At What Point Do You Say "I'm Satisfied"?

[thom02099]

So I've been reading a lot of the posts here and the question came to mind...at what point are you satisfied with where you are?

Is it when you go into the garden...and stay there? 

Is it when you reach a goal score and let whatever happens beyond that, happen?

Is it when you've accumulated a specific amount of credit across all your cards?

Reason I ask is that,  I'm reaching that point.  It's taken a long time and reading a LOT of messages here and learning from others.  I started where a lot of the "newbies" here are -- scores in the upper 500s-low 600s -- and now as I approach and pass that 800 mark, I can honestly say that I've accomplished my goals.

If you check my signature you'll see a diversity of cards with some healthy limits.  With my income/household income, I could probably ask for more, but in reality, do I need it?  No, I don't.  I'm not planning on running up any of them to the max, so there's no need for more.  Planning major travel in 2013 before I retire in 2014, and I'll either use my NPSL cards or my CSP/JPM cards for travelling.  I'll be at that 800 mark in early 2013 (currently one report showing a 803 -- want that to hold).  

Going into retirement, I want to be able to say I reached my goals. I have pristine credit/nothing negative/low util/high scores/long history...I have the resources to borrow IF I NEED TO, but if I don't, I've accomplished what I needed.  For those of you who may be in a similar position, either going into retirement, or already there, how does your situation compare?  Are you/were you in a similar place?  Are you happy with where you are now? 

In addition to the cards, I've got a healthy mix of personal/auto loans that will pay off in the not too distant future, that will help my scores get over that 800 mark and stay there.  My util is <6% right now, and I'll probably keep it in that area since it seems to work well for me. 

So....I'd like to hear from others, particularly those of you near or in retirement!  How has your credit journey gone?  Are you in that HAPPY PLACE?

[daybreakgonesXe]

Personally, I think there's different areas of "i'm satisfied"! At least for me XD

I am both satisfied/unsatisfied gardening wise. I feel comfortable and satisfied that I won't have any other applications to go for in a while, but unsatisfied with the length of gardening I have done so far. I will reach that satisfied point once all my inqs drop off

Totally unsatisfied with my score...I'm aiming for perfection, and I just saw my creditkarma score drop due to a higher utilization (went from 3% to 8% to 11% this past month once everything updated in reporting...gotta thank the holidays!). Once I reach 850, at least on one score, I will be completely satisfied and simply be happy being over 800 any time after that! Only a matter of time!

I am satisfied with my credit card collection at this time. Will I be in the future? Doubt it. But right now I like having 6 revolving accounts and letting them mature and age I plan on getting an auto loan as soon as a year and half, but likely much later than that since I prefer not to co-sign because of low personal income. Hopefully by the time I graduate and go on to grad school I'll at least have a decent part time (maybe full time if the hours are right) position in my major, and be making at the very least $30,000 a year.

As you can see, I'm satisfied in some areas but unsatisfied in others! Maybe there's an overall satisfaction level, but who knows. I feel like no one can be completely satisfied with their FICO, reports, credit limits, balances, etc.!

[Cdnewmanpac]

my guess is 30 seconds before you log off this forum for the last time. or when you switch to flyer talk full time.

[Croselx]

I believe being 'satisfied' is something personal and will vary depending on who you ask. With everything related with credit (FICO scores, ability to finance) I think one could consider being 'satisfied' when you no longer have a 'need' to use credit products and are able to use them as they are, a convenience.

[GoldenloveNY]

At what point?  I will never be satisfied until I get every single card out there! Until I get over 800 in FICO scores!  This is AMERICA!

[djrez4]

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@Cdnewmanpac wrote:
my guess is 30 seconds before you log off this forum for the last time. or when you switch to flyer talk full time.

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FlyerTalk is not a good place to go when you're content.  I've applied for more cards because of what I've learned over there, not less.

[bs6054]

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@djrez4 wrote:

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@Cdnewmanpac wrote:
my guess is 30 seconds before you log off this forum for the last time. or when you switch to flyer talk full time.

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FlyerTalk is not a good place to go when you're content.  I've applied for more cards because of what I've learned over there, not less.

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Probably too general (well, certainly, because of the number of shared users) but I would say, as an approximation, that on MyFico people are more concered about getting the actual cards, to raise CLs and decrease util and thus raise scores, and for some, to get a type of card considered to have prestige.   If you criticize someone's favourite card, you sometimes get angry pushback.

On flyertalk, the concentration is much more on ways to get miles and hotel points, and if that means trashing six cards so you can get 5 with new bonuses, that's fine, very little attachment to any particular card.  (Now criticize a favorite airline/hotel/rewards program..., well...) 

So while  you may apply for more cards, it's not due to lack of contentment with the credit situation, more to do with travel needs (real or perceived)

[andyaycw]

For me, I've reached my happy point and can say I'm satisfied (at least for now). I've had no itch to apply for more credit or new credit in (at least what seems like) a long time. My FICO scores are all well north of 760+, the majority of my credit cards have very healthy limits, but perhaps most importantly of all, I can't find any more credit cards that would complement my spending patterns by giving me more rewards.

[webhopper]

When the rocks and the sand and the rake and the fire are all in zen! And you have inner peace within your wallet as well as enough bonus points to fly to Australia and back.

[Shogun]

30 seconds after the beginning of the Zombie apocalypse.