Taking back your credit one step at a time!!! (original) (raw)

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Below are the 14 most recent journal entries recorded inRepair Your Credit's LiveJournal:

Saturday, February 21st, 2009
_9:34 pm_[julisana]	Quick Question about Credit Card history Hi Guys!I just have a quick question. I have a credit card on my credit report that I didn't keep up with 100% when I was in college. It's not terrible, but over a 4 year period I have about 5 30-day late marks, according to Experian.I've still got the card, even though I don't use it, and the account is still active (thankfully with a $0 balance), and I'm wondering if it's best to keep the card open until the account goes into to a "positive status" or if I should cancel it now. If I cancel it now, would I have any extra repercussions?Thanks! (15 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, November 17th, 2008
_12:07 pm_[creditcards1982]	Credit Card One good way to repair your credit is to transfer your balance from a high interest rate card to a low interest rate one. By doing this you will eventually be able to lower your debt and pay off the credit cards. With a lower debt to income ratio this will improve your credit score.If you have one of these high annual percentage rate cards you should transfer it**Best Buy credit card** Macy's credit cardDisney Rewards Visa (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, October 20th, 2007
_4:21 pm_[oncameratalent]	Non Chex Systems Banks This blog was created to help consumers who are searching for a second chance checking account avoid being ripped off and scammed when trying to get a bad credit checking account. The banks listed do not use ChexSystems or TeleCheck when opening a new account or they will not hold your ChexSystems listing against you. It also lists alternatives to checking accounts.... http://approvedchecking.blogspot.comCurrent Mood: thankful
Thursday, September 20th, 2007
_10:32 am_[emkj3606]	consolidating credit card debt with a personal loan so, because i didn't go back to work when i had my son a year ago, my husband and i racked up about 7000worthofcreditcarddebtprettyquickly.we′veonlyjustveryrecentlystartedtobeabletogetbackontopofthingsandhavestartedthinkingaboutseriouslypayingitdown/buildingoursavingsbackup/etcinthequesttobuyahouse.so,webasicallyran7000 worth of credit card debt pretty quickly. we've only just very recently started to be able to get back on top of things and have started thinking about seriously paying it down/building our savings back up/etc in the quest to buy a house.so, we basically ran 7000worthofcreditcarddebtprettyquickly.we′veonlyjustveryrecentlystartedtobeabletogetbackontopofthingsandhavestartedthinkingaboutseriouslypayingitdown/buildingoursavingsbackup/etcinthequesttobuyahouse.so,webasicallyran3500ish up on one card twice. we transferred the balance to a 0% APR for a year once, and then promptly accumulated about $3500 again. we've been making the minimum payments on both cards just fine, and are only using the one card (not using the transferred-balance card at all) in cases of dire emergency (need gas and payday is still a week away, etc). however, the transferred-balance card only has a 0% APR until march, and then it jumps up to (i think) 15%. our regular card has an APR of 13.9%.we've thought about doing credit consolidation, but those companies seem really shady to me and don't appear to be the best idea. so our new thought is to get a personal loan from our bank to pay off our cards (and not use them anymore!), have one payment and a lower interest rate. we haven't spoken to our bank about this yet, but it seems like a good idea.my husband has stellar credit (last check his score was 790) and i have sub-par but improving credit (my score's hovering right around 600).is this a good idea? are we missing any major red flags? am i just being simple-minded and this is the worst idea ever? what do you folks think? (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, August 16th, 2007
_11:10 am_[mana1023]	Ok. I'm really frustrated by this.My bf owes $2500 on his credit card and his interest rate is 17%. What happened is he had a lower rate at one point, but when the credit card got sold to another company, they raised the rate to 17%. He called them to ask them if he could lower the rate, like you're supposed to, and they said they couldn't for a year. And so he said he'd switch to a different card, and they said go ahead. Well, he kept the card.I'm trying to convince him to transfer that to a nice 0% intro and low transfer rate card. But he's convinced because of his credit score of around 700 that even after the intro it'll go back up to what his rate is now. Plus, he's had the other card for 5 yrs and says that after a year they'll start lowering the rate again.Please, help me. Should he stay or should he find another card? (8 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, May 8th, 2007
_11:54 am_[rain19]	Questions I pulled up my credit report and have four things I need to pay off. They're from 2004-2006. One of them is pretty huge and unwarranted but I know there's no way I could win if I disputed it. If I call the collection agency or whoever is handling it, would they give me some sort of "deal" or something? My mom seems to think they'll bargain with me to get me to pay it off. Second, I read that paying these will not remove them. How do they get removed? If I pay them all, will my credit still reflect as bad? (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, January 16th, 2007
_12:21 pm_[brittany_fafara]	this doesnt have to do with repairing really.but does anyone know of any credit card companys that'll give me a card to help me build my credit.I have no credit at all.& i want a card.helppppp (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, November 25th, 2006
_7:27 am_[socialdragnfly]	I found a great place where you can Repair Your Credit It worked for me. I wanted to share this great link. Thanks friends. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Sunday, January 22nd, 2006
_5:50 pm_[andrew25]	Debt Directory Online services allow users to fix there debt problems, however one has to be careful in choosing a service to participate in. Make sure to read to Terms and Conditions before comitting to anything.http://www.getlessdebt.com (Comment on this)
Tuesday, January 10th, 2006
_11:46 am_[eviltemptress69]	Right now I am trying to build up my credit to buy a home. my credit isn't bad right now, its just that i dont have enough of it. does anyone have suggestions on a quick way to build credit? (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, January 2nd, 2006
_4:32 pm_[fix_it_now]	I've ignored my debt for a long time. When I was in high-school a credit-card company sent me an application and my Mom and I filled it out in order to "build my credit." We used it for things like plane tickets and my Mom always paid it off. It was never abused and had a 1,000limit.AftercollegeIwaslivingonmyownandmakinglessthan1,000 limit. After college I was living on my own and making less than 1,000limit.AftercollegeIwaslivingonmyownandmakinglessthan10,000 a year. I taking classes and sometimes dancing at a ballet company and working almost full-time at the same time. It was awful. I worked at a bakery/coffee shop and would put in a full-day's work before 1:00 and then ride my bike to the ballet school. I ate at the bakery, but dinners were always rice, potatoes, eggs, anything cheap. I was a vegetarian, and not by choice! My expenses were few, but rent completely ate up my income. I was going nowhere and eventually quit ballet and my bakery job and started working in a bar. I had more cash, but my life wasn't exactly healthy! There were some dark times that probably aren't relevant to the topic of finances, other than to say that some of my activites were VERY expensive. I got out of the bar scene and got a job at a temp agency. I had one or two outfits that I could wear to office jobs and thought that I could just recycle them if the temp assignments only lasted a day or so. Well, the first assignment I went to lasted over a year. It paid well but I suddenly had many more expenses. I went to the mall and bought new clothes for my job, I was buying lunches at work, I was going out, etc. I started getting credit card applications again. I filled them out. I bought things that I couldn't afford. Not really fancy things, but things. Then I left my job and moved to the beach. I started substitute teaching and I shared an apartment with another girl. I ended up paying all of the household expenses. My boyfriend was an artist and he stopped working. I supported us both for three years, using my teaching and my credit cards. His dog had expensive vet bills, I had some medical bills, etc. My debt was really out of hand (about $16,000 - interest made up most of it). I contacted a credit counseling agency for help. I did all their paperwork and found that my monthly payments hadn't been reduced at all! I kept up payments for over a year and then...I got into graduate school and left my boyfriend. I moved to another state. I left no forwarding address. 3 years later. I am still in graduate school and doing well. I totalled my car and my Mom cosigned a new loan for me, which I've paid on-time for over a year. I am living from student loans and my graduate assistantship. That sucks, but I am literally forbidden to get another job or I will lose eligibility for my tuition waiver. I have a new boyfriend, who is a great guy and would NEVER consider letting me support us both. He is also in graduate school and once we graduate, we should be able to get really good jobs. I am hoping that he will propose to me in the next year and I want to not have my past debt be a burden to him. I want to face my fears and fix this situation now, before he proposes. I need some help. I would just google this stuff on my own but I'm afraid that the minute I google the word "bankruptcy" my computer will be covered in pop-ads from various disreputable credit agencies. I'm hoping that by reaching out to you guys, you might be able to share some of what you've learned.Questions:1. How do I get a copy of my credit report (a free one from somewhere reputable!)?2. Should I consider Chapter 11 bankruptcy? (That's the one where you pay back a portion of your debt, correct?)3. Can you recommend a book that can help me figure this all out or one with forms so that I might file myself?Thank you! (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, May 2nd, 2005
_11:59 pm_[alice_junkie]	Another Debt Community ... I came across a community that is a bit more active and established than this one - goodbyedebt - and that has a similar premise as this community. Perhaps if this community does not take off, then there is a second option for people that are interested in discussing credit repair and re-establishment.I hope this community makes it thought!! Spread the word!! :) Current Mood: sleepy (2 Comments |Comment on this)
_10:14 pm_[alice_junkie]	Victim of bad credit here ... Hi there ... I see your community is fairly new and I wish it lots of success because I too can use some good advice with improving my credit!!A bit about me ... I'm in my mid-twenties and just finishing up my B.A., ((I graduate in 12 days!!)), and hopefully starting work on my teaching certification come fall. When I was freshly 18, like many, I started off my credit history with a big bang ... at first I managed it fairly well, but then, (partly in fault of my stupid high school boyfriend - but ultimately my own responsibility), when I was left with the full financial burden of a home and bills plus credit card bills, (what was previously a joint responsibility), I could only manage to pay the necessities, i.e. house payment, utilities, food, gas, etc. So for several years the credit card accounts, all in my name, were just sitting there unpaid and blemishing my credit report.Well, recently, (with the help of my lovely current boyfriend of near-four years, sodapopinski51), I've been able to settle on several of my old debt accounts, and work out payment plans on a couple too. So the next step after this is to start working on repairing my credit reports.Once I've got a handle on my finances, I would like to repair as well as re-establish my credit. As far as the rebuilding goes, it seems like at first there are not many options other than high-fee high-interest credit cards. One of the best ones I've come across is this one - First Premier Bank Mastercard - which has a 9.9% APR on purchases, much lower than the average near-20% APR on all the other cards on this list. There are sizable fees too, of course, but still lower than many other cards I've found, and they don't require payment up front but rather add them to your card's initial balance. They report to all the major credit agencies to help rebuild credit worthiness. _Has anyone else found a credit rebuilding credit card that is any better than that??_Great idea for a community, I hope more people sign up soon!! I'll try to promote it a bit to get a few more members, good luck!! :) Current Mood: curious (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, April 13th, 2005
_12:21 pm_[antihizzy]	Welcome Hello everyone I have started this community for those of you who like myself, have less than perfect credit. I am currently fighting the good fight to have my credit repaired. During my younger years I made quite a few mistakes and I am paying for them, but I recently found out there are ways to get a second chance. There are three major credit reporting agencies that your creditor will get your report from when you apply for credit, Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian. By filing the correct complaints with these companies you can have any errors (or things on your credit report that should be there but you don't want there) removed. The question you must ask yourself is; Is this ethical? Well that is a question you will have to answer for yourself, but personally I don't think it is right that some corporation decide what I am worth or how trustworthy I am based on hard times and a mistake or two I have made. Getting negative items removed from your credit history won't be easy and it will be time consuming but it is worth it to help live a better life, a life where you decide how much you are worth. I would suggest that you start out by looking at the following articles; they inspired me to do this.http://credit.about.com/cs/creditrepair/a/110602.htmhttp://money.howstuffworks.com/credit-score.htmReading these two articles carefully will get you on your way to success. So please join our community and post your own findings...our credit should belong to us, so let's take it.Moderator04/13/05 (3 Comments |Comment on this)