How to stay in the garden

[phillyguy12]

Freeze your reports but doing that also may limit your ability to open new checking/savings accounts. It works i been app free a yr now paying 10 bucks to lift is a pain and not worth it. It has bit me though took longer to open an online savings account and that also cost me to do. Also couldn't open a new checking at a local bank online but i was able to open in branch w. No pulls

[Anonymous]

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@phillyguy12 wrote:
Freeze your reports but doing that also may limit your ability to open new checking/savings accounts. It works i been app free a yr now paying 10 bucks to lift is a pain and not worth it. It has bit me though took longer to open an online savings account and that also cost me to do. Also couldn't open a new checking at a local bank online but i was able to open in branch w. No pulls

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There is something to be said for stability. That being said, why does one need to open several checking and or savings accounts if not applying for credit as well? Freezing those reports does help.

[phillyguy12]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@phillyguy12 wrote:
Freeze your reports but doing that also may limit your ability to open new checking/savings accounts. It works i been app free a yr now paying 10 bucks to lift is a pain and not worth it. It has bit me though took longer to open an online savings account and that also cost me to do. Also couldn't open a new checking at a local bank online but i was able to open in branch w. No pulls

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There is something to be said for stability. That being said, why does one need to open several checking and or savings accounts if not applying for credit as well? Freezing those reports does help.

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OP said they were considering opening several checking/savings accounts to get signup bonus.-freezing my cause delays in openign such accounts.  in my case i wanted a better rate on my cash than my cu was offering and found online banks are where the best rates are,.99-1.05 for savings online vs .10-.30 at local cu. and the checking i opened in branch was solely for sign up bonus, free $200 to open an account that doesn't cost me anything as long as i make 1 deposit a month

[Anonymous]

There is something that makes you itch to app once you decide to garden, isn't there? Forbidden fruit and all that...

For a while, reading the approvals board was inspiring, but I find now that I'm better off staying away. It gets too easy for me to start thinking "Wow, maybe I'd be able to get that card!" after seeing some of the scores (dangerous thinking, both from the convincing myself to do it aspect, as well as the fact that the score isn't the whole picture.) I'm finding that staying away from the approvals section as much as possible makes me less itchy.

Other things that are making it easier for me include having a plan. It doesn't have to be grand, but for instance, in my case I'm already a little inquiry heavy, and I have to app soon for apartments. I don't have a strong score, so excessive inquiries hurt a little more in my case. Remembering that going for that Amazon card or whatever could in fact impact the roof over my head helps keep me in check.

Also, communicating the plan in conversations in the forum (possibly ad nauseam.) Not that I expect anyone to pay attention, but *I* know it's out there, and I feel like it keeps me accountable.

Lastly, engaging in conversations in the rebuilding board also helps keep me on track. I know what I need to do; offering advice to others is similar to a mantra, and reminds me what I'm working toward. I certainly don't offer an opinion to everyone, nor will my suggestions necessarily work for everyone. But reinforcing the good habits by talking about them seems to help me when I'm getting impatient about my progress. It doesn't make a lot of sense to get impatient when I'm reminding someone else that sometimes time is the only way to get rid of some things!

[Anonymous]

I don't believe that apartment credit checks really pay mind to inquiries....Pizza was able to get an apartment with 80 inquiries on EQ.

[Anonymous]

Seeing as I literally just fell out of the garden about an hour ago, I definitely am starting to understand the struggle. This site really makes you want to look at what else is out there, or grab a good deal that someone's pointing out. I'll just keep telling myself that now I really have everything I need for now, let's see if it works out for me this time! lol

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:
I don't believe that apartment credit checks really pay mind to inquiries....Pizza was able to get an apartment with 80 inquiries on EQ.

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I'm playing it safe. I figure if I end up warranting a manual review at any point, I have enough other things I'll need to explain.

[lg8302ch]

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@Anonymous wrote:
Hello everyone,

So here's something new (I hope anyway). What tips and tricks do you do in order to stay in the garden? I'm finding it hard to not apply for new cards.

I'm considering applying for different checking and savings accounts in order to still get sign up bonuses.

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Work on willpower 😀

[Anonymous]

garden, people! garden! even google wants you to!

[wmweeza]

Honestly I have found this site helps me NOT apply.

There are a few cards out there I'd apply for, but I'm in no hurry. In part because when I see some of the approvals for those cards they are by forum members who said "Oh I just couldn't wait!" and when they got the card they got horrible terms or a really tiny CL (Target users not included, we are all ,or almost all, in CL hell). Seeing those cards come up with only $1k, sometimes less in CL's helps me resist.

So far I'm making any credit card management steps an annual event around my birthday (October) and it seems to be working. I want decent approvals and not just ANY approval. That's how I stay in garden, knowing what I want and what it takes to get it. If a card doesn't benefit me it's of no temptation or use, thus why I haven't applied during any of the app spree "WOW look, they're giving out 10k cards" that have come up.

I love this site, and so far coming here helps my credit.