How to Fix Your Credit Without Going Broke
Credit repair can be daunting, but you can do it! All on your own. Learn how to fix your credit for free (or almost free). Check it out!
Nearly 46% of consumers say they typically consider making a financial resolution – up 31% since the first year of the survey in 2009. The top 3 financial resolutions? Saving more (52%), spending less (19%) and paying off debt (19%).
Here are some ways to fix credit that may already have become negative without paying too much and qualify for a home loan. Adrian Nazari, CEO and founder of CreditSesame.com, is available to talk about how consumers can start 2013 on the right financial foot, as well as discuss the top 3 financial resolutions and what consumers can do to address them including saving more, spending less and paying off debt.
Saving More to Fix Your Credit
There are lots of small steps that we can take to achieve this resolution so choose options that fit the best with your lifestyle. Create a budget. Have more money automatically withdrawn from your paycheck and put in your 401k. Bring your lunch to work more frequently. Whatever it takes to save a penny, go for it.You can use this free Savings Calculator to see what a difference small deposits can make over time. For me, it’s motivational to know just how much closer I’ll be getting to my goals.
There are websites out there that will allow you to set a goal. If you achieve it, nothing happens, but if you don’t achieve it, the site will charge your credit card and donate money to a charity whose cause you hate.
Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay
Spending Less
The best place to start is by evaluating your current expenses. Do you really need cable television or can you make do without? What about that monthly subscription to Netflix or your 10 magazine subscriptions? Is now really the best time to buy that new couch or could you find one for free?
One of the easiest and most overlooked ways to spend less is by re-evaluating your debt and improving your credit score. Consumers with better credit scores have better interest rates. Credit Sesame has found that 1 in 3 Americans are overpaying $541 a month on their loans. By refinancing, consumers could quickly save hundreds of dollars every year without having to make significant cuts to their budget.
Paying Off Debt Raises Your Credit
After taking a look at your holiday shopping credit card bill, you may (unsurprisingly) groan and vow to pay off your debt as quickly as possible. However, according the Journal of Marketing Research, consumers often go about paying their debt down the wrong way – and it can cost them in the long run.
Most consumers will choose to pay off the smallest balances first, rather than the balance with the highest interest rates. Depending on the amount of debt and the different interest rates, the savings could add up. Consider using an interest rate calculator to determine how much you should pay.
*Debt
General
Consumers who are serious about their finances should also consider signing up for free credit monitoring from Credit Sesame. Not only will credit monitoring allow us to stay on top of their credit, but you’ll receive alerts when important changes occur.
This makes it easy for us to know where they stand financially, if their identity has been compromised and keep track of what’s reported to the credit bureaus.
While it isn’t always simple to fix your credit, it is definitely doable. For the negative things already on your credit, we’ve got 3 examples of letters you can send to get things either removed completely from your credit.
You can also check out some more free budget tools on my post: How to Unlock Reliable Financial Freedom.
Consumers may address a lot of debt issues with minimal stress using Credit Sesame. I love it! Thanks for sharing!
I have used it as well, but my go too is Credit Kharma.