My credit score jumped up 30 points.  YIPEE!!     I've been working on this, so it's nice to see proof of my progress.  One of my credit cards gives me a monthly credit score, so I can track it regularly.  I was so bummed last month and the month before when it didn't go up.  Now I am a happy girl. 

 
That is AWESOME! God, do I ENVEY you! Way to go!

Any advice for a credit challenged person like myself? Just curious, did student loan debt figure in to your previous credit problems?

The only problem I have related to my student loans are that they add to my total debt.  But I was able to consolidate my student loans into one loan at a fixed interest rate that is between 2-3%, so I don't worry about that debt as much as my credit card debt.  I have three major problems:  paying my bills on time; the ratio of balance to limit on my cards; and my total debt.

Paying my bills on time is the one I kick myself for the most.  It makes a HUGE difference in people's credit scores and is easy to do.  I was just asleep at the wheel on how this would affect my score.  Now I have as many things as possible set up on automatic payment and am diligent about paying the others on time.

The balance-to-credit-limit ratio on each card is another one.  I've done some homework and it is best to keep the balance at 30% or less than the limit.  A lot of people think they're doing themselves a favor by consolidating onto one card, but depending on people's individual situations, that could actually hurt their score.  That would be based on more than a single factor, though, so no advice is intended! 

Then, of course, there's my total debt.  I played around a lot in my college years and my 20s and I'm paying a very large price for it.  I looked at my open-to-buy on my credit cards as my savings account as well as my spending allotment.  If I had the open to buy, I used it!  I am moving past the shame - which is enormous - and am actually doing something about it.

You should check your credit score periodically.  My credit was registered $300 for money owed to creditors and I could never figure it out b/c I pay all my bills on time.  There was another girl in the state I was living in that had the same name around the same age and used the same bank and they somehow her charges on my credit!  Dispute things you are unsure of on your credit.  Also, if you were late on something and that company reported you to the credit bureau, call the company and ask them to remove that bad mark and they will contact the credit bureau and do it most times if you have a good reason for being late.  I was 2 mths late on a Pier 1 bill a few years back b/c I moved and it didn't make it to the right address.  I called Pier 1 last March and asked them if there was any way to remove it and they did it for me.  My credit score jumped up the next month. 

Good luck!

Student loans have a huge effect on your debt to income ratio. For self employed people like us, verifying income and proving financial stability are always issues. For some reason, most lenders don't really like the fact that I write my own paychecks!

So, the only verifiable proof of income I can show is our joint tax return - after deductions and itemizations... So, even though I am paying my student loans, they still seriously hurt me credit-wise, because while my income is difficult to "verify," while the student loan debt is there in plain print.

That's great Heather! 

Mine actually just went down a couple points, despite paying off all my debt completely (except student loan of course).  DH says it's probably because we just got our mortgage.