Thank you to Lexington Law for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own. 

Have you ever had a ding on your credit report? Take it from someone who made ALL THE CREDIT MISTAKES in their early 20’s solving them ASAP will relieve so much stress. Today I am sharing mistakes you are making with your credit and how you can stop them now. These are such good nuggets of advice that you may have not thought of before.

Mistakes You Are Making With Your Credit (How To Stop Them Now)

 

• You’re maxing out cards: DO NOT DO THIS! I have been there and trust me it never ends well. You will feel stressed, you will feel embarrassed, and you will have to dig yourself out of a mess. Credit utilization should never go over 30% so do not use more than 30% of your revolving credit on your cards. How to stop: Ask yourself is it a want or a need. If it’s a want give it a few days and think about it.
• You have too many hard inquiries: Stop applying for cards, loans, etc back to back. I try to not have more than one hard inquiry a year if possible. It can ding your credit and sometimes take a year to bump off. How to stop: Don’t apply for things on a whim. Only if they are necessary like a house, a car, or a student loan.
• You’re paying bills late: Paying bills late can really hurt you. Late payments are NEVER good. How to stop: Set up automatic payments for recurring bills, set reminders in your phone/calendar, pay bills as soon as they come. Easy peasy.
• You aren’t keeping track of your credit: THE BIGGEST MISTAKE you are making is not monitoring your credit and keeping track of it. You need to run your credit, go through it with a fine-tooth comb, and dispute things. How to stop:  Lexington Law can majorly help you clean your credit up. They can pull your credit with their free consultation. They can also help you monitor and analyze your credit for the future to know what to do long-term.
• You aren’t shopping around for interest rates: For student loans, homes, cars, credit cards, even medical bills you can shop around for rates and deals. If you aren’t doing this you are just losing money! How to stop: Take the extra time to compare and call the companies and flat out ask “can I get a lower rate?” Worse they can say is NO! Best case they can help you!
• You aren’t asking for help: You aren’t asking for help if you need a loan from a family member to pay off something that can hurt you long-term. You aren’t asking for help from a company like Lexington Law to get your credit in better shape. You aren’t asking for help going over what you may be doing wrong. How to stop: Plain and simple ask for help. When I was trying to get my credit together I sat down with my dad and went through everything and he gave me great guidance and advice on what to do. I only wish I knew that a place like Lexington Law existed to help me! So if you need help at least reach out to them for a free consultation! Nothing ventured nothing gained as my mom always says.

Everyone makes mistakes and trust me when I say I have made EVERY mistake listed above. I have seen my credit score super low and I have also seen it above 800 for the last many years. I worked hard and stopped making these mistakes and you can too!

Have you ever made one of these mistakes with your credit? What did you learn?