If you have significant credit card debt you may feel like you are drowning and will never recover, but this is not true. While credit card debt is serious, there are ways you can repair your financial situation and dig yourself out of the hole you are in.
You may want to consider declaring Chapter 7 bankruptcy in order to get your credit back in order. Your credit card debt can be discharged when filing Chapter 7. However, after you file, you will still need to work on rebuilding your credit. Even though your debt is discharged, your credit score will take a hit during bankruptcy.
Rebuilding your credit score is a daunting task, but it can be done, with dedication and some work. Here are three tips that may help you rebuild:
Confirm your score
The first step you will want to take is to learn about your credit. Request to see a copy of your credit report so you know what your situation is. This will also give you the opportunity to spot any errors and see if there are any corrections you need to make. Just like anything else, there can be mistakes in your credit report that may bring down your score.
Stay consistent
Consistency is key in rebuilding credit. Try and keep your credit card usage low, so you stay within your limits. This can also help you keep payments small so you can pay off your bills in full every month. Paying your bills completely and on time and staying below your credit limit will help you raise your score.
Start fresh
After you have some experience with good credit habits, you may want to open a fresh credit card account. This new start can help you rebuild your credit and get back into good standing with creditors. However, be careful not to open too many new lines of credit, as this can reflect poorly on you.
There are many ways you can start rebuilding your credit and protecting it in the future. Credit card debt and bankruptcy are not the end of the world. There is hope for you after bankruptcy and getting back on a path to good credit is not hard with dedicated effort and work.
