Give Me Back My Five Bucks

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Annoyed at work
2008-06-06 19:49:00
I was talking to a co-worker here who said that there are going to be some major changes in the office during the summer - meaning more people will be leaving. Her included. She said that since she's been here (just under 2 years), she's seen a ridiculous amount of turnover ... and that most people come here, take whatever experience they were hoping to get, and then quickly move on.This work environment is driving me insane, but I can't tell whether it's the actual company or if it's just my boss. I'm really beginning to dislike him. Today I came in 8 minutes late (I forgot my luggage at home and had to go back to get it), and he freaked out at me and said I should have been there a half an hour earlier ... and that it should be "common sense" to me when we're going to an event. 1) I can't read his mind, 2) I've never gone to an event before, and 3) he never told me to come in early, otherwise I would have!AND THEN, he forgot to tell the Special Events guy who is running t...
More About: Work

Whoops, I bounced a cheque!
2008-06-05 21:34:00
OMG. I bounced a cheque for the first time today, which resulted in a $35 NSF fee.And it was my rent cheque that I bounced. Yikes!I bought those baseball tickets through PayPal, and it came out of my chequing account ... and b/c I knew I didn't have enough $$ in my chequing account to pay for both my rent and the tickets, I transferred $50 from my Travel Fund into my account. Well, it turns out the PayPal transaction AND the rent cheque both came out of my account mere HOURS before the $50 cleared ... and I ended up being short by $0.05. Whoops.So anyway, I called PC Financial, and they waived the $35 NSF fee for me. And now I will have to write a new cheque out to my landlord, who probably thinks I'm a huge bum b/c I even gave him that rent cheque a day late.I'm such an idiot.
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A few random Thursday thoughts
2008-06-05 19:57:00
This week has seriously flown by. I've kept myself busy every evening, and this weekend will be no different. I've got plans crammed into every minute of every day that I'll be home. Same with next week after work.Even though I miss J a lot, if he hadn't left, I doubt I would have ever reached out to these new friends in Vancouver. I think that him leaving has really saved me, as weird as it sounds. It was getting so comfortable just to hang out with him and his friends all the time. I would see him as often as I could, and I was happy doing it. But on days where he was busy? I would find it extremely hard to fill up my time. I would be ridiculously bored. Now that I have rekindled my friendship with a couple of awesome people here, I've started to really create my own little support network. I'm having fun, and I'm not moping and stressing and wondering if my boyfriend is alive or dead up there in Alaska ... although when I'm alone in bed at night, that's all I still think...
More About: Random , Thoughts , Thursday

Getting into shape
2008-06-05 17:32:00
So Z and I went hiking yesterday after work. I don't know if it's because he's in really awful shape, or that I'm in really good shape (doubtful), but we made it about 1/4 of the way up Lynn Peak before he said he had to turn around. :( Truthfully, I was barely breathing hard, so I was kind of disappointed. We ended up doing more of a saunter through the forest, instead of the kick-my-ass hike I was looking forward to.Not a big deal. Next week, we're hiking on Monday, and then Tuesday we're going to try Lynn Peak again.We're also looking forward to trying the Grouse Grind (although I'm not a fan of hiking with a million other people) ... as well as some hikes up in Squamish. He also wants to do Golden Ears, which would be fun. I know J and his friends went there last month, so those are definitely weekend-type hikes.Z also wants to get back into rock climbing, so I think we're going to try that at some point this summer. That's something I've always wanted to get really g...
More About: Shape

I heart mystery shopping
2008-06-05 00:23:00
I'm getting so much mystery shopping work. It's kind of ridiculous, but I'm pretty stoked about making easy money like this. Especially b/c I get to choose which assignments I do, what stores I want to visit, and when I want to do them. This is the perfect PT job for me.So, I started mystery shopping LAST WEEK, and by this Monday, after I complete all my assignments, I will have made:$65 from Assignment #1 (completed last week)$80 from Assignment #2 (requires one simple purchase per week for 4 weeks straight ... so technically I won't have completed this until the last week of June)$75 from Assignment #3$65 from Assignment #4TOTAL EARNED = $285The reason why I'm earning so much per assignment is b/c I have to evaluate more than 1 department when I go to the store. I don't mind, I'm there anyway.When I e-mailed the woman about getting paid out, she said that on average, we will be paid out for our assignments 30-45 days after we submit our reports. Not bad. That's what I expe...
More About: Shopping , I heart , Heart , Mystery

Finding a comfortable place
2008-06-04 21:47:00
For those who are curious, I received another SPOT message from J yesterday. :) It's been 13 days since he's been gone ... meaning I have a maximum of 11 days to go before he gets back. He could be back sooner, depending on if and when they summit. Although ... I'm not really even sure whether they would come home after 3 weeks if they haven't summited yet.***EDIT***Thanks to Canadian Finance Guy for telling me about the Google Maps terrain function! I didn't even know that existed. I've pinpointed exactly where they are. They seem a lot farther away than I would have expected them to be, given they've been on the mountain for about 10 days. But then again, what do I know?Today after work, I'm going hiking with my friend Z. I'm pretty excited, because we'll be hiking in the rain, which I love to do. It's also nice to get out of the city and into the beautiful places surrounding the lower mainland. We're headed back up to the North Shore to Lynn Headwaters Regional Park, ...
More About: Place

Making new friends
2008-06-04 20:41:00
So I went to see Sex and the City last night, and it was fabulous! Even though it was about 2.5 hrs. long, the time flew by. The receptionist at work asked this morning if I would want to go see it again, but with her ... since she hasn't had a chance to see it yet. It seems silly to watch a movie twice in theatres, but I might do it anyway. I think it depends on my money situation.It's hard to say no to people though, when you're new to a city and desperately trying to make friends. The Backstreet Boys are coming to Vancouver in September, and the intern at work wants to know if I would go with her. I will admit, I was totally into the BSB when they first came out (shhh, don't tell anyone!) ... but if they're touring again to promote a new CD or something, then that's just lame. I want them to play all of their old school classics. But for $75/ticket, it's kind of pricey. And embarrassing to tell people about. So, we'll see. :)Also a bunch of girls around my age (some who c...
More About: Friends

I sent my boss the e-mail...
2008-06-04 00:00:00
I finally e-mailed my boss, and he replied right away. Basically, it won't get approved until June 12th, b/c the Executive Director has to get a sign-off from the Board of Directors.Meaning ... the earliest I'll see my raise on my pay cheque will be June 20th ... and that's totally pushing it. It could very well be July 4th.But, he said that I will definitely get the retroactive pay ...I won't believe it until I actually see the money in my bank account.
More About: Mail , E-Mail , Boss

Keeping the PT job on the island
2008-06-03 19:40:00
So, I've made the decision to keep my PT job at the arena back on the island. My boss has already said that he would love to have me back, and that I would retain the same position. Although, I believe my sister (who was working as my assistant, and then in my role during the shifts I wasn't there) will be getting a pay raise and a title change. We'll be job sharing, and then when I'm back in town, she'll revert back to being the assistant. Just like this past year.Reasons why I'm keeping this PT job:I love this job. It's seriously the greatest job I've ever had.I've made some wicked contacts in the 4 years that I've worked there, and they could be pivotal in helping me land my dream job in the years to come.I'll be able to keep my foot in the door of my dream career. My boss has the job that I've always dreamed about, and I was offered it last summer. However, because we're a small organization, the pay was less than $30k ... and I just couldn't take the job and achie...
More About: Island

I couldn't pull the trigger
2008-06-03 18:58:00
Yesterday, I had my e-mail all typed out to my boss. I was taking all of your advice, and starting a paper trail. But you know ... I couldn't do it. I couldn't e-mail it out. I got scared, or something.The couple of times that I've mentioned my raise to my boss, he seems so annoyed. Like I'm being a pest; like I shouldn't be bothering him with something like this. I shouldn't be made to feel like this. I should feel like I can have an open dialog with my boss about something as important as a pay raise. I shouldn't have to "start a paper trail." It totally sucks.I need to psych myself up for this.Because ... I know I have to do it myself. If I don't, it's kind of obvious that I'll never see that raise, or any of the retroactive pay I was promised. It just seems so silly that I have to do all the leg work for something my boss has promised me (and I feel like an ass doing it) ... and he hasn't done a frigging thing about it yet.I really want to stay here at this job. I thi...
More About: Pull

Since when did baseball games become so expensive?
2008-06-03 18:23:00
I just found Blue Jays/Mariners tickets for July 1st in Seattle (on Craigslist) ... 3 rows behind the visiting team's (Blue Jays) dugout for only $80 each! Regular price for these tickets are $65 each, but you can't buy them since they are charter seats and are always owned by season ticket holders.My fingers are crossed that I get them. I offered $150 for the pair ... which is fair, since I asked for them to be sent COD, and there's something like a $10 charge for that. But if the guy is really gunning for the $160, that's what I'll pay. I ended up having to pay their asking price of $160 for both tickets. Lame. Oh well. July 1st (Canada Day) tickets are so hard to come by, since just about a billion and a half Blue Jays fans from BC flock to this game. Now my fingers are crossed that Roy Halladay will be pitching.I was willing to spend up to $100 per ticket. It may seem excessive ... but like I've said in the past, I only see my Blue Jays once a year ... and I'm willing to ...
More About: Games , Baseball

Goodbye Gift Fund
2008-06-03 01:16:00
Well, I cleaned out my Gift Fund , and now I'm back to zero. But I don't mind, b/c that's the point of the Gift Fund. Plus, I'm sure that I got J an awesome birthday present. I'd tell you what it is, but I'm not sure if I'll see him before he gets a chance to read my blog. :)It was our 6 month anniversary yesterday, and it's his birthday today. He wanted to reach the summit on his birthday, so I wonder if that's what he's doing right now!
More About: Goodbye

Traveling for work
2008-06-02 20:30:00
On Friday I'm headed back to the island on a work trip. By working on Saturday, I should earn 14 extra hours on my pay cheque (it's going to be a long day). 8 of those hours will be regular time, 4 hours will be 1.5x, and 2 hours will be at 2x. Awesome! Although it would be more awesome if my raise would get processed.Because I'm coming back to Vancouver at a different time than the rest of my co-workers on Sunday (I've volunteered to help out my field hockey team raise money at a concession all day), apparently they won't pay for me to park my vehicle at the ferry terminal ($9 for each 24 hours ... plus mileage to and from the terminal), or pay for my travel costs/travel time on Sunday. Because I'm choosing not to travel with them, nothing gets paid for? I don't get it. Either way I have to come back to Vancouver ... what difference does it make if I go with them or by myself? Maybe I can see them not reimbursing me for my parking costs and mileage to and from the ferry term...
More About: Work , Traveling

Answering questions about mystery shopping...
2008-06-02 18:23:00
A number of you have expressed interest in the mystery shopping company I work for, as well as how I'm liking the process.Right now, I'm still undecided. I have been registered with a couple of mystery shopping companies for about a year now, but only recently decided to start taking assignments (which get e-mailed to me by a scheduler).I'm using Consumer Connection, which has been in business for about 12 years. I think it's just a Canadian company. The schedulers are really friendly and helpful. After reading up on CC, it seems like they have a really slow payment schedule (about a month after the end of the month in which you do your assignment) ... I don't really mind, as long as I get paid. I mean, it seems to be just the same as PPP (where you have to wait 30 days after your post has been approved ... unless you get auto-approved). I've also signed up with SQM, but have yet to accept an assignment for them (I'm qualified for a lot of them, but they're in far away place...
More About: Shopping , Questions , Mystery

A recap of my weekend
2008-06-01 18:49:00
What a weekend, and it's only Sunday morning!!!Saturday I crossed the border and went down to Seattle to do a little shopping. I wasn't sure if they'd let me into the USA, considering I was driving J's car, and before he left for Alaska, I forgot to ask him to write me a note for the border guard. Anyway, the guard was super nice and friendly and I got through without a problem.Confession: I spent a lot in Seattle. Well, a portion of it was a birthday present. Which basically cleans me out of my Gift Fund. I also spent $200 on myself at Express and Banana Republic. I'm still completely an emotional shopper (super stressed about J and my job) ... but also, I'm really glad I bought what I did. Ever since I made it a priority to update my work wardrobe (since last year), I've gotten beautiful sweaters and nice button-down shirts ... but nothing to wear during the summer. So I upped my summer wardrobe. Which is good, if by some chance I start to interview for other jobs. Not sayi...
More About: Weekend , Recap

Frustrated. Again.
2008-05-30 20:26:00
Yesterday, I left half an hour early from work so I could get up to North Vancouver to go on my hike. My boss told me to just come in half an hour early today, so we could go over a bunch of things. I got here 45 min. early, and he wasn't here. Strange. Well, it's 11:30am and he's still not here. He just called and said that he just woke up, is going back to sleep, and that I should tell everyone that he'll be working from home.So fine, he's not coming in. Whatever. But today is the day I have to hand in my time sheet, and I know for a fact that he STILL HASN'T PROCESSED MY PAY RAISE PAPERWORK!!!It's been 6 weeks since my 3-month review. I was really hoping to see my pay raise and retroactive pay on next Friday's pay cheque. But it looks like that's not going to happen anymore.Argg. I am so frustrated with this entire thing.
More About: Frustrated

I'm trying not to worry
2008-05-30 17:09:00
I haven't gotten a SPOT message from J since Tuesday. It's Friday now, and I'm a little worried. He said that they would send a message out every day. J's mom wrote me a nice little e-mail though and told me that J is experienced and knows what he's doing, and not to worry. She thinks that the weather is probably bad up on the mountain or something, so maybe they just haven't moved from their last spot yet. Hmm.I had a great hike yesterday with my friend, and we're going to try to get in an evening hike every week or so. We're going again next Wednesday, and we're going to try something a little more challenging - with more elevation. It should be another 5 hr. hike, so I'm stoked for that! After our hike last night, he took me around on a little tour of North Vancouver, since I haven't spent much time there before. It was a good time indeed. :)
More About: Worry

May Grocery Challenge - Week #4
2008-05-30 17:04:00
Well it's Week 4, so that means we're done the May Grocery Challenge ! Hoorah!How did you do this week? Did you learn anything from this challenge?I learned that without even trying very hard, I was able to shave my monthly grocery spending from around $150 down to under $125. $25/month may not seem like much, but over the course of a year, that's $300 that I could be saving instead of (literally) flushing it down the toilet. :) So I'm going to keep on trying to spend $125/month on groceries from now on ... but if one week I want to buy chicken, or something special, I know I'll be able to afford it b/c I'm used to budgeting $150/month.This is also the last call for participants in the June Dining Out Challenge! :)Amphritrite - $72.17/$85Arual - $190/$125BeachGirl - $131.55/$150change is a good thing - $56.18/$80Dolly Iris - $189/200 Frugaleconome - $113.43/$125Frugal Trenches - $130/$160honugurl16 - $406.59/$350Hyperchondriac - $48.59/$50krystalatwork - $118.07/$125livingp...

SocialSpark is Live!
2008-05-30 16:10:00
Note: the following post is sponsoredAbout a month ago, I signed up for SocialSpark. If you want to check out my profile, or add me as a friend, my screen name is krystalatwork.Anyway, I'm still not sure how I feel about SocialSpark. I like PayPerPost a lot better. The website is easier to use, and I understand how it works. With SocialSpark, when you want to take an opp, you have to be put on a wait list, and then if you get the opportunity to write it, you only have 12 hours to finish your post. Where as with PPP, if the opp is available, you can write your post right then and there, when you have the time.I kind of want to compare SocialSpark and PPP to MySpace and Facebook. I love Facebook b/c it's a lot cleaner and easier to use than MySpace. I hate MySpace. HATE it with a passion. It's so annoying and the way it's set up is so confusing. Although, Facebook is getting that way too. Everyone's profiles are all cluttered and it isn't clean anymore.I'm going to give SocialS...
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Answering a couple of questions ...
2008-05-29 22:28:00
Thanks for all of your comments yesterday about what you'd like me to blog about. This definitely gives me an idea as to what you guys want to read. I'm going to slowly answer all of your questions over the next few weeks ... although a few of you asked questions that I'm just not familiar with (or at least not familiar enough to write about them) ... so when I answer those questions, I'll either have to do some research and then write about it, or refer you to another blog that will be able to provide you with the answer you're looking for. :)First up is Mama Bear and pictureman, who want to see pictures.Sure, I'll start posting more pictures. I take pictures all the time. But pictures of me, or of people that I know? No way. :) There are a few pictures of me that I've posted on this blog, but they've all hid my face somehow. My anonymity is something I'm not willing to give up. I almost gave up that information in April when I was interviewed for the Globe and Mail ... bu...
More About: Questions , Couple

Where did I put my credit card!?
2008-05-29 06:15:00
Ugg. I can't find my Visa card. I know it's here somewhere. I remember throwing it in my purse or in a pocket or something, and thinking to myself that I must remember that I put it there, and not in my wallet! And now I can't find it. It's been about 3 days.Damnit! Nevermind, I found it in the pocket of my hoodie. The hoodie that I've worn every single day since I misplaced my Visa. I'm a dork. :)On another note, I grabbed a tea, and then went out for dinner with my old high school friend tonight. I spent $20, but it was worth it. I haven't seen or talked to her in about 5 years, and it was like nothing had changed. We are totally on the same page with everything. She also finds it difficult to live in Vancouver, and even though she's been here for about 1.5 years, she hasn't made many friends. So needless to say, we're happy to have reconnected. In fact, we're going to see the Sex and the City movie next Tuesday night. Which is good, because J refused to take me to see ...
More About: Card , Credit , Credit Card

GMBMFB Readers: is there anything you want to know?
2008-05-28 21:06:00
So ... I was thinking. All I do is write about what I want to write about. And the daily happenings in my life. Multiple posts per day, all day, every day. Is it getting boring? It seems boring to me when I'm writing it ... but my readership keeps growing, so maybe doing what I'm doing is fine? Should I stay on topic when it comes to personal finance? I feel like sometimes I tend to get sidetracked.I guess I'll open up the floor to you guys.Is there anything you want to know about me? It can be about money and personal finance, or about who I am (not literally who I am) ... if it's too personal, I just won't answer it.Is there anything you want me to blog about in particular?Anything you'd like to see different with this blog?Just wondering... :)
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May Goals: My Review
2008-05-28 19:35:00
May Goals (end of month review):Make an extra $100. Check! I made $88.44 through my PT job, and $53.78 from PPP opps, for a grand total of $142.22 of extra income this month.$200 into Travel Fund. Check! I reduced my contributions from $150 bi-weekly to $100 ... but I will increase it again once my raise comes into effect.$400 into Retirement Portfolio. Check!$200 into Emergency Fund. Check! I was able to deposit $350.$200 into Condo Down Payment Fund. Check! I really need to start saving up more for this ... but I just don't know where to cut expenses.Successfully complete the May Grocery Challenge. Check! I had $125 to spend, and I'm very pleased to report that I only spent $118.07. I now know that I can stay comfortably around $125/month for my groceries, and I really didn't even have to try very hard. What I'm happiest about is I was able to cook and provide food for J a couple of times per week, without having to buy anything extra than what I'd buy for myself.Switch my ce...
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How I know my BF is safe
2008-05-28 19:09:00
So J and his 2 mountain climbing friends have a SPOT Satellite tracker with them. It uses the GPS satellite network to acquire its coordinates, and then sends an e-mail - with a link to Google maps - and a pre-programmed message to its recipients. These messages are super simple: OK and HELP. There's also a 911 button if they are in serious trouble. And that gets linked to some sort of emergency response unit. I'm not really sure what happens, I hope I never find out.So far, I've gotten 5 or 6 SPOT messages from them since Friday, saying that they're OK. He said that they would send a message out almost every day. It's comforting to know that they're okay, and that I can see exactly where they are via Google maps. It's also kind of amazing that this technology exists to be used by the everyday person (it's relatively inexpensive, considering what it does). And because it uses 100% satellite technology, SPOT works around the world – even up on Mt. McKinley, where cell phone...
More About: Safe

This will be a busy weekend!
2008-02-02 00:44:00
I'm really excited to go back to the island today. Haven't been home in 2 weeks, and there's so much to do. It's going to be a really rushed weekend - I haven't even started packing yet, so that's what I'll be doing this evening and tomorrow morning, 2 field hockey games tomorrow afternoon, and a "moving away" party in the evening. Sunday morning J and I will load the U-Haul, I have a baby shower to go to at 11am, and then we'll have to rush and catch the 3pm ferry back over to Vancouver.So today at work we were all informed that a new girl (she started about 2 weeks earlier than me) got let go. That makes me nervous because of what happened with one of my last jobs ... they let 4 people go that I know of within their probation periods, plus me ... so that's 5 people within 3 months. Insane. I need to be on my best behaviour for the next 3 months.
More About: Weekend , Busy

A dumb question about RRSPs ...
2008-02-01 22:41:00
Can I start to contribute to my 2008 RRSPs right now, even though you can still contribute to 2007 until March 1st? And if so, how do you distinguish whether you're contributing to 2007 or 2008?
More About: Question , Dumb

My $35-40/week grocery budget
2008-02-01 18:59:00
I don't spend a lot on groceries, but it doesn't mean that I don't eat well. I always have plenty of food in my kitchen, so after someone commented on my grocery budget yesterday, I figured I'd just give you an overview of what I would generally buy in a week for food.Average Week ly Grocery list:Breakfast$0.75 organic black tea (20 bags for $3 = $0.15 each x 5 days)$1.00 soy milk for tea (a little $2 container lasts 2 weeks)$2.50 granola bar of some sort (comes in a box of 5)Lunch$2.00 organic greens from Costco (one box usually lasts me 2 weeks, and they are $4 each)$1.50 organic salad dressing (a bottle of the brand that I like is about $6 and lasts a month)$1.50 organic grain crackers (a box is $3 and lasts 2 weeks)$4.00 tuna/or meat substitute (I usually get tuna or veggie patties to put in my salad)$2.50 apples (5)Snacks$1.50 bananas$1.50 cookies (for my afternoon tea - a small box for $3 lasts 2 weeks)$1.25 brown rice crisps from Costco (one bag costs $4 and lasts 1 month)...
More About: Budget

February 2008 Monthly Goals
2008-02-01 03:47:00
Finally, a month where I have a regular income. This will be a 3-pay cheque month for me, so I'm using this first pay cheque (1 week of work) to pay for my moving expenses over to Vancouver, as well as anything I'll need to buy/replace.2008 .html">February 2008 Monthly Goals :$150 grocery budget. I'm pretty sure I can do this. I've been averaging about $40/week since I've been living here, so I've got confidence I can pull this off.$50 gas and public transportation. This will definitely be doable. I live about a 30 min. walk to work, so I plan on walking every day. I might take my scooter a few times if I'm running late, but I'd like to think that the 1 hr. round trip walk will be a little extra boost of exercise that I probably could use.$100 Entertainment. It doesn't take much to entertainment. I anticipate exploring my new neighbourhood, maybe going skiing (?) on girls night ... spending time in coffee shops ... I also have a few 2-for-1 coupons I'd like to use for touristy places ...

January Goals: My Review
2008-02-01 01:44:00
January Goals (end of month review):GAIN FULL-TIME EMPLOYMENT. Thank god. It's about time I'm able to cross this off my list of things to do. :) I'm really happy at this job, and I like everything about it. I got my first pay stub today for 1 week of work (paid tomorrow). It was kind of a shock to be getting paid the equivalent of about $21/hr when I'm used to making $25-27/hr with my other FT jobs last year ... but I'm not complaining. I love this job, and I'm glad I declined those 3 other job offers, and held out for this one.Get the current website contract finished and signed off. Nope. I've been so busy this month with moving to Vancouver and getting settled ... but I did make progress on it. I am going to try and upload the website shell so that the client can have a look at it, and then I'll have to schedule a meeting with him to go over web copy. I'll be back on the island the next 2 weekends in a row, and my sister works for him, so I'm sure I'll see him at some ...
More About: Review , January

Why the heck did my credit score go down?
2008-02-01 01:10:00
WTF! It's been 10 months since I've checked my credit score. Last March, it was 727 ... so how is it possible that it's now 724!? RIDICULOUS!I have no new credit, no balances on any cards, no new credit inquiries (hard hits), and I'm now completely out of debt.There's an error on my credit report though - it said that I had a 30-day late payment in May 2007 for a CitiFinancial credit card ... even though I closed that account (and it's listed as closed on the report) back in 2005. It's odd. I haven't even used that card since 2004. I'll have to dispute it.But did that one error really affect my score that much? I'm really angry. Not that I think I'll need my credit score anytime soon ... but what if this fall, I find a perfect little condo that I want to buy? What then? You never know when your credit score is going to come back and bite you in the butt. And I know my score is okay, but it just doesn't make any sense at all. I've followed all the rules, and I was really...
More About: Credit , Score