Two years ago my score was 650. I got quoted a brutal rate on a lease, got handed a deposit number that felt like a punishment, and decided to learn how the system actually works instead of paying someone $150/mo to "fix" it for me.
So I did it myself. Read the FCRA. Sent my own dispute letters - certified mail, green cards, calendar reminders. Learned that utilization moves scores faster than almost anything. Tracked everything in a spreadsheet that got uglier and more useful every month.
It worked. And the spreadsheet became this. Credit Climb is everything I built for myself, turned into tools anyone can use - with my whole climb documented publicly so you can see the receipts.
- the climber (yes, really anonymous - the work is the point)