topic Re: Garden Club Meeting - December 2012 in Credit Cards

Garden Club Meeting - December 2012

Anonymous — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 04:24:41 GMT

Greetings, fellow credit gardeners! The year is rapidly drawing to a close. As we bid welcome to the holiday season, I hereby convene the December meeting of the myFICO Garden Club.

For those who are new to the concept of gardening, 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 TLs to grow and mature, waiting for inqs to age or fall off, and possibly waiting for "baddies" to be removed or age off. During this time, one tends to one's current accounts and watches their AAoA grow and the new credit ding fade.

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. This month I would like to invite everyone to join in a Garden Club potluck buffet. With so many different traditions to draw upon, we have a unique opportunity to share in a rich diversity of treats and goodies. So whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Yule -- or even Festivus! -- please feel free to add your personal holiday favorites to the snack table.I'll start off by adding a holiday ham along with a baking dish of scalloped potatoes. Alongside is a port wine cheese log along with maple smoked salmon spread, accompanied by an assortment of crackers. And as always, you'll find an assortment of mini-quiches (enjoy, Relevate!). We also have ginger bread cookies, mini Black Forest Christmas Cakes and marzipan candies. And finally, I've brought some egg-nog with rum, and a bowl of wassail (warmed, spiced wine). Once again, please feel free to bring and add any of your favorite holiday goodies. 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, Benedryl, 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!

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 on another thread. While we are happy with members’ success stories, we really do want to keep this thread’s focus and tone to be consistent with gardening efforts. You are certainly welcome to celebrate soft CLIs on this thread, though, as they do not involve inqs 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 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

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.

I'd like to express my appreciation to DaveSignal for coming up with some spade graphics that you can embed in your siggy in order to display your status. Thanks, DS -- great job!!!

Seedling:

Bronze:

SIlver:

line to put at top of sig:

Gold:

line to put at top of sig:

Platinum:

line to put at top of sig:

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

Diamond:

line to put at top of sig:

So, how's everyone's garden doing this month? Please feel free to mix and mingle, and share your gardening goals as well as your progress on the journey.

Re: Garden Club Meeting - December 2012

sphinx313 — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 04:26:05 GMT

I am in the garden starting this month with a Gold Spade. See you all down the road!

Re: Garden Club Meeting - December 2012

Jutz — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 04:31:58 GMT

Stopping by with my fresh bronze. I'll be waiting out the new year, but not much longer than that. Will be car shopping sometime soon. Should see some good movement from a couple of deletions, so I need to tend to focus on the garden and not leave for any other tempting apps

Re: Garden Club Meeting - December 2012

Anonymous — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 04:32:04 GMT

No apps before June 2013 for me!! I can really do it this time!! I believe in me!!!

Re: Garden Club Meeting - December 2012

armbenderc — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 04:37:17 GMT

I'm still in. Planing to app for Amex BCE in January and get the Jan '12 back dating.

Would having Amex Green for 3 months help?

I hope my score will be better. My only concern is at the time of apping, I would have 5-6 INQ in last 6 months. The last one is from Amex Green from 3 months ago.

What do you guys think?

Re: Garden Club Meeting - December 2012

ntx — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 05:29:33 GMT

I'm in, concluding a 4 month extended app spree that ran from August through November, thanks to all the info that has been posted by the generous & knowledgeable members of this forum.

11 out of 17 CC apps approved. From 1 card, $3K total CL on 8/1 to 12 cards, $20.2K on 11/30. Refinanced auto loan from WFDS to DCU. Was added as AU on $9.6K 24 year old FIA MC, and opened AMEX Gold which was backdated to my previous account that I opened in 1984. Current scores in sig. INQ: EX - 5, TU - 6, EQ - 10 .

Buying a house for cash this month (a cheap one), so no need now for a mortgage late next year, which was my original goal when I started this back in August.

I'm here until late spring, 2015, when my BK7 falls off. Have 11 new TLs since August to age & grow until then. Should be able to go for some of the $5K minimum CL cards by then, if I want them. Hopefully will be able to upgrade to Walmart Discover and have great GE-backed CLs by then too!

Thanks again to everyone who posts to this wonderful, supportive community!

Re: Garden Club Meeting - December 2012

Rhaeny — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 04:58:58 GMT

An app spree the last 2 months has put me in the garden for at least one year. I have a very recently discharged bk and I don't want to experience any AA. I happen to have one of the creditors, Barclay, that I have read does this from time to time. I have been PIF every month with Barclay's by charging my monthly bills that I would have to pay every month anyway so hopefully that helps.

Yea so I'm in the garden and by next year this time I should have some really nice blossoms on their way to becoming very strong, mature and beautifully colored plants. Well here's to my next step which is the Bronze

Re: Garden Club Meeting - December 2012

Unique620 — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 06:17:04 GMT

Can't wait to get my gold spade next week still trying to see if I want to extend my gardening till July 2013. That would be a year from last app. Trying to wait till I hit over 700 before I leave the garden. Depends on what comes first

Re: Garden Club Meeting - December 2012

pt2005 — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 06:32:32 GMT

I'm in too.

5 new credit cards and 4 store cards since May 2012.

Total credit line was $600 in Nov 2011. Now over $20K. Been a very successful year for me.

Got several COs in 2010. Recently sending GW out. BofA just called today saying they will remove all baddies. Wow!

Thanks everyboday here. Love the forum. Love the atmosphere and chemistry.

Re: Garden Club Meeting - December 2012

gijoe4500 — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 06:36:46 GMT

I'm still here.

Re: Garden Club Meeting - December 2012

bluesnowman — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 06:54:16 GMT

I'm in too. I thought about not applying until December, but it was too tempting and I told myself, I might as well just pull the trigger anyways and I was fortunate enough to get approved. I'm here until May, and in May I'm going for the Freedom and maybe the BCE/Starwood/Delta Cards (one or two of the 3.) and see what happens.

Re: Garden Club Meeting - December 2012

jennylocha — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 07:04:22 GMT

I'm gardening since my apping spree in late August. I'm still new to this, but I've got this credit thing down to a science at this point so that I can maintain my score and have it grow. I have a lot of hard inquiries on my reports, but that's because I did them all at the same time, they should fall off at the same time so that helps me sleep at night. Lol! Just recently apped for the Cap One Cash Rewards (my first rewards card) and was super excited to see it come in the mail yesterday! Slowly building my portfolio so that I can start apping for the big dawgs in mid 2013 so that I can drop some of these store cards.

I'm just happy that I didn't have to start my credit building with secured cards and I went straight with cards that make sense for building. As much as everyone talk crap about Cap One in some threads, I've never had an issue with them and they're the one that gave me a chance with my new credit when the bigger cards wouldn't so I'm loyal to them. All of the other cards are just there for coupons because I actually did shop at these stores, the only difference now is that I have the card and more discounts with the coupons I get in the mail.

I wish everyone a successful December as this is the hardest time of the year to behave! I on the other hand told all adults in my family not to expect anything from me this year as I am experiencing a broke period in my life. (Wink wink!) I'm determined and determination never killed nobody! CAN SOMEONE PASS ME THE WATER HOSE, IM READY TO GARDEN MAN! Lol!

Re: Garden Club Meeting - December 2012

Anonymous — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 12:29:02 GMT

1 month app free.......its time to pay down my balances......I just got a boost of 16 yrs of AAoA from my amex accounts opened....this should help my gardening....

Re: Garden Club Meeting - December 2012

Repo-ed — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 13:18:28 GMT

I'm back to Bronze, but come January, I'll be on my first "spree" of sorts. Will try to get (my local CU offered) CU CC with at least 10k CL. Will go for USAA (Full member) World MC, Amex PRG, Amex True Earnings, SWA Visa, and Marriott Rewards.

We'll see how I feel come time to hit the button - who knows, I may do nothing at all and just leave my butt planted right here.

Re: Garden Club Meeting - December 2012

Anonymous — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 13:47:35 GMT

It's the first of the month, so I just pulled my new reports from myFICO. I'm up 1 point from this time last month on EQ, but my jaw dropped when I saw TU... it went from 725 to 744, a 19 point jump!!!

I reviewed everything on myFICO's analysis of my reports. Last month, under the tab "Understanding Your Score" one of the factors listed as hurting my score was "You've recently opened too many new credit accounts," showing 4 accounts opened in the past year. This month, that factor doesn't appear at all. So I'm left wondering if some account aging has started to factor in??? My util hasn't changed much -- 5% last month, 4% this month.

Whatever the reason, I'm thrilled! I was hoping to break into the 740s next year, so I was excited to see one of my scores jump into that range already. Next year, I'm hoping to get all of my scores 740+. If I stay focused and on track, this should be doable. Gardening works!!!

Re: Garden Club Meeting - December 2012

Cageym — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 14:05:51 GMT

I'm in for awhile. I finished off the year with a Citi Visa LOC and a BCE that is backdated to match my other Amex cards in 1993. I might be car shopping in May but I think I'll just sit here until then and water some plants. See how close to the magic 800 I can get my scores to creep.LOL EDIT: Or not. I do have a 61 day CLI to ask for in Feb.

Re: Garden Club Meeting - December 2012

webhopper — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 14:19:06 GMT

I'm still in the garden! Congrats tinuviel on that nice increase!

Re: Garden Club Meeting - December 2012

TNTransplant — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 14:43:55 GMT

Well, how fitting that I end the year in the garden – right where I started when I began this journey in January of this year. I did leave several times during this year (mostly planned, but some impulsive apps in there, too), but I will hit 90 days app-free the middle of this month and will pick up my first silver spade to celebrate.

This has been a great year for me, and I’ve learned so much from this forum. I started with nearly every CC maxed out and an overall utilization of around 70-75%. After aggressively paying down revolving debt, getting SP CLIs, and obtaining several new higher limit cards, my overall utilization is less than 10% and my scores have improved to what is noted in my signature line.

The primary goal for this month is to not go crazy with Christmas spending and keep myself on track to continue paying down revolving debt. No urges to app for anything at this point, and that’s a good thing.

Re: Garden Club Meeting - December 2012

Anonymous — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 14:46:45 GMT

Joining the club. Wake up call when Chase Freedom declined me because of too many inq and recent accounts - time to slow my roll.

Focused at keeping util % down, continue battling with my last blemish on my TU & EQ (Verizon), and refraining from any apping. December 1 good date to start...

Cheers everyone!

Re: Garden Club Meeting - December 2012

Anonymous — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 14:47:23 GMT

@TNTransplant wrote:
Well, how fitting that I end the year in the garden – right where I started when I began this journey in January of this year. I did leave several times during this year (mostly planned, but some impulsive apps in there, too), but I will hit 90 days app-free the middle of this month and will pick up my first silver spade to celebrate.

This has been a great year for me, and I’ve learned so much from this forum. I started with every CC nearly maxed out and an overall utilization of around 70-75%. After aggressively paying down revolving debt, getting SP CLIs, and obtaining several new higher limit cards, my overall utilization is less than 10% and my scores have improved to what is noted in my signature line.

The primary goal for this month is to not go crazy with Christmas spending and keep myself on track to continue paying down revolving debt. No urges to app for anything at this point, and that’s a good thing.

You've done a fantastic job and have every reason to be pleased with yourself! Congratulations to you! I understand the discipline and effort that it takes to pay off debt and bring util down to an ideal level. I'm so happy that you've been able to reach your goals this year -- this is truly something to celebrate! May the coming year bring you much success as you continue on your credit journey.