I was on a really good track with my score and credit but I had a family emergecny where I had to max out my card. It was maxed out for three months and it really hurt my credit. I paid it down and waited for my score watch alert and it jumped 65 points!! What a difference a balance makes! So now my credit score is back at 622. Still a long way to go, but it's so encouraging to see it go back up! I just had to share!
Starting Score: EX 631 EQ 629 TU 646 1/18 
Grats!! Hope it'll keep going up for you ! 
Good for you bearsfan34, paying the CC back so soon.
I'm sure you saved money in interest, paying the CC back in 3mos.
Congrats!!! LOVE the feeling!
Before I started repairing my credit, I had NO idea how much utilization counts when your scores are calculated. Paying down balances is by far the quickest way to see huge score jumps!
Thanks so much you guys! I didn't realize how much it meant too. And when I checked my fico score, my jaw dropped about as much as my score did with the high utilization. This board has been so helpful. I love this community!