There are a few things we can do upon setting out on the journey to clean credit up. The first thing would be to call all three credit reporting agencies to request a copy of your credit report. They allow one free one per year and and if you have ever been denied credit, you can request a copy for free at that point. The FICO score is what you are looking for but check also to see if there are any errors in your name, work history or reported credit. You have the right to challenge any inaccuracy therein.

The next thing you will want to do is sit down with your spouse and list all of the debts you have. This will require a little soul searching. Sometimes folks think they are in dire straits when it isn’t that bad and some folks are on the opposite end of that spectrum. The more they look, the more they find. It is a gut wrenching process but to clean credit up, it needs to be done. Once you have the list in front of you, put the debt in order from smallest to largest and knock out the smallest ones first. If for no other reason than to give you that sense of accomplishment.

You can also call the companies in which you are indebted and find out any kind of payment arrangements or settlement amounts. You can explain that you are getting ducks in a row to clean credit up and they will most likely work with you on the payments. They just want their money and they will do whatever they have to do to get it. So, they will meet you in the middle if that is all you can do.

The next thing would be to create a budget and stick to it. Make a weekly to do list with your bills, write down your monthly bills and try and throw in some of the debt on your list. This will become a game and will actually feel good to get things paid off. Remember that you are trying to clean credit up. So, once you pay something off, don’t go out and buy more stuff. Just keep at it until you are debt free!