The 12 Days of Increasing Your Credit Score

With the recent mortgage and housing industry going bust, a lot of us are turning to the three major credit bureaus learning about that magic "3-digit number". That's right! I am talking about your credit score. Though you can see your score or report, most people are wondering: "What can I do to increase my score"?
So here is a rough list of things that you can do to increase your credit score BEFORE you call your broker or that mortgage company or buy a car as well as some helpful information:

1. When you go shopping, leave your credit card home.

Now why would I do that??
Well not only are you 100% more likely to make a purchase if you have a credit card with you, but did you know on average it will cost you 112% of the purchase price? That's right...even though that sale may look good at 10% off, when you put it on that credit card and don't pay it off at the end of the month, guess what: that great sales price not only disappeared, but ended up costing you more than you were willing to pay for it in the first place. Who wins? Your credit card company wins. It's no wonder more and more stores out there offer you 10-20% discounts to use their card because they know you will pay more in the long run than the sales price anyway! So just bring your debit card and use only the budget you have, or go with the checkbook if you are a part of my parent's generation :)