topic Re: Garden Club - January 2016 in Credit Cards

Garden Club - January 2016

Kenny — Fri, 01 Jan 2016 05:37:19 GMT

Happy New Year,

Garden Club Members!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Let me be the first to welcome all new GCers, returning GCers and old timers to our little island of "No Credit Applications". Now that the holidays are over, most of us probably need to work on utilization. Did you open one too many credit cards last month? Ready to knuckle down for 2016?

What is gardening? Quite simply, 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 trade lines to grow and mature, waiting for inquiries to age or fall off, and possibly waiting for "baddies" to be removed/age off. During this time, one tends to one's current accounts and watches their AAoA grow and the new credit ding fade. Here we socialize, commiserate and support each other while waiting for baddies to fall off, new accounts and/or inq's age or just want a place to hang out to get away from the hustle and bustle of credit card talk.

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. You'll always find camaraderie available here as you work towards your gardening goals.

Help yourself to our drinks and appetizers. Flat-breads, sliders, pizza, buffalo wings, grilled zucchini, kale salads, pecan and apple pie Ala mode. There's also a nice selection of cold beers. Once again, please feel free to bring anything 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, Benadryl, 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!

So 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 and the discussion of which credit card to app for on another thread. While we are happy with members’ success stories, we really do want to keep this threads focus and tone to be consistent with gardening efforts. You are certainly welcome to celebrate SP CLIs in this thread, as they do not involve inq's 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 any backdated account, 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.

*The Garden Club community recognizes that certain inquiries are necessary for factors beyond those listed above. Therefore, Hard Pulls/Inquiries for the following bona fide reasons are exempt but not limited to: Opening checking/savings accounts (so long as no line of credit is being opened in addition to these accounts), Employment Applications, Apartment Rentals, Utilities and other such services. These are not considered to be applications for credit per se. Also, for those who are seeking a new mortgage or refinancing an existing one, we understand that your lender will pull your CRs multiple times before closing. For those GC'ers, the first hp will set your clock, not the subsequent pulls. However, if you are simply rate shopping, then the normal hp rules apply.

You will be able to add the following to your siggy if you have been abiding 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
9 months - palladium spade
12 months - platinum spade
15 months - ruby spade
18 months - emerald spade
21 months - sapphire 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.

To ensure that your graphic comes out properly on your siggy, please be certain that it has been added as the very first line of code.

Seedling:

<img src="http://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/2760iB9166C1A493A3CBC" title="Seedling Garden Club Member" border="0" width="50" height="67" align="right">

Bronze:

<img src="http://i.imgur.com/LEYWe.png" border="0" title="Bronze Garden Club Member" width="40" height="40" align="right">

SIlver:

<img src="http://i.imgur.com/Gfc4B.png" border="0" title="Silver Garden Club Member" width="40" height="40" align="right">

Gold:

<img src="http://i.imgur.com/24xvV.png" border="0" title="Gold Garden Club Member" width="40" height="40" align="right">

Palladium:

<img src="http://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/5761iE36E284CEECEA414" title="Palladium Garden Club Member" border="0" width="40" height="40" align="right">

Platinum:

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

Ruby:

<img src="http://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/5625i09098E9833D7A4B2" border="0" title="Ruby Garden Club Member" width="40" height="40" align="right">

Emerald:

<img src="http://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/5623i698C4BF1F9D77284" border="0" width="40" title="Emerald Garden Club Member" height="40" align="right">

Sapphire:

<img src="http://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/5627iA714E0C3C98AD3FD" border="0" width="40" title="Sapphire Garden Club Member" height="40" align="right">

Diamond:

<img src="http://i.imgur.com/40nIa.png" border="0" alt="" title="Diamond Garden Club Member" width="40" height="40" align="right" />

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!

Just a reminder, if you are new to the forum chances are you will not be able to add your seedling to your profile. Send any mod a PM and we'll add it for you You can also report any post inappropriate in the GC and just state that you need __________ spade. (Be that seedling, bronze, etc.)

Re: Garden Club - January 2016

Anonymous — Fri, 01 Jan 2016 05:41:50 GMT

#1 again HA! Happy New Year!

Re: Garden Club - January 2016

Anonymous — Fri, 01 Jan 2016 05:42:39 GMT

I'm ready to start my gardening ... My plan is to garden until AT LEAST 7/1/2016

Re: Garden Club - January 2016

Anonymous — Fri, 01 Jan 2016 05:42:50 GMT

Happy New Year! (not here yet)

I don't want to add anything to my sig until I hit three months, almost at two. (There should be something for two months). I've decided a new New Year's Eve tradition for those of us who are home bodies on new years eve is to stress out about what expiring offers to take advantage of and which to let go of.

Re: Garden Club - January 2016

Anonymous — Fri, 01 Jan 2016 05:43:12 GMT

Now that we've started the new year off right with moi Id like to wish all of you a successful and prosperous 2016. Garden strong!

Re: Garden Club - January 2016

elim — Fri, 01 Jan 2016 05:45:15 GMT

i'm planted. happy new year!

Re: Garden Club - January 2016

azguy13 — Fri, 01 Jan 2016 05:46:14 GMT

Happy New Year folks. Hopefully its a good one for all of us. May the credit Gods look upon us with favor.

Re: Garden Club - January 2016

Saleen099 — Fri, 01 Jan 2016 05:49:08 GMT

Happy New Year Everyone!!!!!

Re: Garden Club - January 2016

Anonymous — Fri, 01 Jan 2016 05:50:35 GMT

Happy New Year everyone...

Re: Garden Club - January 2016

Imperfectfuture — Fri, 01 Jan 2016 05:54:50 GMT

Was catching up in old thread when it went blonk. Happy New Year, Garden on.

Re: Garden Club - January 2016

nawhop — Fri, 01 Jan 2016 06:00:15 GMT

Happy New Year !!

Re: Garden Club - January 2016

SisterGirl — Fri, 01 Jan 2016 06:11:42 GMT

Happy New Year 2016 !!!!!!!

Re: Garden Club - January 2016

sparklerd34 — Fri, 01 Jan 2016 06:16:09 GMT

Happy new year haven't posted much many blessings to everyone good health and happiness

Re: Garden Club - January 2016

Kenny — Fri, 01 Jan 2016 06:23:38 GMT

It feels weird to not app for an Amex right about now!

Still doing well in the garden -- no app itch at all. Last change in CBs (re: inquiries/new account) was when I got my last car in August 6st or so.... gonna add me a silver spade to my signature tonight! Can't wait for my gold if I can make it until then.. I have a tendency to apply for something on my birthday for some reason.

Re: Garden Club - January 2016

Anonymous — Fri, 01 Jan 2016 06:32:06 GMT

Happy new year everyone. My credit Elvis has left the building. Hope to hang on to a card or two as tough times are ahead.

Re: Garden Club - January 2016

UncleB — Fri, 01 Jan 2016 06:41:19 GMT

Happy New Year everybody!

For the moment I'm just 'sticking my head in the door' of the garden club to say hello, but I suspect I might be hanging out here pretty soon.

Re: Garden Club - January 2016

Anonymous — Fri, 01 Jan 2016 06:55:43 GMT

It's not new year here yet. But going into 2016 I will have my overall utilization at 55%. This is a huge decline for me as the beginning of December 2015 I was over 80%. My goal is to be credit card debt free by March 2016. Lots of extra hours at work and any side jobs are truly helping.
Also I've been learning (thanks to you all) how to use my Capital one QS1 are responsibly for my everyday purchases. Hubby and I plan to save our 1.5% back towards vacation in the middle of 2016.

Re: Garden Club - January 2016

Anonymous — Fri, 01 Jan 2016 07:07:49 GMT

Happy New Year Everyone!!! Seeding!

Re: Garden Club - January 2016

Anonymous — Fri, 01 Jan 2016 08:03:51 GMT

Happy new year, GC!!

I will be gardening for the most part this year. I am gonna step out to apply for Amex BCE, then I'll be right back! (That means I won't be achieving Platinum this year ). 2017 is when all, but one of my inquiries will fall off, so I'm preparing for that! Here's to a great 2016 for everyone!

Re: Garden Club - January 2016

uswala — Fri, 01 Jan 2016 08:08:19 GMT

Happy New Year!

So still here after 14 months....technically as my new BCE card is yet to report