Yes, I know it’s February, but I suspect that the resolutions you made on New Year’s Eve have all been set aside and forgotten. So why not try something a bit more realistic now that the pressure of losing weight and working out is over?
I would suggest that a great way to start (the rest of) 2017 is to take a look at your credit score, and see how you can improve it. With credit scores determining not only if you can purchase a home, your credit score also plays a big part in obtaining insurance, credit cards, etc.
If you’re planning on purchasing a home , the best thing to do is meet with a lender (and yes, I can make recommendations!). The lender will pull your credit and if changes need to be made, will make suggestions.
If you’re already a homeowner, or not yet ready to become one, you can pull your own report for free once a year at www.annualcreditreport.com
Once you know your “number” and if it needs improvement, here are 5 things you can do:
- If there are errors on your report, dispute them ~ it will take some time and effort but really help!
- Set monthly goals to pay down credit cards ~ start with the small ones and then use that money to tackle the larger ones!
- Set up payment reminders ~ it’s easy to forget a payment with so much going on in our busy lives, so my reminder system saves me once or twice a month!
- Set up auto pay on your accounts ~ but remember to have the money in the account when the payment comes out!
- Use cash whenever you can ~ but remember that having credit is a plus on your report so don’t close out accounts, just keep the balance low and pay on time!