Hi all,
I've been in the garden only since December 28th. I just PIF 4 of my cards and it feels good. I'm really making a concentrated effort to pay down my debt. Also, in my first garden post I did not know the limit of my new First Niagara Pinnacle Mastercard. Found out that it was approved for 2k so that will be good for my utilization. Hopefully a walmart cli will be in my future in 11 days, which will be a few days after my 4th statement (since last cli). Walmart is one of the cards that I PIF'd. I hope that the 0 bal will help with a good cli. Wish me luck! 
Starting Score: 646
15 days in the garden!!
@rtw wrote:15 days in the garden!!
woot woot!
45 and counting!
im a little confused.
i pulled my amex reports last night and it said my score was 725!
guess they dont care about high utl
here on eq my last update was on the 5th and it was 642
also says that after all my inquries fall off my score should be a 790(estimate) i know its only hoping but its motiviation too not apply for anything.
I am still in the garden... 10 more day until I get bronze
All of my apps from my January app spree will age off soon
All of my apps from my January app spree will age off soon
FICO 9: 
Filed Chapter 13 on 6/1/2017 after job loss. Discharged 6/1/2022.
Goal: Gardening!
Filed Chapter 13 on 6/1/2017 after job loss. Discharged 6/1/2022.
Goal: Gardening!
I'm a terrible person and left the garden. Discover It and (possibly) Chase Freedom. Two new cards that I will be gardening until 2015... actually forever. I see no reason for more cards! I finally got the cards I wanted all along and could not be happier. (: My credit progress is done. Next step is getting a house!
@creditnocash wrote:
@rtw wrote:15 days in the garden!!
woot woot!
45 and counting!
im a little confused.
i pulled my amex reports last night and it said my score was 725!
guess they dont care about high utl
here on eq my last update was on the 5th and it was 642
also says that after all my inquries fall off my score should be a 790(estimate) i know its only hoping but its motiviation too not apply for anything.
Which Amex reports / score? Was this an actual app (and presumably a SP denial) or CreditSecure or something else? If the latter, FAKO is as FAKO does .
@Revelate wrote:Which Amex reports / score? Was this an actual app (and presumably a SP denial) or CreditSecure or something else? If the latter, FAKO is as FAKO does
i actually apped for a bce on the first(denied) and the letter said they used exp and i had a score of 721.(was a soft pull) (after my high util reported, this was a laugh app just to get my score)
the reports ive been pulling via amex(Credit Secure)have stayed at 719 since mid october till end of december where they went to 721 and i pulled last night and it was 725.(on all three reports)
before appearing to have maxxed out cards and higher then the optimal util my tu fico 08 via walmart was 740+ and dropped this month to 709( i suppose last time the soft pull they used was old) and this was my lowest since i got the card and had a 728 at first.
my eq fico (from score watch has been high 690's to the lowest last month at 635.
besides inq's all my reports are exactly the same.
so as soon as i pay off my christmas shopping/iphone problem, ill be expecting a huge jump on scorewatch. especially no new accounts + most of my accounts will be 6+ months old and my aaoa should hit a year in march/april
1 inq on ex became a year old on 1/4 (explains 4 point jump but not on all 3 reports lol)
1 more on ex and 2 on eq are over a year on 2/2
then my profile should be the same until june when those inq's begin aging.
edit : i probably missed your question in all that lol.
i wasnt worried that the scores were drastically different as much as my amex score didnt drop due to high util it highered
this is what my amex cr states
What factors raise your PLUS Score:
- You have done a great job at making all of your payments on time. The purpose of a credit score is to help lenders predict whether or not you will miss payments in the future, so keeping your record clean is a very positive factor.
- Credit cards are considered "maxed-out" when you have spent 90% or more of the credit limit. Lenders view you as someone who uses their credit responsibly and spends only what they can afford.
- Credit Cards allow you to both spend money and decrease debt; unlike mortgages or installment loans where you only decrease debt. Lenders like to see multiple credit cards on your credit report, because they are able to use them to better determine your ability to manage your spending.
- You do not have any Public Records (i.e. bankruptcies, tax liens, and court judgments) on your credit report. Lenders see these issues as major barriers to extending additional credit.
What factors lower your PLUS Score:
- While a short credit history does not mean that you have been irresponsible with your credit, it does make it more difficult for lenders to be confident in your ability to make future payments because you have not stood the test of time.
- Every time you apply for a loan, credit card, or retail card an inquiry is recorded on your credit report. Having a lot of inquiries on your credit report worries lenders, because it is a sign that you may use credit and loans to supplement your income, and might be spending beyond your means.
- Lenders recognize that obtaining and maintaining a mortgage requires more skill and discipline than other account types. People who have mortgages and pay them on time see an increase in their credit worthiness.
i just wanted to pop by and say hi to my fellow gardeners. I used to be on here as cschick but somehow that account got messed up. I gardened solidly from july to december when i apped for a mortgage on a whim (doesnt everyone buy a house on a whim 
) and got it at prime interest rate 10% down no pmi on a 5/1 arm(my file is too thin to get a good rate on a fixed rate dont ask me where the logic is there). i got an unsolicited cli of 500$ on my target card and requested a 3x increase on my amex bce which i also got. Ive been in the garden a month and will stay here for the next few months until after i close on the condo unless the lender does a second pull on me for some reason.
) and got it at prime interest rate 10% down no pmi on a 5/1 arm(my file is too thin to get a good rate on a fixed rate dont ask me where the logic is there). i got an unsolicited cli of 500$ on my target card and requested a 3x increase on my amex bce which i also got. Ive been in the garden a month and will stay here for the next few months until after i close on the condo unless the lender does a second pull on me for some reason.
@tinuviel wrote:
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
That's so strict. 
To make it to the diamond spade, I need to get past an EX inquiry for a back-dated Amex as well as two EX inquiries and new credit for an installment loan. I'm happy to note though that within the last two years there's no new credit from cards!
May be time to fire myself as the gardener. 
I left (again) and apped for NavCheck (asked for $10K), not necessarily b/c I need it, but it would help in overall UT. It was "conditionally approved" pending receipt of my paystubs which I sent in overnight. (Just got word it was approved...woot-woot!)
Seriously. I'm done. For real. No more. Time to grow, grow, grow and prune back the balances that are becoming a bit weedy. I've SD'd pretty much everything except for Amazon Chase for gas/restaurants/Amazon purchases and NFCU for everything else. Walmart Discover has been an epic disappointment (no CLI love there) so I will keep it for the free TU and that's about it. I'm also carrying Target debit for the 5% (and I can't get past the rinky dink $200 limit on the redcard I've had for 10 YEARS) and my corporate card, but that's it. My wallet feels much happier now.