Just a 47-year-old mom of 2 in Northern California. My kids are Monkey Monkey(MM) and Drama Llama (DL). I am married to Monkey Hubby (MH). Check out your free FICO score from Equifax:
My score - 768 (Matches my Transunion FICO which I get free from WAMU)
Dh - 808
This is the first that I confirmed that dh crossed the 800 threshhold. I get my score free all the time, but don't know if I have ever seen his. Last we pre-approved for a home, I was told my score was higher and in the 800s.
So I know I had crossed 800 in 2006, but not sure if I have been there since.
We both took on some BTs and dh's was paid back quite a few months ago.
Mine is till outstanding - thus my score is still a little lower than usual. But somehow I think I will survive.
You can see the $25k credit arbitrage (divided between the 2 of us) has had little long term effect on our scores.
& have I mentioned before that I always close all my old cards when I no longer use them? One less card for ID thieves, if you ask me. My caveat is since we had had a mortgage for so long (almost 9 years) that the length of our credit card history no longer really matters. I personally only have an official "5 years" of credit card history though I have had credit cards since I was 16 (so for 15 years). I've closed all the ones I had in high school and college. I've gotten better rewards cards since.
I share because I still have a rather excellent credit score. I do everything "wrong," I've never been too concerned about it, and yeah, I would do it all wrong again.
Don't freak out too much about your FICO. If you are trying to bring up a lower score, only then is when all of this stuff really matters. When you need every point you can get!!!But yeah, at the end of the day, 768 or 808, there really is no difference.
Anyway, take advantage of the free offer!