topic Re: Garden Club Meeting - January 2014 in Credit Cards

Garden Club Meeting - January 2014

Anonymous — Sun, 26 Jan 2014 20:47:17 GMT

Greetings, fellow credit gardeners! The old year ends and the new year begins! Let's all raise our glasses as I convene the January 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've set out an assortment of appetizers and finger foods. We have mini-quiches (enjoy, Relevate!), spring rolls, quesadillas, deviled eggs, swedish meatballs, baked brie on toasted rounds, and a crudite tray. And in honor of the new year, we have assorted bottles of champagne, sparkling wines and sparkling grape juice. Once again, please feel free to bring and add anything that 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, 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!

Our club features a Friday night social. This will be hosted by myjourney, who has done such a wonderful job with managing the buffet and bar. He will present a mouthwatering dinner menu (with graphics!) and announce a discussion topic. Everyone is welcome to hang out and either discuss the topic or anything else that comes to mind. Feel free to let kick up your heels for the evening! The goal of the Friday night social is to enjoy getting to know each other and share in some fun. I'd also like to give thanks to Lexie09 for providing hospitality and help to members both old and new. You'll always find comraderie available here as you work towards your gardening goals.

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. We even have and Emergency Response Team (ERT) available to step in and help keep you on track!

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.

*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: Employment Applications, Apartment Rentals, Utilities and other such services. These are not considered to be applications for credit per se.

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

9 months - palladium spade

12 months - platinum spade

New spade options!!!

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" border="0" width="50" height="67" align="right">

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

SIlver:
<img src="http://i.imgur.com/Gfc4B.png" border="0" width="40" height="40" align="right">

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

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

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

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

Emerald:

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

Diamond:
<img src="http://i.imgur.com/40nIa.png" border="0" alt="" title="" 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!

Re: Garden Club Meeting - January 2014

myjourney — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 01:09:38 GMT

The first GC thread of 2014 and i'm all in and garden strong Woo Hoo

Who'll join me?

Re: Garden Club Meeting - January 2014

BearsAndTurtlesRtheBest — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 01:10:56 GMT

Check me in, Im ready for 2014!

Re: Garden Club Meeting - January 2014

longtime_lurker — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 01:11:17 GMT

I'm checking in!

Re: Garden Club Meeting - January 2014

myjourney — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 01:14:48 GMT

@BearsAndTurtlesRtheBest wrote:
Check me in, Im ready for 2014!

Happy New Year

Marked as in attendance

Re: Garden Club Meeting - January 2014

myjourney — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 01:15:00 GMT

@longtime_lurker wrote:
I'm checking in!

Happy New Year

Marked as in attendance

Re: Garden Club Meeting - January 2014

Anonymous — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 01:15:54 GMT

Hello, all!

I'm looking forward to starting the new year! As many of you know, I've been paying down charges on my Citi Diamond Preferred that were incurred from major dental work. My goal has been to have it all paid off before the 0% APR runs out. I'm on track to have it all done and over with by February, so only this month and next to go! Light at the end of the tunnel -- woo, hoo!!! Other than that, all cards have been PIF each month.

On the horizon, my Chase cards will be reaching their 1 year anniversaries in March, and I'll be looking towards getting my Platinum spade! That's if I decide not to app for another 0% card in February. I haven't made a final decision yet, but I'm leaning against it. I really have all of the revolving credit that I need at this point in time and am very happy with what I already have. I may just shoot for the spade instead.

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year and much success in the garden!

Re: Garden Club Meeting - January 2014

Anonymous — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 01:17:36 GMT

I am in. I will get back to work with my bronze spade after the holiday hangover. Happy New Years to all!

Re: Garden Club Meeting - January 2014

myjourney — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 01:20:09 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Hello, all!

I'm looking forward to starting the new year! As many of you know, I've been paying down charges on my Citi Diamond Preferred that were incurred from major dental work. My goal has been to have it all paid off before the 0% APR runs out. I'm on track to have it all done and over with by February, so only this month and next to go! Light at the end of the tunnel -- woo, hoo!!! Other than that, all cards have been PIF each month.

On the horizon, my Chase cards will be reaching their 1 year anniversaries in March, and I'll be looking towards getting my Platinum spade! That's if I decide not to app for another 0% card in February. I haven't made a final decision yet, but I'm leaning against it. I really have all of the revolving credit that I need at this point in time and am very happy with what I already have. I may just shoot for the spade instead.

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year and much success in the garden!

Cheers tin and Happy New Year

May all your goals come true

Re: Garden Club Meeting - January 2014

myjourney — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 01:20:30 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
I am in. I will get back to work with my bronze spade after the holiday hangover. Happy New Years to all!

Happy New Year

Marked as in attendance

Re: Garden Club Meeting - January 2014

asphaltcowboy — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 01:23:49 GMT

Checking in for January

myjourney, Key Largo was great for the son's wedding, we all had a great time

you came through with the weather!!!

Re: Garden Club Meeting - January 2014

Anonymous — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 01:24:42 GMT

@myjourney wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
Hello, all!

I'm looking forward to starting the new year! As many of you know, I've been paying down charges on my Citi Diamond Preferred that were incurred from major dental work. My goal has been to have it all paid off before the 0% APR runs out. I'm on track to have it all done and over with by February, so only this month and next to go! Light at the end of the tunnel -- woo, hoo!!! Other than that, all cards have been PIF each month.

On the horizon, my Chase cards will be reaching their 1 year anniversaries in March, and I'll be looking towards getting my Platinum spade! That's if I decide not to app for another 0% card in February. I haven't made a final decision yet, but I'm leaning against it. I really have all of the revolving credit that I need at this point in time and am very happy with what I already have. I may just shoot for the spade instead.

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year and much success in the garden!

Cheers tin and Happy New Year
May all your goals come true

Goals, yes; I hope so!

Now, on to wishes... UCF to win against Baylor in the Fiesta Bowl tomorrow!!! Go Knights!!! We're the underdog, but here's hoping (crossing fingers). I'll be screaming my head off at my TV tomorrow night.

Re: Garden Club Meeting - January 2014

Anonymous — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 01:25:41 GMT

@asphaltcowboy wrote:
Checking in for January
myjourney, Key Largo was great for the son's wedding, we all had a great time
you came through with the weather!!!

Oh, that is a wonderful location; my DH and I spent our honeymoon there, many years ago! Congrats to the happy couple and both your families.

Re: Garden Club Meeting - January 2014

coldnmn — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 01:31:03 GMT

Checking in! Gardening strong 2014!

Re: Garden Club Meeting - January 2014

MrFlower — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 01:34:35 GMT

Lets get 2014 started off right. Happy New Year everyone!

Re: Garden Club Meeting - January 2014

09Lexie — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 01:34:13 GMT

I'm here too! Now that I've added my last group of cc's, I have plugged in the missing rewards/cashback/everyday cc's. This Spring, my spree from last year will be 1 yrs old. I have no plans to add any new cc's this year only to ask for CLI's IF needed.

The end of the year, it will be my turn to sign on the dotted line for an auto but that's definitely a year from now.

To all GCers, I wish you a safe New Year ( if you are out celebrating) and of course best wishes in reaching whatever goals you've set.

Cheers!

Re: Garden Club Meeting - January 2014

DaniBananiie — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 01:38:17 GMT

Hey y'all!

Re: Garden Club Meeting - January 2014

LearningMoreAboutCredit — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 01:41:28 GMT

Checking in but I'm on the fence for PRG and IT card...

Re: Garden Club Meeting - January 2014

DaniBananiie — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 01:42:25 GMT

Stick to your goals learning!!&

Re: Garden Club Meeting - January 2014

LearningMoreAboutCredit — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 01:43:11 GMT

@09Lexie wrote:
I'm here too! Now that I've added my last group of cc's, I have plugged in the missing rewards/cashback/everyday cc's. This Spring, my spree from last year will be 1 yrs old. I have no plans to add any new cc's this year only to ask for CLI's IF needed.
The end of the year, it will be my turn to sign on the dotted line for an auto but that's definitely a year from now.

To all GCers, I wish you a safe New Year ( if you are out celebrating) and of course best wishes in reaching whatever goals you've set.

Cheers!

You forgot to mention that no one do any drapping after midnight, lol.