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I know you are all hard at work with your credit goals. Have you progressed as far as you hoped? Were there any unforseen expenses that cropped up and may have thrown you off schedule?
As a reminder, participation in these monthly checkins 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!
Pulled my mortgage mid-score above 720 somehow, so hitting the refinance button into a 5/1 ARM since need to reduce my payment with my expenses over the next two years and having to pick up a flop house somewhere down near campus to boot.
Beyond that just trying to keep things together . May either do a HELOC or a set of student loans in the late summer / early fall but other than that planning to sit on my hands.
Revising my Beacon 5 goal score back down to 700, didn't get anything for getting to an AAOA of 3 years, so 715 was clearly way way too aggressive of an estimate. Beacon 5 still hates me, c'est la guerre.
Well here I am in May 2016. These months are hitting us at a fast pace. I am still trying to get confirmed for my ch13 (the mortgage trust is fighting me tooth and nail). All and all I am holding on to my faith and doing good to boot. Of course I am rebuilding while in wait thru being an AU on an account and finally using credit wisely. Sometimes I think about switching to a ch7 (only thoughts). If I could just refinance or get my arrears put to the back of my note. Will update again next month hopefully with uplifting news.
I had another good month in April, raising all my scores again. My FICO 8 scores went from:
EQ : 684 -> 709 (+25)
TU: 664 -> 670 (+6)
EX: 676 -> 691 (+15)
In the next couple days I should have my Alliant secured loan report at 9%, and get one of my Capital One credit steps CLI. Additionally, I got another 1K CLI on my furniture's credit card which helps bring my utilization down. At this point my entire outstanding CC balance of 1.7K is on my furniture card, with a promotional APR of 0% so I'm in no hurry to pay that down/off. After everything reports mid-month I'll be looking at a single card utilization of 34% and overall utilization of probably 15%.
I think I'm looking pretty good to potentially break 725 on EQ/EX during May. If I hit that I'll have smashed my original target of 675 by the end of the year. I'll have also have met my revised target of 725 on 2/3 CRAs and will have to set a new goal. Once again I'm excited to see where this goes and I'm excited to be on top and in control of my finances.
My current plan for May:
Keep gardening
Don't poke my last collection (only on TU)
Plan and budget June/July travel
Request another CLI on furniture card at the end of the month
I decided to come out of the garden in April and buy a car, since mine was a 2008, and was approved easily.
Bank received an Equifax score of 713, and a Transunion score of 721, so both were bumps up.
New car payment is actually $63 less than the old one, so I will just keep paying the same amount to shorten the payoff date.
Three of my bank cards bumped my credit line automatically, which was a nice surprise.
One store card lowered my credit limit because I haven't used the card in a year, so I may charge something small to see if it goes back up to the previous limit.
I have several other cards that I have not used while in the garden, so I may call to see if they are in danger of being cancelled or limits will be lowered.
Still waiting to hear if there is any activity on the foreclosure that was filed. My attorney said not to be too concerned since I have several previous dismissed with prejudice court rulings, but it is still worrysome. I am not aware that my attorney has received a reply to her answer to the banks attorney and the court regarding their filing, so they may not even go forward with the case. We believe this was just a new attorney with the firm recycling old cases. Nothing has hit my credit report regarding the new foreclosure filing.
Back to just paying down what I have, and no anticipation for new debt.
Well, I've stopped app'ing yet again! My score has jumped to 775. Still trying to get up there over 800. Should be on my way once my last card ages to 3 months. But I have come a long way since joining and hope one day to reach 840-850.
Things are going good here. Just PC'd my CapOne platnium to a regular QuickSilver card. Just waiting now for the scores to grow. All baddies are paid. Still have the collection to Midland Showing, but the dang thing is paid. All charge offs are paid. I really should get on trying to GW the lates and things.
After I ask for my cli from Lowe's, I'm checking in with handcuffs! Probably cement around my feet! Letting some cc's go too. I think my list is 99.9% complete and cannot leave until the 2 yrs is up. (CSP or bust)
@Anonymous wrote:After I ask for my cli from Lowe's, I'm checking in with handcuffs! Probably cement around my feet! Letting some cc's go too. I think my list is 99.9% complete and cannot leave until the 2 yrs is up. (CSP or bust)
CLI with Lowe's is a SP so you're totally fine for garden status.