How I Raised my Credit Score

I finally did it – I raised my credit score after struggling with my finances. There was a time when I had bad credit, which affected my life in a lot of ways. The summary is that having bad credit made my life difficult.

I wasn’t eligible for the lower loan rates when I purchased my car, and the interest rate was so high for the mortgages that were available to me that I had to put off buying a home. It was a wake up call. But I finally did it. My credit score is now higher than it was before I messed it up.

How did I do it? Well, I had to totally rethink how I felt about money and break some bad habits. Once I did that, I was able to make the changes I needed to be successful.

Be Responsible with Money

Essentially, I needed to repair my finances. To do that, I had to get out of debt and learn how to manage my money. I had a steady job but I still managed to destroy my credit. I spent so much money that I used my credit cards for everything until I got into debt. The first thing I did was tear up my credit card and use cash and my check book for everything. I created a budget and stuck with it.

Get Professional Help

If your credit card is extremely low, or your debt seems insurmountable, it may be time to get professional help. Or read a few books and educate yourself about money. I had a combination of professional help and

Pay the Bills First

I knew I needed to pay my basic bills first. I had fallen a few months behind on my utility payments and other bills. The first order of business was that I had to pay the important bills and to not fall further behind with these bills. That was the first step.

Work on the Credit Card Debt

The next step in explaining how I raised my credit score is to tell you that I worked extra hard for almost a year but I finally managed to pay off all my credit card debt. Once I started to do that, my score started to go back up. I wasn’t even paying the minimum payment and that is one of the reasons why my credit score got as low as it did. The process of paying it off really made the difference.

Don’t Be Afraid to Use Your Card

After you do get yourself out of debt, don’t be afraid to continue using your credit cards. It can actually help your score especially if you’ve had the card or cards for several years. Just be sure to only spend as much as you can afford. By paying off the bill each month, you will help raise your score.

I successfully raised my credit score by getting control of my finances and paying off my debt. If you have a lot of debt, you can easily follow my footsteps.