CreditKarma.com

... is a great tool. I don't have much time, but in my quick 5-minute brain break I just took, I was able to log into this nifty little site, update my credit score to see how it compares to the last time (last updated in November 2009), and play around with the Credit Simulator to get myself motivated to make some financial changes in my life.

Surprisingly, it stayed the same.

Unfortunately, it's not good.

Also unfortunately, it dropped when I moved home and has stayed at that number since.

I need to get myself back into the 700's. There's really no reason for me to be hanging low right now. I had a 710 at one point, carrying the debt that I still have today. I've only vaguely used my credit cards over the past few months, as I was job searching upon the move back to the bitter north. Now I'm sitting restlessly at a 688. I'm in the 70% range for my age. Meh... I wouldn't judge my well-being against my generation. My hope is that I can take my (albeit small) tax return, pay off half of my smallest-balance credit card, and then work on nixing that other half in two months or less. Mentally, that's what I have to do. Then I'll be down to two credit cards to focus my attention... and I'll be working my ass off covering for two women on maternity leave (read: I'm completely by myself covering the duties of the marketing department as they're on baby-leave) so the OT should be flowing in. I may not have a life, but I just might come out of the spring season with a better financial life if I can stay focused.

Staying focused on work will prove my skills... get me more OT money... get the job done... get me out of debt... and potentially turn into a job after all is said and done. And you know what? If I can get real with my life and pay off this debt... I just might reward myself with a scooter come end-of-summer with all that freed-up cash that I'll have in my weekly pay.

So what am I waiting for!