"Secret skimping is out, like false bosoms." - Marjorie Hillis, Orchids on Your Budget, 1937.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Credit Score

At the suggestion of another blogger (sorry, I forget which one), I signed up with CreditKarma, which is a free service that estimates your credit score. I check my credit report about quarterly, but I've never paid to see my actual score. Anyway, the results were apalling, or at least, mildly uncomfortable.

Don't get me wrong, my payment history is completely flawless. Among the negatives was the fact that I utilize too large a percentage of my available credit. 35% is too much? Fine, I'm working on that as I type. I've also applied for a new credit card (since I only have the one) to increase my total available credit and in case of emergencies. Check. Second, my credit history, though perfect, is relatively short. On average, a few years. Ok, that's another thing I am working on, but I can't age any faster. I think there were a few more issues, but those were the main things.

I'm bitter, basically. Three years of perfectly on-time, in-full (EARLY) payments on my credit cards and student loans, and my score is only "fair"? Not fair!

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