Tisn't the Season to be in Debt

Hi all! With the holidays fast approaching, we run the risk of trying to purchase well above our means. That means we feel pressured and compelled to make credit card purchases for most of our gifts. While this seems like a quick and easy solution, credit card debt can definitely become overwhelming once the novelty has warn off. Now don't get me wrong, credit cards aren't inherently bad. They can even help you build up a credit score, but there are plenty of opportunities for pitfalls and misdirection when it comes to credit card usage. I will be discussing some lesser known credit card myths and do my best to debunk them.

Myth 1:

• Using a credit card for all purchases will increase a credit score

This is a huge myth because while yes credit cards can help you credit score, they can also hurt it. If you are wracking up high rates of spending, and only paying the minimum, you risk your credit score dropping.  Essentially, you are spending more than you can pay.

Myth 2:

• Applying for multiple lines of credit at one time won’t hurt my score

Unfortunately, this hurts your score because for every line of credit you open, your average account age lowers. As a result, your score may potentially take a dive. It also makes you look like a risky borrower, if all the lines are new.

Myth 3:

• Closing the account with the highest credit allowance/limit is better for your score than closing a lower limit account

 The main issue with this is that say you have four accounts: Three accounts are a limit of $500 each and one of the accounts is a $1000 limit. If you maxed out the three cards at the $500 limit, but have paid off the $1000 card and closed it. Before, it looked like you owed $1500 out of $2500, which isn't very good, but compared to owing $1500 out of $1500, it wouldn't have hurt your credit score as bad. When in doubt, look at the amounts owed on all cards collectively before considering closing out a high limit card.

Myth 4:

• Closing the oldest account can help my credit score

The primary issue with closing out the oldest account is that it makes your credit history look shorter by lowering your account age.

Myth 5:

• Tossing out old cards will make your account disappear

This is a big myth in the sense that unless you actively work to close your own accounts, they will not close on their own. Be sure to pay off your balances, call the customer service department, and insist that they close your account. Typically, upon closing an account, you'll receive letter confirmation about the account closing within a week or so. If you don't get that confirmation, be sure to call the customer service line again.

Lastly, remember to monitor your accounts in order to notice and address unexpected or authorized activity that could seriously hurt your credit report. When it comes to disputing errors that appear on your credit report, always address discrepancies immediately to avoid lasting damage.

I hope that my debunking of myths was useful to you, and be sure to check out the following guide to learn more about how a poor credit score can affect your financial health!

Let me know in the comments below what tips you have for people using credit during the holidays.


Till Next Time!

-Hachi

Spring Favorites - 2017

I decided to do the Spring Favorites tag to mark the end of the first full month of my second favorite season! :)

Favorite Spring Lip Color: Mangoes Wild (Juicy Shaker) - Lancome
It took me a long time to make this purchase because I am one of those people that likes to try out a color multiple times to determine if I really want to buy it. It is a little bit on the pricey side at $22 (U.S. prices). However, you can get a lot of usage out of it. Less is definitely more. Using bi-phase technology, the Juice Shaker series mixes various oils with colored pigment. Occasionally, depending on the color, there might be more subtlety in display. For instance, many reviewers have stated that Mint To Be does not show up as blue on the lips despite the pigment being blue. My color, Mangoes Wild shows up quite noticeably on my skin tone and displays a decent amount of shine that is not overwhelming.

Favorite Spring Drink: Strawberry Acai - Starbucks
I LOVE this drink a little too much. I even call it liquid gold. As someone, who has a big interest in healthy living, this drink is great. It's lower on both the carb level and calorie level for those who want to enjoy Starbucks, but don't enjoy the high calorie intake of the fraps or the "basicness" of iced coffee. It isn't too sweet, but not bitter like unsweetened tea. It has a good balance for those who aren't into sweet drinks, like me, but also for those with a slight sweet tooth. I recommend getting it without the dried strawberries because they can leave a bit of an odd aftertaste. Others also get it as "the pink drink" with coconut milk, or straight concentrate without water.

Favorite Spring Clothing: Superdry
I am obsessed with Superdry. It's a really nice brand from the U.K. and influenced by Japanese culture. I love the designs on the clothing and the usage of Japanese and English. I use almost all my super dry shirts as workout shirts. If you do #mysuperdry on Instagram, sometimes the company will like your posts and maybe even repost them.

Favorite Spring TV Show: Bomb Girls
I haven't got into any new TV shows lately, so I'll just mention one of my favorite shows that I watch over and over again. Anyone, who knows me well, knows that I am a huge WW2 history buff. I have seen most of the WW2 era TV shows and will always recommend shows to people. The one I am currently obsessed with is Bomb Girls. Bomb Girls takes place pre-bombing of Pearl Harbor. The show is set in Ontario, Canada, and revolves around the lives of women working in a munitions factory called Victory Munitions, which supplies bombs to the troops fighting against the Axis forces. This show has romance, topics about gender relations, sexuality, race relations, etc. It's an interest show to say the least. It's currently on Netflix and is two seasons and one tv movie (it unfortunately got cancelled, but the TV movie does it justice).

Favorite Spring Nail Color: Baby Blue
The last time I got my nails done was last spring. I don't typically get my nails professionally done, but sometimes I just have the desire to glam up. I got my nails done at Diamond Nails in Fullerton, CA. Cassidy is great when it comes to design work, so I recommend her.  On my Instagram, I have a photo of my nails from last year.  I am hoping to do a similar design again; it's so vintage and cute.

Favorite Spring Food: Grilled Shrimp Vermicelli Salad
I am really into light meals that fill you up, and vermicelli salad will definitely do that for you. Vemicelli salad usually includes: lettuce, cucumbers, bean sprouts, vermicelli noodles (not the standard Italian kind), peanuts, sweet and sour dressing, and whatever you would like to include in it ( shrimp, Vietnamese egg rolls, grilled chicken, beef, pork, etc). I really like the Pho Ha chain of restaurants in Southern California, but you could go to most Vietnamese restaurants and get it.

Me wearing the Mangoes Wild Juicy Shaker by Lancôme

I think that's all for my spring favorites list, but I'd like to do favorites for every season, and if any favorites change, I'll let you know.  What are your spring favorites of 2017? Let me know in the comments below. :)

Till Next Time!

-Hachi

Sweater Weather Tag

Hi all!

So sorry for the delay in blogs, I have been so busy with work, traveling back and forth between Northern CA, and Southern CA. I am back though! So I will do something a bit different in this blog and do a tag. Also I will be tagging all of my readers, that are also bloggers to do this tag. :)


Sweater Weather Tag:



1. Favorite candle scent? 

I really like Vanilla Bean scents. They are usually subtle and considering most candle scents make me sneeze my head off, these are heavenly.


2. Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate?

I am not a big fan of chocolate, so that would be the lowest point on the totem. I would have to choose tea, hands down. I used to have fourteen different flavors of tea at one point, but drank most of them. Coffee is ok on occasion, but tea is still my love. Green tea, especially <3


3. What's the best fall memory you have?

I think my best fall memory was when I was a little kid in elementary school off on the countryside in my hometown in the Central Valley of Northern CA, and I would play with my friends on the playground. We would gather all the leaves up and jump and roll around in them. Good times, good times. I still jump in leaves, btw. I enjoy the crunching sound they make when I step on them.  :)




4. Which makeup trend do you prefer: dark lips or winged eyeliner? 


I would have to say winged eyeliner. Mostly because I don't wear lipstick all too often, and all my lipstick is rather dark.




5. Best fragrance for fall?




I don't like seasonal smells, it goes along with things always making me sneeze. I can tolerate some Victoria Secret sprays though. Sweet Daydream is my staple. 


6. Favorite Thanksgiving food? 

Ham, because I am not a fan of turkey, to be honest. I also love sweet potatoes and marshmallows. Cannot stand stuffing though.


7. What is autumn weather like where you live?

It is currently hotter than the blazes here in Southern CA. Today it was 103F degrees (39C). Normally it's windy, with mild weather in the 50s-70s, depending where you are in California. It can also rain, and we actually have four days of rain in this coming week's forecast. Everyone knows we need the rain here in California.


8. Most worn sweater? 

My Lucky Brand jacket with Japanese artwork and graffiti all over it with Osaka and Tokyo written on it. I have had it for years. It's always covered in holes that keep being sewn up, but it's cozy and nostalgic.

9. Must-have nail polish this fall? 

No go-to's but I do like blues and purples.


10. Football games or jumping in leaf piles?

I like both lol.


11. Skinny jeans or leggings?

Leggings, because I only like boot cut jeans.


12. Combat boots or Uggs? 

Not a fan of Uggs, my feet get hot enough in normal shoes. I don't need all that extra fur making me overheated. Cowgirl Boots would personally be preferable for me. Norcal countryside lady, I am.


13. Is pumpkin spice worth the hype? 

No, but it's ok on occasion. I had a tall PSF today with soy. Not bad, but annoyingly overpriced.




14. Favorite fall TV show? 

Downton Abbey (since it originally comes on in the fall, although January in the US -_-)




15. What songs really gets you into the fall spirit?

All of the Nujabes beats because I love primarily instrumental music, and his music makes me feel at peace like fall does. "Horizon" is one of them :)



Hope you enjoyed my tag, and like I said I tag all of you readers to do it as well. :)



Till Next Time!

Hachi

September Favorites!

Hi Everyone! Happy September! We are inching closer to the greatest season ever! Fall, or autumn as I typically call it ! :) So I decided to do something a little different and list my favorite things about September.




PSL (Pumpkin Spice Lattes) -

Yes, I'm one of those lol However, I kind of prefer making my own drinks, so I think this year I will bet making my own. I know there isn't real pumpkin in it, because it's pumpkin pie spice haha (I'm a baker)

stock photo of PSL

Pho -

Well...technically it still feels hot as the blazes here in California, but I associate the coming of the autumn season with pho.  I actually had some yesterday because I was sick. Rare Beef Pho, please!

stock photo of pho

3/4 sleeve shirts -

They're really good for when it's not too hot, but not freezing cold. That'll probably be more useful as we get closer to the latter end of September.

stock photo of 3/4 sleeved shirt

Cardigans -

They are awesome go to's for those days, when you might want to cover up, but don't want to over heat.

stock photo of a cardigan

The changes in the leaves -

I love when the leaves change and fall to the ground. The crunch, crunch, crunch you hear as you walk on them or jump in leaves. Yes, I might be 24, but jumping in leaves never gets old haha.

stock photo of changing leaves

So that's a few of my September/start of autumn favorites.  Do you have any September favorites? Let me know in the comments below :)



Till next time!

Hachi