April 2020 Check In Thread

[Kenny]

I know you are all hard at work with your credit goals.  Have you progressed as far as you hoped?  Were there any unforeseen expenses that cropped up and may have thrown you off schedule?

As a reminder, participation in these monthly check-ins is optional but encouraged. The goal is to help keep you on track, so feel free to post your progress updates here. This is a no-judge zone; feel free to say what's keeping you up at night or give yourself a Kudo for having it all together.

Did you hit any potholes or speedbumps? Achieve some milestones, either small or mighty? Change your goals or add new ones?

Let us know how you're doing!

[EverForward]

Checking-In: I've been researching more than apping, but as I've been advised sometimes that's a great strategy, especially early on.  For me, it's more about quality, than quanity.  Hopefully, I'll benefit from greater reporting, i.e. my NFCU nRewards should finally report this month, and I believe some reporting is lagging, especially to TU, as evident by the lower score, but it's early.  I just started Jan 3rd with Self, and mid Feb with both credit cards.

[MemoryLane]

I'm in the 700s!! I don't think I've ever, in my life, been in the 700s. I'm excited! I was afraid my goal of getting my fico8 scores to 740 this year weren't realistic, but now I see it's possible.

Utilization down from 90something to 37%. I've paid down to $0 on 4 cards, in order from smallest to largest. I have 3 more months of large payments on card 5, and I might get that in before the 0% interest promo ends, before I can throw my snowball at my last, and largest, maxed card. I didn't think I'd ever be excited to my bills. Paying to 0 on card 5 will put my utilization below my goal of 30%, so also excited to see another goal in reach.

I'm currently actively using my Petal card, with a 1.25% everything cash back, as a daily use card instead of my bank debit card, and then paying it off as soon as purchases are out of pending. I'm a bit obsessive over checking that balance to keep it at 0. I'm starting to be responsible, another goal I really didn't think I'd see met.

I'm very thankful a forum like this exists. Reading how others have built themselves up has been a real inspiration. I use to have panic attacks about my debt and what it's done to my credit. I bit off way more than I should have when I started being approved for credit cards. I wasn't using them responsibly, having maxed them the same month I got them. I use to break down into tears wondering how I was going to crawl out of the hole I'd created, though sometimes the weight of the student loans gets to me.. But now, every time I get the urge to make bad decisions or I feel lost on my journey to healthy credit, I read this forum, and I remember to hold myself accountable for the monthly check ins, and it really helps. 

[Anonymous]

Hey all!  Quick check in!  

I'm doing well on my progress toward my goals.  I've hit 700 on the FICO 8 scores with two bureaus  which is exciting but the score I'm really working on is my FICO 2,4,5 mortgage scores.  My middle is a 613 which is obviously not where it needs to be.  I'm really finding out some of the factors that are different in the different scores.  I don't think the FICO 8 weights old late payments as heavily as the earlier versions.  

[Anonymous]

This is the place for true confession. Cleanse your credit memory and share with others doing the same thing. We support each other on the MyFico Forum and do not judge what others have done but learn from their experiences.

Now I played with AZEO this past month and saw my credit scores drop on all fronts but Fico 2. Lost 25 points. Fico put me in the basement for not using credit! Aw ... the rewards of the feeling to be paid up?! Trying to talk myself into throwing a $5 bone at the Fico Scores but ... haven't done it yet.

Wish all of you well for April and keep your eye on the credit world Will add, I did set up a $5 dollar bone so will see if I get my 850 Scores back? The game of credit!

[Anonymous]

New member,  I have been unknowingly reading this forum for awhile on google search.  So ,THANK YOU, to all the members for the help...    I had CC aquisition goals at the beginning of the year, but with mortgage IR's so low refi is the main agenda now.  I think I'm in a fairly good spot, (fico 4 689,) how hard is it to get that to 700?  Or my fico 5 692?

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[VanderSnoot]

Hello MFers! My scores are holding steady at just under 800. Next month will mark my anniversary of joining this site and a tranche of inquiries will become unscoreable; we will see if that's enough to push me over 800.

No goals for this month. Over the course of the year I want to focus on a @PinkandGrey inspired simple lineup of cards. I won't make any big changes during the recession, but I'd like to figure out where I'm heading and make some simple card changes to start heading in that direction.

[Anonymous]

I posted parts of this in the gardening thread for this month, but it probably was best for this thread. It is different and not just a copy/paste.

Scores are up across the board 🙃 most recent scores are in my sig. I did think it was funny that for about 2 days, my TU F8 and VS 3.0 were the exact same (516)! VS 3.0 couldn't handle that and bumped me up one point today. Still garbage scores, but they are going in the right direction, so I won't complain!

For me:

▪︎ VS and WS reported last month on my credit reports. Here's to hoping that WS doesn't pull some funny business again and I can actually have my first AZEO score this month, pending that Cap One also reports.

▪︎ WS was so kind to wait 35 days and until I made a purchase to finally cut the first statement 🤨 I made a purchase, they rapidfire made it go from pend to posted, I immediately paid it the same day, and then they cut the statement only to reflect the purchase, but not the payment, and that put me at 84% util....ouch! I am irritated, but in the end it boosted my scores because I no longer have the revolvers all at 0% penalty, and that's the silver lining!

▪︎ Cap One, still nothing. I am going to guess it will report after the second statement is cut on roughly the 13th, so 9 more days at minimum, but probably longer for the 3Bs to get their act together and actually reflect it.

▪︎ I noticed that SW airlines sent me a mailer and emailed me with an invitation code for their RR CC, but I doubt I would actually qualify for it, and I would prefer that my credit be in a much better place before apping anyway to get better terms and higher SL.

▪︎ I did not hit my big goal of setting up my SL rehabs (x 3 servicers!) and paying on them. I understand there is no positive impact until I complete rehab.

▪︎ A 30D late payment on an old Cap One Auto loan dropped off my EQ 3 months early! The TL is only reporting on EQ and the next late reported is 11/2013. I am still debating contacting them ro see about removing the TL and if not then try GW it. It really was a huge misundertanding in the final payment amount not being correct, but we will see what happens in October (when DOFD string hits 7 years), but unsure if it will be piecemeal, the whole string, or the whole TL...

Util:

VS $0/$1k (0%)

WS $211/$250 (84%) - for some reason TU rounds up my CL to $300 making it 70% util🤷‍♀️

Cap One is at 2%, but not reporting to any of the 3Bs yet

Aggregate Util:

17%

Inq:

EQ (2/24 & 2/12)

TU (2/24 & 1/12)

EX (1/24 & 1/12)

For My SO:

He has made some leaps and bounds with his FICO 8 scores! I woke up today to a pleasant surprise of a notification saying his EQ score went up.....55 points! Yes, FICO 8 and *not* VS3.0! From 502 to 557!

▪︎ Self Lender Loan started reporting giving him some nice little boosts to his scores!

▪︎ Cap One not yet reporting for him and he still has not even received his card (it's been over a month). He called in and requested another be sent out. I put enough deposit for him to have a $500 CL. I know, I know, but I needed a bit higher limit than even my own unsecured card for car rentals and hotels (moot now with everything being shut down, but there is always afterwards)

▪︎ We are working on getting his SL rehabs also finalized this coming week (x 2 servicers).

▪︎ One CA that was mine, and not his, vanished without provocation from his CRs, so that is excellent and his scores recovered from that blow.

Util:

Nothing reporting yet

Inq:

EQ (1/24 & 1/12)

TU (1/24 & 1/12)

EX (1/24 & 1/12)

Both of Us:

▪︎ I requested copies of our CRs from Sagestream and to have them locked/frozen. It will be interesting to see what dirt they have on us....

▪︎ All CAs are still there and because of the current situation in the country, I am a tiny bit hesitant to throw myself too heavily into them. I finally have a decent savings together in case my contract gets cancelled (shouldn't, but you should never count on *anything*, especially now) and would hate to jeopardize it for a few FICO points. I will re-evaluate once I have our SL rehabs officially set up and know what the payments are going to be like for the next 9 months and then I can go from there and start tackling the CAs.

So all in all, it has been a good month and I hope this month is even better!

Goals for April:

▪︎ Keep in the garden (shouldn't be a problem)

▪︎ Finish setting up the SL rehab (x 5 between us both)

▪︎ Work on CAs, I am thinking even if I just do a single, small PFD for for each of us that just might get the momentum going for what feels like a tremendous task!

▪︎ Keep working through these random, smaller CRAs to obtain CRs for both of us and hopefully be able to lock/freeze them

Whew! Sorry that was long!

Everyone stay safe, I have my fingers crossed that you acheive all your goals, and I hope this is a good month for you too!

[M_Smart007]

Hello Everyone including my old friend @Anonymous 

Late to the party as usual, a lot going on in the world.

Staying positive and helping neighbors where I can.

I must say, while credit is important, It has kind of takin a backseat compared to other priorities.

Glad I got most of my goals out of the way in 2019. Looking forward to when this current mess is over.

Wishing everyone safe and sanitized health.

[Anonymous]

My middle FICO score just bounced to 630!  Holler!