595

Chelsea and I were getting the final details settled on our mortgage over the weekend, and because we discovered some fishy things on my credit report on Friday that weren’t mine — a judgment against me from somebody I’ve never heard of and a couple of credit cards I’ve never had — we decided to check Chelsea’s credit Sunday night just so we were prepared in case anything weird came up on hers. The last time we checked, her credit (like mine) was excellent. Here was the conversation.

CHELSEA: So, can we check my credit tonight? How much does it cost?

ME: I think it’s $15 or something like that, not a big deal.

(I hop online and go to annualcreditreport.com, where you can see your credit reports from the three major bureaus each year for free. They charge a little extra for you to actually see your score.)

ME: Okay, everything looks good, accounts in good standing, no collections, no derogatory stuff.

(I make a few more clicks to get her score.)

ME: Oh, I’m sorry! It’s just five-ninety-five!

CHELSEA: What!?! My credit score has dropped to 595?

ME: No, I meant that it only costs $5.95 to get it! Your score is still great.

And that just goes to show what a difference a decimal makes!