1) Get a credit reports on yourself and check out what is on them. To get yours free go to www.creditrepairsoft.com. You are allowed by U.S. law to get a free copy from each of the three major credit companies once every 12 months.

2) Once you have your credit reports, check them for accuracy. If there are any errors or things you disagree with, you are entiltled by the Fair Credit Reporting Act law to dispute anything in the report that is not accurate. Write to the credit reporting company and explain what the problems are. They will then investigate the matter and let you know what happens. If they find the information is not accurate, they will fix that on your credit report.

Unfortunately you can't remove anything negative that is accurate information about you. Only time can do that. But adding more good information does help.

3) If your credit needs repair, start work on it now. Start paying off old unpaid debts and loans, starting with the smallest ones.

4) Start paying more than the minimum payment on your current credit card payments.

5) Do not get into any new debt. This is essential. Make it a priority to get out of debt. Cut up (or lock up) the credit cards, if they are a problem for you. Make it a commitment to become debt free.

6) Live within your means. Make a budget and live by it.

7) Start saving money. If you have poor credit, it is much easier to buy a home or a car with a cash down payment, than without one.

Even the debts lowered may be subject to costly fees during the tax invasion season. If you are fortunate to find a debt consolidation program that will help you without charging outrageous fees, then by all means consolidate your debts with the program's help.

There are many sources of help available. Consumer Credit Counseling Service is one of the best for help repairing credit and getting debt under control. Their website is located at http://www.cccsintl.org. Consumer Credit Counseling Service provides budget counseling, educational programs, debt management assistance and housing counseling. There are also many local branches of this nonprofit organization, so check for one near your location.

There are many ?for profit? organizations that will help you with debt consolidation loans, but beware! They often are very expensive. You can get free reliable help that you can trust from a non-profit organization like Consumer Credit Counseling Service instead of paying hundreds of dollars to one of them. Or, you can educate yourself and do it for free.

Some other good places to go online for more credit and financial advice are listed on my website at www.creditrepairsoft.com