This year, me and my husband’s main goal was to increase our credit scores. We already had open lines of credit through multiple credit cards and loans. We were paying all of our bills on time each month, but just didn’t have the scores we wanted. Here are the 3 steps we took in drastically improving our credit scores in a matter of months/less than a year.

Before we even began, we got a copy of our credit score for two reasons. The first reason was to find out our credit score and the second was to see what was on our credit. A copy of your credit report is a road map to show what you’re doing right and wrong concerning your credit. You’d be surprised at how many people don’t know their credit score making them easy prey for higher interest rates and payments when applying for home, car, or personal loans. Since we already had credit cards, we also checked with them to see if they offered credit monitoring services which gave us instant access to our credit score.

Here’s the steps we took to increase our credit score:

1. Applied for More Credit – My husband and I applied for credit in order to have more lines of available credit. For us, this was done through obtaining more credit cards. After seeing our credit, our scores helped determine which kind of credit cards to apply for. If under a 700-credit score, we didn’t want to apply to credit cards reserved for those with top tier credit. That person would need to look for credit cards that catered to fair credit. If under a 650, it’s better to look for credit cards for challenged/ bad/poor credit. For the times we didn’t want to apply for more credit cards, we called our credit card companies and asked for a credit line increase. Whichever route we took, the reason was to increase the amount of credit entrusted to us. For those of you not already a Capital One primary credit cardholder, right now, Capital One is offering a chance for me and you to earn $100 simply by getting approved. Here is the link: https://capital.one/3qaonM9.
2. Watched My Spending – This step helped my score increase dramatically more than my husband’s which made him take notice and implement into his spending as well. I don’t spend over 30% of my credit limit on my credit cards. Thereby making my credit to reflect more available credit than used credit. Furthermore, at one point, I didn’t wait for credit card statements, I paid the entire balance off rather than just the balance due for that month. Some of our cards, don’t have limits, for those, we simply pay off the entire balance each month. For me, in the long run, I think waiting for my statement date before I paid the balance due helped me out more.
3. Disputed Negative Balances – This is controversial because half the time it worked for us, the other half, against us. My husband disputed old stuff on his credit by reporting it with the 3 major credit reporting agencies. They then reached out to said companies in an effort to find out if the debt is legit or not. If the company we “may or may not have” owed the debt to didn’t respond, the reporting agency will then have the debt removed from our credit, but it worked against my husband in some instances because it brought the debt to the attention of the companies who then decided to pursue the debt. Waiting 7 to 10 years for negative charges to drop from your credit can be a challenge, but this year, most of the negative stuff he had from a previous business dropped off his credit which dramatically increased his score.
   

Stay tuned because next month, I will share with you what my husband and I do for our kids before they turn 18.

The information contained herein is provided for free and is to be used for educational and informational purposes only. I am sharing MY story of what we did to improve our credit score. I am not a credit repair organization as defined under federal or state law and do not provide “credit repair” services or advice or assistance regarding “rebuilding” or “improving” YOUR credit. Articles provided in connection with this blog are general in nature, provided for informational purposes only, and are not a substitute for individualized professional advice. I make no representation that I will improve or attempt to improve YOUR credit record, history, or rating through the use of the resources or education provided through Shebecomesher.com. By clicking on links on this blog, I may be compensated or receive a referral fee.