topic Re: Garden Club - April 2017 in Credit Cards

Garden Club - April 2017

UncleB — Sat, 01 Apr 2017 04:10:50 GMT

Welcome, Garden Club Members!

Welcome all new GCers, returning GCers and old timers to our little island of "No Credit Applications".

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 à la 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, you may 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 use the "Report Inappropriate Content" function on the post to notify a Moderator, but indicate that you need __________ spade. (seedling, bronze, etc.)

Re: Garden Club - April 2017

Anonymous — Sat, 01 Apr 2017 04:24:39 GMT

Happy April!!

Re: Garden Club - April 2017

Anonymous — Sat, 01 Apr 2017 04:38:06 GMT

Spring has arrived in SoCal!!

Going 4.5 months strong in the garden, although, the approval threads make it harder to stay in.

Friendly reminder: April 18th will be here before you know it, get those taxes filed or request an extension

Re: Garden Club - April 2017

K-in-Boston — Sat, 01 Apr 2017 04:39:34 GMT

Ooh, I have been bad. In March, I added AmEx SPG (no HP), Power Cash Rewards (no HP), accepted Chase Slate offer (EX & TU HP), in process of refinancing my student loans (EX HP) and today joined Navy FCU (TU HP) and a few minutes later apped for Flagship VS card (another TU HP, went 24 hour pending, texted me to call and I sent in POI so I am expecting a hopefully big SL on that).

I am in for April and staying here as long as possible. I've gotta let the new accounts settle and begin to work on my consolidating lines from the same lenders and deciding which cards to let go over the next year. I've offically become an app-a-holic this month and I thought I could quit at any time! Best of luck to everyone else achieving your goals. OK, 1 year without HPs and 800s here I come...

Re: Garden Club - April 2017

iheartwings — Sat, 01 Apr 2017 05:06:50 GMT

Fellow, gardeners...

Welcome to spring!!! I'll be happily tending to my garden.

I had a brief stint away last month so am in the midst of my first 30 days back in the garden. Since entering, Citi was kind enough to entertain consideration for some SP CLIs! Got an additional $2.2k for my DC, now $32.2k; and, $1.9k on my Costco Visa, now $15.4k. Not too shabby.

Capital One feels that I do not use their cards enough to CLIs, which is fine.

Welcome all newcomers and returning members.

Garden strong, folks!

Re: Garden Club - April 2017

Anonymous — Sat, 01 Apr 2017 05:30:17 GMT

My wife and I stayed up to watch the women's NCAA final four. Now I'm wide awake after that ending. On the credit front I'm making nice progress. No real itches for anything credit related besides a mortgage; which will come in due time. In the meantime I'll reach 3 months of gardening toward the end of April!🙂 In the meantime I'm working on my utilization and letting my report continue to age.

Re: Garden Club - April 2017

Anonymous — Sat, 01 Apr 2017 05:35:33 GMT

I wanted to tell a good Aprils fool joke, but I couldn't think of one that probably wasn't true 😂

Happy gardening folks....April is a perfect time to it, lots of rain ☂️

Re: Garden Club - April 2017

Anonymous — Sat, 01 Apr 2017 06:03:21 GMT

Happy April and Spring my fellow gardeners!

I hope all is well with everyone. Everything is good here. Nothing terribly exciting to report on the credit front. As some of you may have read, I have been in Monterey this past week for a work conference. While there, I attended a full day training on delivering financial literacy information effectively and interactively. I will be partnering with a co-worker to put on two financial planning workshops for college students. I am very excited to be able to teach something I am a total nerd over!

That's about it. I will probably start getting FICO alerts in the next week or so, and from past experience, TU tends to give me any score increases at the beginning of the month so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

So, Garden Strong everyone!

Re: Garden Club - April 2017

Anonymous — Sat, 01 Apr 2017 05:39:07 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
My wife and I stayed up to watch the women's NCAA final four. Now I'm wide awake after that ending. On the credit front I'm making nice progress. No real itches for anything credit related besides a mortgage; which will come in due time. In the meantime I'll reach 3 months of gardening toward the end of April!🙂 In the meantime I'm working on my utilization and letting my report continue to age.

Hi Pedro, my hubby and I watched it too. What a game! Just as exciting as any of the men's games I've seen, if not more exciting! I love great games like that!

Re: Garden Club - April 2017

Anonymous — Sat, 01 Apr 2017 05:48:50 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
My wife and I stayed up to watch the women's NCAA final four. Now I'm wide awake after that ending. On the credit front I'm making nice progress. No real itches for anything credit related besides a mortgage; which will come in due time. In the meantime I'll reach 3 months of gardening toward the end of April!🙂 In the meantime I'm working on my utilization and letting my report continue to age.
Hi Pedro, my hubby and I watched it too. What a game! Just as exciting as any of the men's games I've seen, if not more exciting! I love great games like that!

Yes it was. It was a fantastic game. That was a very exciting game. We were thrilled with the ending.

Re: Garden Club - April 2017

Anonymous — Sat, 01 Apr 2017 05:51:19 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
My wife and I stayed up to watch the women's NCAA final four. Now I'm wide awake after that ending. On the credit front I'm making nice progress. No real itches for anything credit related besides a mortgage; which will come in due time. In the meantime I'll reach 3 months of gardening toward the end of April!🙂 In the meantime I'm working on my utilization and letting my report continue to age.
Hi Pedro, my hubby and I watched it too. What a game! Just as exciting as any of the men's games I've seen, if not more exciting! I love great games like that!
Yes it was. It was a fantastic game. That was a very exciting game. We were thrilled with the ending.

Us too. I am going to be cheering for Mississippi State on Sunday.

Re: Garden Club - April 2017

nrm — Sat, 01 Apr 2017 06:23:07 GMT

Check in!

Re: Garden Club - April 2017

NichelleN — Sat, 01 Apr 2017 06:33:16 GMT

I haven't been on the forums much over the last few months. I've just been paying bills, not shopping for new credit, getting SP increases and living life. I have some more pruning to do as I think I still have too many cards. So that is the priority now. I've also started car shopping so my gardening time will be over soon. And due to the results of cleaning up my credit, doing some gardening and having some self discipline, I think my chances of qualifying for a top tier lease are good. And that's all thanks to myFICO.

Happy Spring everyone!

Re: Garden Club - April 2017

Discover2016 — Sat, 01 Apr 2017 06:55:13 GMT

Going on 14 months since my United Club app, amazing how time passes! Just one more month for my Ruby spade! Finally glad it's April, hoping for nice biking weather.

Re: Garden Club - April 2017

Anonymous — Sat, 01 Apr 2017 06:55:49 GMT

April 28, 2017 = 7 months

Re: Garden Club - April 2017

Revelate — Sat, 01 Apr 2017 07:09:40 GMT

4/11/17 = 3 months

Was easy not to deviate from the plan this past month, since basically the entire month was either abroad or recovering from being abroad. Did wind up checking my accounts and paying some bills with an end run around the Great Firewall (HKG network hop, don't ask don't tell and plausible deniability works in China too apparently). Much of April will be spent in Singapore or perhaps other parts of South East Asia (taking some time off before flying home) so that should be pretty easy too... though if I ever do China again, I want a Union Pay card, would've made my life non-trivially easier.

Keeping focused on my goal which is being ready to go get another mortgage somewhere else somewhere after January 1st or thereabouts if it's warranted. Assuming this gig works out and there's every reason to think it will at this point, can cut my commute in less than half for something that I can afford where it wouldn't suck to live... actually think it'd wind up near where youdontkillmoney bought his place for any of you that read his mortgage story.

I guess Jan 1st vs. Jan 12th vs sometime earlier than that if I get offered a permanent spot, is dependent on where my FICO scores wind up post lien and post lates on EQ and EX... I got to 742 on EX FICO 2 when my tax lien temporarily came off, and that's still top tier for a standard conventional mortgage at least and that was with well more than zero scoreable inquiries on EX, so I should be sitting fairly pretty mortgage wise by that point, but EQ FICO 5 has always hated me and I'm sort of needing that score to be above 740 too unfortunately because TU sucks blue whale regarding tax liens and I have a stupid 30D late there too (both of which are my fault but anyway).

Anyway like always, have a plan for one's credit and stick to it, and I wish you well in that endeavor too!

Re: Garden Club - April 2017

sarge12 — Sat, 01 Apr 2017 10:01:40 GMT

Yesterday I decided to take a sp CLI for my amazon prime visa signature...it takes a hard pull....temporarily leaving the garden...gold spade will be returned in slighty worn condition. may at least make one app prior to return.

Re: Garden Club - April 2017

coldnmn — Sat, 01 Apr 2017 10:28:47 GMT

Checking in for April and still gardening strong!

Re: Garden Club - April 2017

irunfromcredit — Sat, 01 Apr 2017 10:35:09 GMT

Happy April!! Nothing to really report, other than trying to get myself prepared for the mortgage process. I'm a little overwhelmed but I have some time before I pull the trigger. April also marks the month I close another card. I closed my QS1 last month and I'm considering closing my marvel card. I'm kind of torn on it. It does get used a bit by my teenage son, but that's about it. Part of me wants to keep it opened because my kid does use it and it's my only 3% dining and entertainment card. And part of me wants to close it because I have way too many cards, 24 to be exact. Or I can ask for a credit line reduction to something small and let it be my son's card. It has a pretty high credit line and sometimes makes me uneasy when my son is out with it. Either way, I still have some time to think about it. Garden strong all!!

Re: Garden Club - April 2017

Anonymous — Sat, 01 Apr 2017 10:54:47 GMT

@irunfromcredit wrote:
Happy April!! Nothing to really report, other than trying to get myself prepared for the mortgage process. I'm a little overwhelmed but I have some time before I pull the trigger. April also marks the month I close another card. I closed my QS1 last month and I'm considering closing my marvel card. I'm kind of torn on it. It does get used a bit by my teenage son, but that's about it. Part of me wants to keep it opened because my kid does use it and it's my only 3% dining and entertainment card. And part of me wants to close it because I have way too many cards, 24 to be exact. Or I can ask for a credit line reduction to something small and let it be my son's card. It has a pretty high credit line and sometimes makes me uneasy when my son is out with it. Either way, I still have some time to think about it. Garden strong all!!

If your son finds value in the card, but you're not comfortable with the current limit (for him) reduce it. Or add him as an AU and see if you can set a lower limit for him. Idk if this is a feature Synchrony offers but it's worth looking into.

You could use this an opportunity to teach him about credit. Good luck!