Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and beginning April 20th, 2021 (Eastern Time) the Yahoo Answers website will be in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.

How can i eliminate my debt and start to establish good credit?

As soon as i turned 18 i wrote bad checks, never paid my medical bills and some other stuff that ended up being reported to credit agencies. I really got careless, but now I need to get my life on track and want to know the best way to start that. Can any one help?

7 Answers

Relevance
  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    pay off your bills,you may need to file charter 13, get a loan, and make timely payments

  • 1 decade ago

    Your debts are you enemies. Kill them off. Sacrafice the Cafe lattechino and other luxuries and pay pay pay. After that, build up a stash of cash in a savings account a couple thousand anyway. ....Then the best way to establish credit is to buy a car. The dealer will fix you up with financing. If you cant get a good loan deal because of your credit rating, take it any way, pay it for a year then, if youve made payments on time, you should be able to refinance a better deal. Now your on the road to good credit.

  • Lori A
    Lv 6
    1 decade ago

    You may want to talk to one of the agencies that helps people clean up their credit. The good ones are usually part of Consumer Credit Counselors. (fees are low if it's a good agency..if they want a full month or two of payments..bad agency).

    First of all, you have to figure out who you owe money to, then negotiate either a settlement or payment arrangement. Note that for old debts, you can offer settle for pennies on the dollar, but for bad checks, you probably aren't going to get out of the full amount (and they can put you in jail for that one).

    Then master living on cash AND putting savings away for a few years. That will give you the time to age off your old bad credit too. By learning to live on cash, you'll be better equipped to use credit wisely.

  • echo
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago

    I would suggest going to the site that I've listed.

    It is a "free" do it yourself credit repair site.

    Do some reading in the credit forum and the medical forum. When you need to, feel free to ask questions.

    Depending on your state statutes on bogus checks, and how long it has been since you had written them, I would concentrate on taking care of those first. Bogus checks can carry not only a stiff fine, but also prison time (again, depending on your state statutes)

    You can find links from the site I've listed to your states statutes.

    If you are still within the statute of limitations for being prosecuted on them, find out how much you owe and do whatever possible to take care of them. Then deal with the other credit problems.

  • How do you think about the answers? You can sign in to vote the answer.
  • ratboy
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago

    Consolidate your debt, there are hundreds of debt consolidation services than can help. Or start with the credit card that charges the highest interest and make minimum payments on all the others while sending as much as pissible on the highest rate card. When that one is payed off, move on to the next highest interest rate card, and so on.

    Good luck.

  • 1 decade ago

    Look up your credit history. Then start paying all your bills and debts on time. In a matter of 12 months you will see your credit score rise dramatically. I was in a similar predicament. And paying all your bills on time is the first step to bringing up your score.

  • 1 decade ago

    daveramsey.com

    He is awsome....

    wont give you a lot of tricks or short cuts....

    but he gets right to the debt problem and fixes it right....

    it took me 13 months....but I now have NO debt....and am actually saving money

Still have questions? Get your answers by asking now.