@ptrutkowski wrote:Sorry, I'm new.. What is "gardening"?
Not getting caught-up in the App race.
You know, letting your current cards grow/mature over time. 
Starting Score: 675
@ptrutkowski wrote:Sorry, I'm new.. What is "gardening"?
+1 to PP
Gardening means that you're done hunting new credit, and now you're going to sit back and tend your current accounts, making them work better for you. This might include any of the following: Paying down/ off any balances, negotiating an APR decrease (although you should never carry a balance, so this should be irrelevant), negotiating a CLI, getting an annual fee waived, closing out any dud cards (please read fused's "Closing Credit Cards" linked in my siggy first), and so forth.
In other words, you are now going to take a break from accumulating new credit, and you're going to evaluate what you have, and try to make it work better for you.
See siggy below. 
@drkaje wrote:
@ptrutkowski wrote:Sorry, I'm new.. What is "gardening"?
Not getting caught-up in the App race.
You know, letting your current cards grow/mature over time.
@haulingthescoreup wrote:
@ptrutkowski wrote:Sorry, I'm new.. What is "gardening"?
+1 to PP
Gardening means that you're done hunting new credit, and now you're going to sit back and tend your current accounts, making them work better for you. This might include any of the following: Paying down/ off any balances, negotiating an APR decrease (although you should never carry a balance, so this should be irrelevant), negotiating a CLI, getting an annual fee waived, closing out any dud cards (please read fused's "Closing Credit Cards" linked in my siggy first), and so forth.
In other words, you are now going to take a break from accumulating new credit, and you're going to evaluate what you have, and try to make it work better for you.
See siggy below.
Thanks to you both! I'm definitely going to be gardening for a while. I've got 4 cards, 3 in the past 5 months, and am satisfied with my AMEX Clear for rewards. Going to do all of the above to help my score!
@Anonymous wrote:
@android01 wrote:
@ptrutkowski wrote:Not applying for the Walmart card for free FICO is really tough...
+1. I just can't apply for a credit card I'll never use, I don't want the inq and new account FICO hits, but the TU score may get the better of me.
Well, I thought about that, app'd for it anyway back in late July / early august. I will visit walmart maybe once a year to take advantage of it, or maybe hit their gas station. But I am hanging tight, half way through August and haven't given into the App monster! Now in terms of the Chase Freedom card I have, how soon was it before anyone here was granted an automatic CLI? I do not want to get the hard pull for asking for one. I charge between 800-1000 a month on it and have pif so far in the last two months I've had the card...
Admittedly, it's very tempting due to the TU scores. I don't know that it's an option for me, though, as I had an unpaid CO with Walmart from 2004 (from my big credit meltdown in the wake of Hurricane Charley). It's getting ready to fall off my CRs next month. GEMB has approved me for other cards recently, but I don't know if they blacklist for certain cards. Does anyone know?
On another note, I am having app itch for a different card. I was really, really hoping that Wells Fargo was going to buy out HSBC, as I bank with them and I would really like to have one of their cards to link to my checking account for overdraft protection. I already link my savings for that purpose, but I'd really like to do this with a card. Ever since the sale went to Cap1, the "Apply now!" link that shows up on my Wells Fargo online banking screen has been sitting there taunting me. So far I've been successful at convincing myself to wait, but the itch is there. For now, I'm focusing on the feeling of enjoyment that I've been getting from watching my scores rise, and reminding myself that I'll take an inq for applying at all, and a new credit ding if approved. I'll content myself with watching scores for the next couple of months, at least.
Current Scores: EQ 775 (03/04/2014), EX 756 (03/01/2014), TU 760 (03/01/2014)
Ruby Spade Garden Club Member - Last App: 03/04/2013 - No apps until 2014
Cards: Cap1 Venture 6.4k, Cap1 Quicksilver MC 1.75k, BankAmericard 1-2-3 Visa Signature - UCF Alumni Association 5k, Discover 7k, Citi Diamond Preferred MC 10.35k, Wells Fargo Rewards Visa 7k, Chase Freedom 5k, Chase Ink 7.5k, Amex Green NPSL, Dillard's Amex 7.5k, JC Penney 7.5k, Kay Jeweler's 5.1k
Nothing is really talking to me at the moment. I'm getting more joy from aggressively paying down the smaller balance more than a new card could give.
Maybe next year something will look cool or make good numerical sense for a BT but I really don't have any use for another card right now. CLIs would help with utilization but I wouldn't take a hard pull for one.