i have a problem

[Anonymous]

Yes the cards in my sig are all that I have. And I don't carrry a balance on any of them. Most of the issues that caused me to file BK was medical bills and a car accident that put me 15k in debt due to being uninsured. Other than that the only cards ive ever had was a capital one and a us bank when I was 14 about 10 years ago, (applied online and fudged my age.) which actually required me recently to get my birthdate updated in all my CR's to my actualy birthday. So i've never really had any experience managing credit. I guess I just got really excited seeing those first few approvals and it made me feel really good like I must be doing something right, but definetely getting a little ahead of myself. That is why I am using this site tho, so that I can learn the money management skills that I need to succeed.

[12njoy]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Yes the cards in my sig are all that I have. And I don't carrry a balance on any of them. Most of the issues that caused me to file BK was medical bills and a car accident that put me 15k in debt due to being uninsured. Other than that the only cards ive ever had was a capital one and a us bank when I was 14 about 10 years ago, (applied online and fudged my age.) which actually required me recently to get my birthdate updated in all my CR's to my actualy birthday. So i've never really had any experience managing credit. I guess I just got really excited seeing those first few approvals and it made me feel really good like I must be doing something right, but definetely getting a little ahead of myself. That is why I am using this site tho, so that I can learn the money management skills that I need to succeed.

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Take it from someone who knows all too well about that itch.  Unfortunately, you're not in a great position to continually app when you keep getting denials.  This only results in a deeper hole considering your recent BK.  Sorry to hear about your medical bills and car accident.  That can wipe anyone out.  I would say that it will likely take you more than 6 months of gardening.  Nothing is impossible, you have to pace yourself based on your credit profile.

[Anonymous]

iPhone T Zero app.

i put in the 12 and 24 month countdown and labeled them DAYS I CAN APPLY FOR CREDIT

they will set an alarm for me. Works for me.

[braznyc]

You've gotten some great advice in this thread. First step is always admitting/acknowledging the issue. Now, like some have stated you need to figure out how to address the issue. I'm extremely itchy and my scores are high 600's and one is 711,  but I refuse to just apply for anything. I need to ensure 1 the card works for me. For example I will sock drawer my Cap One platinum. I do not like the interest rate, but it's helping my revolving history. I don't care about the limit going up or graduating this is not a good card. So while I'm in the garden I keep a list of cards I would like to have one day. This keeps me from apping all over the place and taking anything. I also check pre-qual sites once every 2 weeks to get over the "need" to app. Like others said it's all behavior. You can control it though and trust me you're not the only person who does this. We just don't want to see you in trouble with your credit. So good job with identifying the issue and trying to find a solution, if that means freezing then so do, but also like others have stated really think about why you're apping. I think if you change your perspective to need versus want it will help. It worked for me. I can app for a few cards now, but crappy interest rates and fees stop me. Perhaps you need to set limits for your ultimate cards too based on what you think you need. If you travel a lot or prefer cash back, want to balance transfer, etc. Good luck and don't feel too bad, it happens but definitely think about why you're apping so much and correct whatever you're not happy with. Small steps are better than none at all.

[Anonymous]

Kudos for asking for help. It is easy to get the 'itch' here, I know. How can you not when people are talking about all the app sprees and how to recon, etc etc. They are also teaching, inadvertantly. Not to mention you see the rows of CC's in people's siggy line. Most of the cc's & store accts I have were all added in the last 6-7 weeks. The baddies I had on my acct. were old, they are closed now but still there for viewing. So I was surprised at how many accts I was approved for and it gets the adrenaline going. I was denied for some too, btw. After I saw how the inquiries were affecting my scores, I lost that itch. And, having a stack of CC's isn't neceassary, for me anyway. So I'll get some flack for this but it's too  bad that when someone mentions their bk there are always assumptions that it's a flaw in a person's character or a weakness. Divorce and medical bills due to accidents & illness make up the majority of bk's. The rest can just chalk it up to being human.

[Anonymous]

Don't feel bad. I was/am in the same boat. I was discharged in Feb 2014. I had 2 Cap 1 cards opened in June 2014, my car through Wells Fargo in Jan 2015. 3 things since BK discharge. Now all the sudden In July this year I starting going crazy. I was pre-approved for Comenity Bank HSN card through my email. I took it. $1000. Then I applied for Chase Amazon-Denied, Discover IT Denied, Barclaycard Approved $2000, Walmart approved $250, Cap1 Quicksilver Visa approved $3000. All of these were in July and August this year. Ridiculous. I even made a post on here titled something like "I'm starting to feel addicted" I don't know about you, but for me because I was denied everything for years before my BK I get a super good feeling finally seeing APPROVED CONGRATULATIONS! I don't need the $$ at all. It's just for the rush and because. Like the previous poster stated, credit isn't a game. I've been gardening since mid August now. My score has dropped substantially with all these new inquires and AAOAs. Lesson learned. I won't be applying for anything minimum 6 months hopefully 1 year or more. Good luck!

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@Anonymous wrote:

I am addicted to apping for new cards. ive been doing 1-2 a months since discharge and did like 5 or 6 in july alone! I cant stop even with mostly getting denials, most recent was barclays nfl extra points a few days ago which was of course denied. I am officially going to be freezing all 3 of my reports sometime in the next few days and not do any new apps for 6 monthss. I've got to. I don't know what else to do, it just seems like every time I get a few weeks without an application I get that itch and end up apping. Share similar experiences.

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