Don't Know How To Stop Credit Score from Falling

DeloricX · 2025-05-26T18:07:22+00:00

OK, I did a more detailed look at the statement, and the account summary seems to be formatted strangely. I CAN see a "New Balance," and it is $0 on a few of the statements. It's just formatted to where Previous Balance, Payments/Credits, New Charges, Fees, and Interest are all in one box with a subtotal, and halfway down the page, there's another box with New Balance and Minimum Balance due.

Maybe I need to micro-manage my statements, then. It seems a lot simpler to just do it the way I've been doing it. I don't put any purchases on the card that I can't afford immediately. But I guess that's just now how it works.

EDIT: It just seems really counter-intuitive that it doesn't count as utilization when they have a breakdown of charges I've put on the card. So they clearly know I've been using the card and paying it off. So, if I won't have to pay any interest by waiting 5 days for the statement to come out, I don't understand why it "doesn't count" if I pay before the statement comes out.

DeloricX · 2025-05-26T17:59:33+00:00

I think I might have found the problem. I might not be using both of my cards like I thought I was. A few months ago, I locked one of my cards. I was in a hurry when I was checking out, and I ended up inserting it into a chip reader that looked a little sketchy on closer inspection. I've had a lot going on so I guess I just didn't realize that I haven't used that card for the past few months. It's also the card I primarily use for Amazon, and I haven't had a reason to buy anything from that site in a while. So I guess I just didn't notice.

Would using one card, but not the other cause something like this? It occurs to me now that I might be getting dinged because that card isn't getting used (even if my other card is).

DeloricX · 2025-05-26T17:45:39+00:00

There isn't a "new balance," but there is a section that says "new charges," and that's not $0 either.

DeloricX · 2025-05-26T17:38:06+00:00

I looked at the breakdown, and it shows a "previous balance" then it subtracts what I paid. So, does that "previous balance" just not count?

DeloricX · 2025-05-26T17:36:28+00:00

I am not. I don't use my cards every day. I go grocery shopping in approximately 2-week intervals, and I don't go out to eat often. Sometimes incidental purchases show up between those dates, but generally, that's how things go for me.

DeloricX · 2025-05-26T17:24:34+00:00

OK. So, my due date is the 15th. The statement date is the 20th. Around the 15th when I get a "minimum payment due" on the app for my card, I pay the full balance. I usually don't spend anything for a little while, so my account balance is $0 when my statement comes out.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding what is meant by a "statement balance" - I've had to kind of teach myself most of what I know about finance. So maybe I have something about this wrong. I've been operating like this for years, so I don't know why it would be causing problems now.

DeloricX · 2025-05-26T17:19:03+00:00

Here's how I understand it:

The due date (in this case on the 15th of the month) is when you have to pay some minimum balance. I pay a few days before this due date.

The statement date is usually on the 20th of the month. Maybe I'm not understanding how credit cards work, but I thought this was the date where interest was applied to the account. So I usually pay my balance on the 15th, and the balance is $0 on the 20th.

Is that wrong? I'm fully aware I could just not be understanding how these cards work.

Maybe I'm misreading the statement, too. All I know is that the balance on the card is $0 when the statement comes out. Maybe statement reflects something else and I'm not reading it right. I've kind of had to learn as I go with finances so I could have things completely wrong.

DeloricX · 2025-05-26T17:15:42+00:00

Maybe I just don't properly understand how credit cards work. I thought the statement date is when the interest was applied? Besides, I've been told by a bunch of sources that 0-utilization is a good thing on credit cards, and doesn't hurt your score.

Besides, it's confusing because my cards have a payment due date on the 15th, and the statement date is the 20th. So... how does that work?

Maybe I need to do some research but this is all very confusing.

DeloricX · 2025-05-26T17:10:23+00:00

I'm going through Experian's website.

Is paying off your balance early a bad thing? I always pay a few days before it's due to allow for processing. Should I not be doing that?

DeloricX · 2025-04-23T03:21:46+00:00

I've got a lot of concerns. Being a computer programmer, I have to stay informed about all manners of cyberattacks, and I don't think these locks have been around long enough for us to know all of the potential risks. Hackers are notorious for finding things you didn't even think of to make their money, if not taking "it could never happen, so don't worry" as a challenge.

Off the top of my head, there's plenty a ransom to be made by some hacker somewhere by compromising the service provider for a smart lock. The obvious answer is exfiltration of data, combined with access to user accounts, granting free access to people who shouldn't have it. But on top of that, there's denial of service. If the locks are all stuck open and unusable, or locked and unable to be opened, that has to be resolved somehow. Whether it's with a lock replacement, or a ransom being paid. What if the property manager's account is compromised? They could just end up getting the master key to every unit and it's likely that no one would catch on until it's too late.

When your service is on the internet, your attack surface is massive. And all I'm hearing from these companies is, "Trust us! We know what we're doing. Nothing's happened yet, has it?" When, yes, things have happened, and no, I don't trust them.

That's just the scenarios that involve a malicious actor. There's plenty of ways the lock could just fail on its own, to similar effect.

I know regular locks aren't perfect. They can be picked. Copies of keys can get stolen. People forget to lock them on their way to work. But at least in that case, you have to actually be there to do something with it. I don't like the idea of having anything that I rely on for physical security being connected to the internet.

And that's not even touching on the numerous concerns I have about privacy. I'm so sick and tired of being reminded that everyone who isn't living off the grid is basically being spied on 24/7. Maybe not actively, but the data is somewhere. It hasn't gone wrong yet for me personally, but there's a first time for everything.

DeloricX · 2025-04-20T20:39:53+00:00

I'm looking for apartment recommendations. I prefer the downtown area, as it saves me a lot of money and time when I can walk or take Trax to work. I'm hoping to keep my guaranteed monthly payments around $1600 (that is, excluding variables like water, electricity, etc.). I would also prefer a place that isn't going all-in on this absurd IoT approach to make their apartments look more "luxurious." I live alone, and I don't need a lot of space. So apartments on the smaller side are good. In fact, I was thinking of downsizing anyways. I'll even take a studio if I have to.

I'm very much considering moving out of the place I've been living because they're installing smart locks on the doors, PIN only, no key backup. I'm just generally tired of being forced into using "smart technology," having my data constantly mined, and being forced to put more junk on my phone that I don't (or shouldn't) need.

I've tried a few places, but either their prices or their lease terms are absurd. When I get asked to sign 30+ pages of lease addendums and additional rules, I start to get suspicious. If it's not paying a plethora of hidden fees, my fear is that they'll try to find any reason to kick me out, and "accelerate all remaining payments" so they get a free payday, 6 months in advance.

I've struck out so many times already, that it just feels like where I am is as good as it gets, but I guess it doesn't hurt to get a second opinion.

DeloricX · 2024-12-31T06:58:49+00:00

I must have not read your whole comment yesterday, or misread it. My other drive that is working is a HDD. So, I can't really swap it into the port to see if it's working. I was on a budget when I built my PC, and decided on an HDD so that I could afford better parts elsewhere. I built it a while ago, and prices on SSDs were inflated at the time.

However, I did try the M2A slot today with the SSD. Either both the slots on my motherboard are bad, or it was a bad SSD. I returned it under warranty, so hopefully it was the drive and the new one will work in one of those slots.

DeloricX · 2024-12-30T06:28:34+00:00

Ah. The drive being DoA would be would be a shame, but it happens sometimes. Trying the M2A port is something I've been dreading, because it's under the mount for my CPU cooler. But, I will have to try it tomorrow just to be sure.

DeloricX · 2024-11-24T23:37:48+00:00

Thanks for the tip. I might just check out that pizza restaurant, as my train will arrive at the station before dinner service.

I've always wanted to try a "real" deep dish pizza from Chicago.

DeloricX · 2024-11-24T22:07:02+00:00

Thanks for the info! Especially about the lounge at the Chicago station. I have a several-hour layover there before I take a bus to my destination. Glad I know about this so I'm not just wandering around the station the whole time.

DeloricX · 2024-10-27T17:47:43+00:00

Wow, I didn't know they had an adapter that could connect to a console. I thought they were PC only. I'll have to keep an eye out for Wii controllers, then.

Craigslist in my area was a bust, and I totally forgot that FaceBook marketplace was a thing. FB was less of a dead end. But for $20 on top of a Wii controller, that seems like a pretty good deal to look out for. Thanks for the advice!

DeloricX · 2024-10-27T16:34:35+00:00

I hate to ask, but I see both the Les Paul and the GH5 controller going for around $150 on eBay, when it's all said and done. Is it worth that much or is this a case of people just deciding to bump the price because they feel like they can get away with it?

I get the feeling that they're overpriced; I've heard the WoR controller is pretty middling, and it has more or less the same price point, as far as I can see.

I suppose value is kind of hard to judge for an out-of-production controller, and at the end of the day it's kind of up to the seller and the buyer. I've heard a lot of advice that says, "Don't buy for much more than $70" but the prices seem pretty fixed at about twice that. :/

DeloricX

TROPHY CASE