Funny Money Friday: Are you a credit geek? Enter our contest!

Each week, CreditBloggers.com takes a look at the lighter side of the personal finance week in a series we call "Funny Money Friday."

CreditBloggers.com includes a team of credit experts who post about personal finance topics. While each expert has their own unique specialty, we are all united by our "credit geekness." We love this stuff! With a nod to Jeff Foxworthy, you might be a credit geek if…

• You have accidentally spelled "fish" with a "ph" on your grocery list.
• You track your credit scores more closely than your weight
• Forget Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie! You consider the launch of the VantageScore to be the biggest scandal of the year.
• You call credit cards "tradelines."
• You get a headache each time someone mentions the "fact" that checking your credit data damages your credit reports.
• You lecture retail store clerks about the negatives of opening store credit cards.
• You sign up to tour Equifax headquarters instead of the Coca-Cola factory on your trip to Atlanta.
• You bring up identity theft and debt statistics at cocktail parties.

Are you a credit geek too? Enter your best "You might be a credit geek if..." saying in the comments section below. The best entry received before Wednesday next week will receive a free copy of the book Identity Theft: How to Protect your Name. Our previous contest winner was MyMoneyForest.

Comments

[Dave Bascom]

You might be a credit geek if you...

Ask to see his credit reports (yes all three bureaus) before you agree to a first date.

Your idea of a relaxing weekend is to curl up on the sofa and review your credit report for errors.

You give all your friends the same wedding gift--a copy of Evan Hendricks' book, "Credit Scores and Creidt Reports".

[Tman]

You might be a credit geek if...

You have a newsreader consisting entirely of IDtheft and credit news blogs.

You could probably recite verbatim FACTA.

You are more fired up about HR 3997 than any other legislation in congress.

[LizS]

You might be a credit geek if:

- You start a website because you're tired of people asking you the same questions over and over again about credit and credit reporting. Now you can just refer them to your website for the FAQ.

- You read the terms and conditions on every credit offer you get in the mail simply for the entertainment value.

- You feel the need to share with your friends how entertaining these offers are. "For real! MBNA expects me to take out a line of credit with NO CAP on the transaction fee! Can you believe those losers!?!

- You discover that some credit card companies won't let you pay your credit card more than once in a 24 hour period. *cough* Capital One *cough* (This is my husband's favorite story to tell people.)

- You ask your spouse what makes you a credit geek and he replies, "I don't have the time to answer that question!"

Venturing a little outside of credit:

- You contact Kiplinger to correct them on how to calculate property tax rates in an article about where the best places to retire are. (They said PA rated lowest because of property taxes in Harrisburg and I contacted Dauphin County to learn their specific method of calcuation to prove Kiplinger wrong.)

[SingleMom]

"You might be a credit geek if..."

You know the FDCPA and FCRA like the back of your hand.

You can answer a credit question with a direct quote that is verbatim from one of the above.

You get tense when someone asks for your social security number.

You know the exact day of the month each of your creditors update to all 3 bureaus.

You know the 4th bureau but you think they suck because hardly anybody is reporting to them right now.

You know the difference between a hard and soft inquiry.

You think it's cool to have lots of credit cards with very high limits because you know how to maximize the benefits of each while paying zero interest.

You find yourself explaining how credit works to your mortgage broker.

You can type a validation letter in less than 10 seconds.

You own stock in FICO.

[EmilyPeters]

I'm blown away by these great entries! Hooray for credit geeks!