Just when you think you have your credit in order, there is something else that you need to do. It’s not always about the big steps either as much as it is maintenance. Not only that, but you must stay on top of your credit report in regards to your identity, too. It is certainly important to make sure that you keep up with your credit, so you might as well make it a part of your financial wheelhouse.

It’s time to budget, save and make improvements to your credit. In order to do all of that, you must be living within your means. A budget is required to live within your means, and that is what is going to help you save money and manage credit responsibly. You don’t want to miss payments, overextend yourself when using credit cards and find yourself in hot water financially.

How you would you say you handle your credit on a scale of 1 to 10? Hey, we could all use some work. I could definitely have done much better over the years, much, much better. And I could be doing better now. That is why it’s time to get to work, right? We all have work to do when it comes to our credit as mentioned. What is your next step?

Maybe it’s time to start paying down those credit card balances. Or maybe you have low utilization of credit, and you need to apply for a credit card. If you do, make sure you keep those balances at $0 from month to month. In other words, avoid paying that interest.

Maybe you have old delinquent bills to pay, or maybe it’s time to pay down some current bills ahead of time so that your debt ratio is down overall. Some of what we all have to do is simply manage our credit responsibly over time. Improving your credit does take time, as track records with companies count towards your score.

You also want hard inquiries to fall off your report if you have too many and any delinquent accounts that may appear. If you have late payments that are currently part of your credit history, you want to put some distance between those, too. It’s time to take your credit report by the horns so to speak, and you’re going to find out that doing so comes with many benefits for sure.