The "What's on your mind?" Thread -2017

[swamplady]

I have a lot going on with my life. Those cats help keep me calm. I love them so very much. My life will turn around in months to come. I was told yesterday if I moved in my sister's house NO CATS. I said MY CATS ARE WITH ME. I am not giving my cats to a pound to be put down. Who cannot love these babies.

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• swamplady
• Jan 28, 2016

 

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• swamplady
• Jan 14, 2017

 View media item 329482

 

[Alicia88]

I'm so sorry.  I don't blame you.  I pray you find another way to solve whatever you're going through.  I'll pray for you.

 

[segelkatt]

@Swamplady  - I have a sister like that, she's a dog person and despises cats. If you move in with her you will kick yourself forever, your kitties are your children, we do not get cats to discard them as if they were "things", they are NOT. Find a different way, there has to be another way. Perhaps instead of  moving in with someone else you could have someone come and stay with YOU! It is too bad that in this society older people are not taken care of the way they are in other countries.

 

[raina21]

My fiance and I are trying to get our butts in gear financially so we can move in together. Neither of us have much by the way of credit (neither of us have any credit cards because we've always just used debit cards). We've been saving up and we'll probably have enough for a decent down payment by next year. We'd prefer a house because we'll be married or soon to be married by the time we move in together and we'd both like to live someplace that doesn't have restrictions as far as renovation or pets go. Not that we want to have a ton of animals or anything but I simply cannot live without at least 2 cats (which I am betting most of you understand haha)! And I'd like to be able to put up cat furniture on the walls and such.

I guess my question is what is a good way to build credit in a timely manner? I'm planning on getting the amazon rewards visa and spending a little each month and always paying the balance in full every month. And would my phone bill (which I pay on time each month through my debit card) count toward my credit? Because if so, I may already have some credit.

 

[foxxycat]

any credit card you have will count as credit on your report. some people get one just for gas purchases-where they would normally pay in cash then pay it off at time of bill. remember to set that "cash" into an envelope to pay for said gas at end of billing cycle.

I am not sure about utilities=I don't remember seeing those on my credit report. take out a small loan and pay it back early. then you don't pay interest but it will help show you have a good payback history.

saving up for a home is a great goal. I wish you luck in finding a good place to live..don't forget to open cabinets and check ceilings when you look at property...don't want to see hidden leaks/staining/warped floor/shelves etc. especially inside closets.

nothing new-cold as heck and Honeybee didn't sleep on me last night. the night prior she curled up on my chest all night long and even wanted me to cover her up. maybe I ticked her off last night because Jon put her up on me and I was trying to convince her to make biscuits and take a nap but she was having none of that. she ran off me digging back legs into my stomach as she springboarded off my belly...she meowed at Jon to give her treats...if you shake the treat box she comes running. so we try to only give her 2 or 3 at a time but she will sit and meow at you until she gets more. Jon said she bites him now to get his attention..she meows then jumps up and fluffs her tail in his face. then if that doesnt' work she nips his arm then licks him. LOL. I told him he created a monster with the darn treats.

Jon just sent me these pics when I asked for kitty photos..

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• foxxycat
• Jan 15, 2017

Honeybee looks to be laying next to him on the couch

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• foxxycat
• Jan 15, 2017

Pumps looks like she is hanging out in the hallway.

 

[NewYork1303]

My fiance and I are trying to get our butts in gear financially so we can move in together. Neither of us have much by the way of credit (neither of us have any credit cards because we've always just used debit cards). We've been saving up and we'll probably have enough for a decent down payment by next year. We'd prefer a house because we'll be married or soon to be married by the time we move in together and we'd both like to live someplace that doesn't have restrictions as far as renovation or pets go. Not that we want to have a ton of animals or anything but I simply cannot live without at least 2 cats (which I am betting most of you understand haha)! And I'd like to be able to put up cat furniture on the walls and such.

I guess my question is what is a good way to build credit in a timely manner? I'm planning on getting the amazon rewards visa and spending a little each month and always paying the balance in full every month. And would my phone bill (which I pay on time each month through my debit card) count toward my credit? Because if so, I may already have some credit.

Check your credit report online right now! www.annualcreditreport.com is a good place to look then you'll see what your dealing with right now and you can go from there. Only check it once a year though, since checking it all the time can actually mess with it. For a house, they'll only end up using one person's credit score and it is whichever is lowest so you both have to work on building credit if you want to both have your names on the house and on the loan. 

A credit card that you leave with no balance at the end of each month is one of the best ways to build fast credit without building debt. What I've always done is to charge my card for everything that I would usually pay on my debit card and then immediately pay it off. This helps to build credit. I would suggest actually getting a credit card from your bank and just asking for a low amount of money. When I was 18, I got a credit card just to build credit and it had a 500 dollar limit or something. 

A big problem that people have when building credit is that they see their card as free money and then just build up a huge amount of debt. For buying a house, you'll want credit cards payed off, but also not a high limit on the credit card. For example, my bank is willing to give me 12000 as a credit card limit, instead I told them to lower this to 7000. The amount you could potentially have on your card counts into debt to income ratio- which is something they check before you can get a house loan. 

I don't know if one year of credit history will be enough, to be honest. Your best bet may be to rent something for a little while at least. And renting from an apartment building or something can also count into your credit. 

When looking for house loans, look for FHA loans, VA loans, anything like this that you or your fiance might qualify for. These require lower down payments. Otherwise you may need to save up as much as 25% of the cost of your home before they'll let you buy anything. 

 

[Mamanyt1953]

My fiance and I are trying to get our butts in gear financially so we can move in together. Neither of us have much by the way of credit (neither of us have any credit cards because we've always just used debit cards). We've been saving up and we'll probably have enough for a decent down payment by next year. We'd prefer a house because we'll be married or soon to be married by the time we move in together and we'd both like to live someplace that doesn't have restrictions as far as renovation or pets go. Not that we want to have a ton of animals or anything but I simply cannot live without at least 2 cats (which I am betting most of you understand haha)! And I'd like to be able to put up cat furniture on the walls and such.

I guess my question is what is a good way to build credit in a timely manner? I'm planning on getting the amazon rewards visa and spending a little each month and always paying the balance in full every month. And would my phone bill (which I pay on time each month through my debit card) count toward my credit? Because if so, I may already have some credit.

A revolving line of credit is excellent.  You purchase a CD (certificate of deposit, not Astronoid), then borrow from that.  The interest rates are FAR lower than for a prepaid credit card, you don't have to fool with annual fees, and there is, of course, no penalty for NOT using it.  It just takes whatever sum you have to purchase the original CD.   And it builds your credit just like a credit card, without the credit check.  It's a wonderful way to REbuild, as well.

There are three main credit-reporting companies.  If you want to do a free credit report, make sure that the company checks all three.  I was even able to dispute two items, and have them removed, although that has to be done for each of the three, for the most part.  Worth it, though.  It brought my credit score up over 100 points.  I believe that you can get one free report per year from each.  AND checking your own score does NOT affect your credit at all, it is what is called a "soft check."  So don't worry about that.  My son checks his every four months, spreading the three companies out across the year.

 

[margd]

Check out Credit Karma https://www.creditkarma.com/   They're free and provide credit reports, recommend credit cards & ways to build credit, and even let you file your taxes through them.  I paid for credit monitoring for awhile and they did nothing that Credit Karma doesn't do for free.   

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

@Raina21   that's great news, that you're planning out buying your own home! 

  buying my house (i'm a first time buyer), was truly the best thing i've ever done (of course, other than adopting my cats). and it's great that you're working on building credit/good credit references before you start the looking/buying process!

a couple of things i'll add to the really good advice others have given are:  you might want to look into home buying programs (that apply to where you live) -- like USDA's Rural Development guaranteed or direct mortgage loans -- https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/single-family-housing-guaranteed-loan-program, https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/single-family-housing-direct-home-loans ) perhaps a state home buying program (that might work through a bank, like here in NY State there's one that works through M&T bank -- https://www.mtb.com/mortgages-loans...buyer-programs/first-home-club?WCMITEMID=1288, or the Sonyma program http://www.nyshcr.org/Topics/Home/Buyers/SONYMA/SONYMAProductsforFirstTimeHomebuyers.htm), or possibly a home buyer program that works through a church (like Bishop Sheen Ecumenical Housing -- https://sheenhousing.org/home-ownership/, and you don't need to be of the Episcopal faith). and there are some other revolving credit options that might work for you, to build credit -- for example, Deere Financial (a credit account for use at John Deere dealers, either a regular account, or revolving credit). Deere dealers many times have seasonal specials, which offer 0% interest on purchases of certain items (for me, i bought a new lawn tractor with snow blower attachment, and i paid it off monthly, the total being paid off within one year -- so no interest) which must be paid off within one year (otherwise all the interest is applied).

the amazon rewards visa is a great opportunity to build credit. if you're already an Amazon Prime member, you might choose the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature card, as you'll have higher percentages on your rewards.

and i'll make a suggestion. things come up, that cause unexpected expenses. setting up an emergency fund(s) can be very helpful. i've got emergency funds set up for each of my cats, and several other emergency funds. while things can still come up that cause other unexpected expenses, i'm in much better shape to be able to handle them having the emergency funds.

budgeting! it's so much easier having and working with a budget, than the alternative. with credit cards, simply budget for things you plan on purchasing and then buy them using a credit card, make sure to pay that credit card balance off in full at the end of the billing period -- so no interest sets in.

 

[Alicia88]

My mom has HORRIBLE credit.  Thanks to my calling cfs about my sister, they're being forced to move because they were living in a piece of crap trailer that was falling apart.  She makes pretty decent money now (much better than when I was a kid, which is when she trashed her credit so badly) so I don't know why she didn't move long ago.  Maybe she just needed a good kick in the pants.  Anyway, she found a nice 3 bedroom house that she's going to rent to own for $385 a month and have paid off in 7 years.  So, maybe renting to own would be an idea.  She's having to move to Iowa and change jobs, but she's going from $14 an hour to $22 an hour.  And, with any luck (you have no idea how hard I'm praying for this), her piece of crap won't want to leave all his drug contacts and won't go with them.

I don't know where you live - housing prices vary insanely from state to state.  I mean, I was paying $300 a month to rent a ROOM in California.

 

[raina21]

My mom has HORRIBLE credit.  Thanks to my calling cfs about my sister, they're being forced to move because they were living in a piece of crap trailer that was falling apart.  She makes pretty decent money now (much better than when I was a kid, which is when she trashed her credit so badly) so I don't know why she didn't move long ago.  Maybe she just needed a good kick in the pants.  Anyway, she found a nice 3 bedroom house that she's going to rent to own for $385 a month and have paid off in 7 years.  So, maybe renting to own would be an idea.  She's having to move to Iowa and change jobs, but she's going from $14 an hour to $22 an hour.  And, with any luck (you have no idea how hard I'm praying for this), her piece of crap won't want to leave all his drug contacts and won't go with them.
I don't know where you live - housing prices vary insanely from state to state.  I mean, I was paying $300 a month to rent a ROOM in California.

Alicia88

I live in indiana. Housing is pretty cheap here. You can get a new 2,000+square foot home for around $200,000 sometimes less. Some brand new houses (as in houses that haven't been built yet) are even less, like in the new housing addition that they are building a few miles from my house, the prices were between $150,000 and $200,000 for brand new 2 story houses.

 

[handsome kitty]

I don't know if I mentioned this but I took down my mesh 'catio' last week because of the storm.  Very windy and rainy here.  The mesh was worn in some places and faded by the sun everywhere so I decided to replace all the pieces (3 tunnels, a tower (YES! Amazon is once again carrying it) and the tent)  They arrived yesterday while I was at work.  So this morning, my son and I attached the new tunnel to the wood panel the cat flap is attached to and rebuilt the catio.  I had not planned to do it today - lots of stuff on the list, but Eclipse was sitting by the window tapping it with his paw.  He looked so pitiful.  anyways, the cats were excited when the flap was open for business.  Gerry figured out the tower right away (after watching Eclipse get to the top) and soon the two were swatting playfully to have the top tier.  15 minutes later Eclipse was laying in a tire heap on my bedroom floor.

I think I will order another tower before Amazon runs out again.  It is the first piece to succumb to the elements because it is vertical and has to support my heavy kitties.

 

[raina21]

I just found out some horrible and shocking news [emoji]128534[/emoji]

Police came into our restaurant today to tell one of my coworkers Alicia that her son (who was only 16) had been murdered! He and this 18 year old had been arguing and the 18 year old pulled a gun and shot him in the head. There were 2 other boys there at the time. They panicked and left his body in the back seat of a car. Then the person who found him called 911 because he looked like he was just passed out (he was laying on his side so I guess his wound wasn't visible) and it is so cold here they were afraid he'd freeze to death.

The 2 other boys came forwared and gave statements and the 18 year old has already been arrested and confessed to shooting him. He's being charged with aggravated murder.

Alicia's son was supposed to come into the restaurant tomorrow for a job interview.

I can't believe this happened!

This is so surreal. [emoji]128562[/emoji][emoji]128546[/emoji][emoji]128557[/emoji]

 

[Margret]

Today is the 88th anniversary of the birth of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr..  In the U.S. we'll be celebrating his holiday tomorrow (because, what's the point of having a federal holiday if people don't get a long weekend out of it?), but his actual birthday was today.  In his honor:


Margret

 

[tallyollyopia]

I know it's been a while since I posted anything, but it's been hectic. SD's getting discharged tomorrow, I've been working since his admission, I had a store meeting today, and Ra almost gave me a mental break down. It's like this; I usually give the kitties wet food (they have dry food out all the time, but they only get wet food once a day) when I get home from work. Only when I got home from work Ra was nowhere to be seen! I asked AWM if she'd seen him and she confessed that she didn't know because to her Ra and Spot look the same. (She's half blind.) All I could think of was how the same thing happened when Slipper went missing, and there have been a lot of animals (small dogs, cats, squirrels, and--of course--possums) dead in the road lately and Ra was nowhere to be found! I searched right up until time for the store meeting, went to work, came back home, searched until I (literally, this took place after an eight-hour shift) dropped--and nothing. Then, a few minutes (or a couple hours, when you're that exhausted your concept of time is kind of messed up) RB came into my room with Ra. He'd come home. I feel better now.

 

[Alicia88]

I just found out some horrible and shocking news [emoji]128534[/emoji]

Police came into our restaurant today to tell one of my coworkers Alicia that her son (who was only 16) had been murdered! He and this 18 year old had been arguing and the 18 year old pulled a gun and shot him in the head. There were 2 other boys there at the time. They panicked and left his body in the back seat of a car. Then the person who found him called 911 because he looked like he was just passed out (he was laying on his side so I guess his wound wasn't visible) and it is so cold here they were afraid he'd freeze to death.

The 2 other boys came forwared and gave statements and the 18 year old has already been arrested and confessed to shooting him. He's being charged with aggravated murder.

Alicia's son was supposed to come into the restaurant tomorrow for a job interview.

I can't believe this happened!

This is so surreal. [emoji]128562[/emoji][emoji]128546[/emoji][emoji]128557[/emoji]

I'm so sorry.  I can't imagine anything worse than finding out your child has been killed.  No parent should have to bury a child.

 

[Margret]

The last man to walk on the moon has died.  RIP, Gene Cernan.  March 14, 1934 - Jan. 16, 2017.

Margret

 

[Alicia88]

My latest "sins" at work:

I stayed on the intro screen too long.  I'm using one of the 15 year old dinosaur computers they gave everyone when they closed down the call center and it likes to freeze.

I paused too long after using the "who's calling" pat response.

I can't wait to get tonight's feedback.  I had 4 different calls where I sneezed.  I muted and then I apologized but that's what I did the day I got suspended and they still had problems.  Also, I had a call where I hiccuped.  I went on break and held my breath and chugged water until they stopped.

I'm half tempted to say, "I know what you're trying to do.  You're trying to get me to quit so you won't have to pay me unemployment.  And it's not going to work.  I have to survive."  I'm just not sure what the repercussions of that would be.

 

[Margret]

 
My latest "sins" at work:

I stayed on the intro screen too long.  I'm using one of the 15 year old dinosaur computers they gave everyone when they closed down the call center and it likes to freeze.

I paused too long after using the "who's calling" pat response.

I can't wait to get tonight's feedback.  I had 4 different calls where I sneezed.  I muted and then I apologized but that's what I did the day I got suspended and they still had problems.  Also, I had a call where I hiccuped.  I went on break and held my breath and chugged water until they stopped.

I'm half tempted to say, "I know what you're trying to do.  You're trying to get me to quit so you won't have to pay me unemployment.  And it's not going to work.  I have to survive."  I'm just not sure what the repercussions of that would be.

If they want a robot, they should be talking to Elon Musk or somebody.  But that wouldn't work, because the closest we have to "artificial intelligence" is self driving cars that have reached the point of saying nasty things about human drivers, and I don't believe that's what they want in an employee, either.

Didn't you have a job interview with someone else a few days ago?  How did that go?

Margret

 

[Alicia88]

I'm supposed to call tomorrow.