laminate in my basement for a couple of reasons. I currently have this indoor/outdoor crap, no padding AND the dude who owned the house before, smoked like crazy so it's all smoky and filthy, burn  holes int he carpet, terrible terrible terrible. everything the man did was a mistake actually...everything.. second are the dogs. they can pee on it if they have accidents. it will add some texture as well. i'm going to ask my sisters boyfriend to install for me - what product did you pick and why? i dont' think i care too too much because my room is about 350 sq feet. so in three years, if i don't care for it, i will pay for new carpet. but the price diff for carpet $1398 and pergo $350 plus plus plus. I think the entire project would cost me about 500. and i wouldn't pay for install either... Bump     I'm sorry I never responded! I can't even remember the last time I posted - probably back in October before the Phillies lost the World Series. I've been checking in and reading the forums every now and then, but between craziness at work, and trying to overcome my sleep deprivation with early bedtimes (as well as trying to exercise more often), I haven't allowed myself much time to roam the threads. As you all know, intending to spend 5 minutes on here can turn into 2 hours easily!   We never did install the wood floors; however, we now have a 13-month-old beagle, and the carpets are DISGUSTING. Not from her peeing; just from her dirty paws (as cute as they are). So ripping that carpet out needs to happen, and soon. The only problem is that with the new dog, we also really need to fence in our backyard, which I think needs to take precedence over the flooring. Although I have to tell you that I think I would much prefer installing flooring than digging post holes for a fence. ... View more

I just try to go by the age-old adage of "give more and you'll receive more." Even if I'm not happy with the service, I always tip at least 20% because a) it ensures that I won't feel bad afterwards, and b) I believe in karma. I'm the same way with driving - I stop to let people in the car loop at my daughter's school hoping that it will result in someone doing the same for me when I'm running late. :)   So I guess my reasoning is pretty selfish...but at least I never feel guilty and someone else is benefiting from it!     ... View more

I don't necessarily hate my job, but I know I'm capable of more and am unfortunately kind of stuck in my field because I never finished college. It's a decent field, but I have no desire to retire in it...too much stress and not high-enough pay. As soon as I can get over my fear of going back to school while working full-time with two small children (I already get so little sleep!) I think it will become more of a means to an end for me, and will stop being so stressful since I'll know I'm working toward bigger and better things. I always say that if I were to win the lottery, I would quit my job and actually go back to college full-time. Even if I didn't have to work, I still want that degree.   I also work for a municipality, so the constant fear of lay-offs always looms near. :( ... View more

Oh, I know the KOP mall very well...even worked there for a few years when I was younger! :) I actually grew up in that area, and then moved to Philly when I was older.   Yeah, Howard was very disappointing...last year he slumped in the playoffs; this year in the actual WS. Werth and Rollins were very hit or miss, and I have NO idea what is going on with Hamels...hopefully next year he'll have matured a bit and can deal with the mental pressure! ... View more

Well, a month later I'm sure you can guess what I think of Lidge. :)   Did you get to go to any WS games this year? Thanks God for Utley's awesomeness or I would have been even more devestated. I was really hoping he'd take over the HR record from Reggie Jackson though, instead of just tying it. Maybe next year - if they make a few smart changes, 2010 could be their best year yet.    The only good thing about the series was that it made me realize just how homesick I am for Philly...I am now determined to move back up within a couple of years. We're going up over Christmas and I cannot wait! ... View more

@daisyduke wrote: wonderwoman - i watched the game the other night....i couldn't believe how the Phillies turned it around. Jayson Werth is my hero and so cute....keep your fingers crossed. they can do it...I predict the Yankees for sure will be in the world series... Hey daisy, how about that game last night?! Talk about stressful! But exciting too...   BTW, I agree with you about Werth, but Utley is my hero...I can remember when they first pulled him from the Minors when he was like 20 years old. He's just always good...but I agree that Werth is more exciting to watch. :) ... View more

Hey daisy, it's starting to look good for a repeat of last year! :)   But I am not looking forward to the Dodgers series...waaayyyy too stressful last year!  ... View more