I sure hope that my entry gets counted - for some reason I thought we were supposed to post our results on December 1, and today I realized it was supposed to get posted today, but I was at work and didn’t get home until after 1AM EST . . . so I’m hoping that this goes through by the deadline of 11:59PM PST!

This post is very picture heavy, so read on at your own peril !

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In an effort to get a better handle on my finances, I’ve started to learn about credit . . . specifically, the magical credit score that determines all of your financial future. It influences your ability to obtain a credit card (and the card’s interest rate and credit limit), mortgage, loan, or any other number of things that I may or may not need to do in the future. Poor financial decisions will create bad credit which limits what you can and cannot do in the future.

One of the best things you can do for your personal financial health is to regularly check your credit report. It is now FREE to obtain a copy of your credit report once a year from each of the three credit reporting bureaus. Because of this, many financial advisers are now recommending that every four months you check your credit report.

What exactly is this credit report, and why do you need to check it so often? It is a listing of all the accounts that you have on record. Remember that credit card that you opened at the mall one day three years ago and only used once? It’s on your credit report, and every time an employer/lender/bank/etc. checks your credit, they see this card. You forgot to pay your cable bill when you moved to a new state? You’ve got a missed payment on your credit report that shows up and detracts from your credit! Or perhaps you thought you paid off that outstanding rent payment, but for some reason it’s still there . . . four years later, giving you bad credit. It’s important to keep tabs on your credit report so that you know what is happening in your life. This can also be VERY useful if you think you may have been a victim of identity theft, because if someone else has been doing things in your name that you don’t know of, this is where you can catch it.

However, there are scams out there trying to GET all your credit information by posing as “free credit report” websites. Don’t be fooled! THE website to go to is AnnualCreditReport.com. This one is not a scam and is safe to use. You can go to this site to get your report from Equifax, TransUnion, or Experian (the three reporting bureaus). They also make it available to get your actual credit score, but this costs a little money (I got mine from TransUnion for $7.95). From what I’ve researched, it’s recommended that you get your credit REPORT every four months (since it’s free) and your credit SCORE once a year, just so you know where you stand.

I was quite pleasantly surprised when I checked mine. I figured since I’ve only been building my credit for about 18 months that it would not be very good, and there wouldn’t be much information, but there was quite a bit on there, including an account that I had forgotten about. The report also gave me some thoughts as to why my score isn’t higher (accounts haven’t been open really long and I don’t have any involvement with real estate).

You can find way more information on credit by reading any good personal finance blog (check out the links in my sidebar). For more specific information about this topic, read How to Obtain Your Free Credit Report @ Get Rich Slowly.

Taking control of your financial situation by keeping tabs on your credit? Works for me!

OK, you might be asking where I’ve been all week. Things have been a bit crazy.

A co-worker of mine was diagnosed with lung cancer this past spring. She has had a very difficult treatment period, and I (along with 3 or 4 others) have been coordinating meals for the family, getting the word out about her progress, etc.

On October 12 Charmaine was taken to hospice, and she passed away around 10:30 Saturday morning. This has been a difficult week because she was very cautious about letting people see her during her treatment, so there were a lot of people who were unable to say good bye to her before she moved on. I have been working with a few others to facilitate funeral arrangements (flowers, getting the info out, financials, etc.), and her funeral was this past Thursday.

It has been an emotionally exhausting week, though I can’t be thankful enough that she is no longer in pain. Now I pray for her husband (who has MS) and her daughter (who is my age), that they may be able to find some kind of normalcy and be able to eased of their pain.

Hopefully I will resume a bit more regular posting this week - things have just been too hectic this week.

On a bit more of a positive note, I have an interview in an hour with our district manager - hopefully I will soon be a shift supervisor at my store! Yay Starbucks!

As we round the corner into the holiday season, I (like every other blogger) am taking a look at what I am thankful for. I could say my faith, my health, my citizenship . . . a number of wonderful things that I am VERY thankful for.

But the one I would like to mention specifically is my parents. I really could not ask for better parents. My parents and I have (and have always had) a wonderful relationship. I hear so many horror stories about people who have a falling out with their parents, people whose parents are unaccepting or have no respect. Teens who fight with their parents and children who are beaten by them.

Not only are none of these the case for me, but we love each other VERY much, and we have very active, open communication. Most days I feel as though my day isn’t complete if I haven’t at least touched base with Mama and Daddy. More often than not Mama and I have 1/2 hour to an hour conversations every day. There are some days where we may call back and forth 2 or even 3 times in a single day.

I have always felt this way about my parents, but this Thanksgiving I am particularly thankful for them. I graduated college, and they have supported me emotionally and financially. When I was so miserable in the graduate program I was in, they listened to me crying like an idiot over the phone, and then when I said I wanted to drop out, they supported me fully in my decision. I cannot imagine what the past few months would have been like without their love, respect, and assistance.

I aspire to be the kind of mother that my mother is, and I hope to one day find a man as honorable and loving as my father. And if I’m lucky, we’ll be great parents like the ones that I have been so blessed with!

This post is also posted at Reading Red Letters, my faith blog!