Did you know you’re making history? Every time you pay a bill on time — or don’t pay it on time — you’re building your credit history. When you’re ready to make big purchases such as a home or car, this history will either come back to please you or haunt you. Preparing properly can help you to avoid a nightmare.

Here are a few suggestions for building and maintaining a good credit history:

Tip #1
Create a budget so you know exactly where all of your money is going. Keep daily records of everything you spend for a month and decide where you can cut. Sticking to a budget means you’ll always have money to pay the bills and therefore avoid late and missed payments.

Tip #2
Start a savings account and commit to contributing to it regularly. One reason people run into credit problems is that they don’t have cash on hand for everyday purchases.

Tip #3
Balance your checkbook regularly to prevent checks from bouncing. Too many bounced checks can have a negative impact on your credit report. Plus, bounced checks lead to increased bank fees, late fees from creditors, and derogatory marks on your credit. Often, you could be declined for a loan if you have even one late payment on a major account such as a car or mortgage in the past 90 days.

Tip #4
To avoid late fees from creditors, schedule automated minimum monthly payments directly debited from your checking account. This prevents potential issues such as mail delivery delays and forgetting to send in payments on time.

Tip #5
Review your credit report at least once a year. Mistakes do happen and if you erroneously have negative items on your credit report, you’ll want to know about it and address the issues sooner rather than later.  Credit repair service is much easier when the proper action can be taken right away.

For more credit-building tips, contact Dedicated Credit Repair for help. You can also learn more on our website, http://www.dcrusa.com