It may be surprising to you, but not having any debts isn’t going to give you a better credit score. This is because, to build up your credit, you must to be using some form of credit. You aren’t going to be able to build credit on nothing. It seems somewhat silly that not going into debt wouldn’t help improve your score, but it’s true.

The way this works is that the credit bureaus pay attention to how you have used the credit lines in your use. They want to know how well you pay your debts and they want to make sure that you pay your debts in a timely manner. Not having any credit use doesn’t give you a perfect score, it will actually cause harm to your credit. You don’t need to bring yourself really down into debt to do this.

The secret is to be using your credit line, but to get your bills paid off as fast as you possibly can. This is what is going to help you to get decent score. You can keep track of your score by going to a variety of web sites that are set up by the credit bureaus. You will want to make sure that all your good activities are being reported correctly.

If you’re like most people, one of your least favorite things is looking at all of the bills that are due before the month is over. From basic utilities to luxuries, they add up quickly. However, it’s possible to lessen the tension you feel by closely monitoring where your money goes each month.

It’s quite likely you’ll find there are expenses you can eliminate just by considering how necessary they really are, in the big picture. There are also a couple changes you can make that may result in big savings quickly, with next- to- no discomfort.

Consider your cell phone costs, for instance. Most cell providers- and even some phones themselves- provide detailed data on how much of each aspect of your service is being used each month. Tracking your- and your family’s- usage over a few months period will reveal if you’re paying your provider for more service than you need. If you discover you are, you can save money almost instantly by switching plans.

Another way to save money, in the long term, is by paying more on your credit card debt. That may take a bit of budget adjustment, but it will save you a great deal in interest payments in the end. Then again, if you’ve adjusted your phone plan, you could use the savings there to pay down your credit card.