Sunday, December 9, 2012

Seven Ways to Tackle Bad Credit


For anyone with a bad credit rating, the problems which are inherent with this situation are all too familiar. Bad credit is often an indication that you have County Court Judgments (CCJs) against you and this can be a major deterrent to future creditors.

For those in this situation, addressing their credit rating with the intention of improving it is a major priority – but how exactly can you tackle bad credit?

1. Change your spending habits

The first step in tackling bad credit is to address the source of the problem – and this is usually your spending habits. Review how much you spend on a regular basis and identify areas in which you can make cut backs. These don’t always have to be drastic measures and sometimes even small changes can have a profound difference.

2. Improve your home

Some of the largest expenditures which consumers face are related to the home. Making improvements to this area, such as reducing energy consumption, are a great way to tackle high costs and can be relatively easy to implement.

3. Pay on time

If you have any outstanding debts or repayments for bad credit loans then it is important that you pay these on time. Failure to do so will see you fall into further debt, facing higher repayments as a result. This will not help you to become debt free and will directly influence your credit rating.

4. Take loans

It may seem strange, but taking loans can often be a viable way of improving your credit rating. This is because loans which are specifically designed for those with poor credit ratings are intended to be easier to repay and thus help you prove your ability to keep to financial commitments. This can then improve your credit rating with both short and long term loans for bad credit available.

5. Track your finances

One of the biggest problems which individuals encounter when in debt is an inability to keep track of what payments they need to make. This can lead to missed payments, causing the individual to fall into further debt and thus negatively affecting their credit rating. To address this problem, keep a comprehensive list of both your incoming and outgoing finances and balance these at the end of each month.

6. Identify problems

Without knowledge of the problem, there can be no solution so it is important that you identify where it is that your financial management is going awry. Look for areas where you regularly overspend or consider whether you have too many outgoings occurring at a particular time of the month and amend as necessary.

7. Negotiate with creditors

If you find that you are struggling to make repayments then it is important that you speak to your creditors. More often than not they will be willing to negotiate an alternative schedule with you. This will make it easier for you to meet your financial commitments – giving you less to worry about and ensuring your credit rating is not worsened through missed repayments.

source: marriedwithdebt.com