Repairing Personal Credit for the Single Mom

Thank you Lexington Law Firm for sponsoring this post. A high service partner and consumer advocate that will help you fight for the credit you deserve!

I know personal credit can be a scary topic, but gaining or restoring good credit for yourself is possible! As I approach 5 years of single motherhood, I’ve finally come to terms with the fact that divorce wrecked my credit- and that it’s up to me to fix it! It doesn’t have to be scary. It just takes work, and sometimes professional help!

I admit that pre-divorce I didn’t really know anything about how credit worked. We lived pretty simply, paid the bills as they came in, and just trusted that would be good enough to allow us to buy a home and cars within our means. And thankfully that worked for more than a decade.

But unfortunately going through a divorce changed all that. In the chaos that followed our separation, bills got missed, credit cards maxed out, and eventually our house was even foreclosed. It was a mess!

For a long time I kept my head in the sand, I knew my credit score must be scary low and it gave me anxiety to even think about it!

After the dust settled, during those head-in-the-sand years, I slowly started paying off our joint (but now closed) credit account. For a few years I operated only with a checking account, feeling afraid of credit in general and certain I wouldn’t qualify for any credit card anyway.

I didn’t know that there is a credit repair industry which has grown tenfold in recent years, available to help repair credit. If you are struggling with bad credit, Lexington Law Firm can help you repair that credit including fixing any errors found on your credit report. Consumer protection laws are complex, but Lexington Law can help you understand your rights while using the law to fix credit errors.

One weekend, when I drove to visit friends and family in another state, my debit card number was skimmed. Just as I arrived at our destination, I received a text that my checking account had bounced. I knew it was impossible, but I logged in and found that indeed someone had spent hundreds of dollars at a lingerie store – which considering my very single status would have been laughable had it not left me with a bounced checking account!

I called my bank and my debit card was immediately locked while the bank started working on getting my money back into my account. But, that still left me 4 hours away from home with no money in my bank account and no debit card to use anyway. Thankfully, I did have enough cash in my wallet to get a tank of gas for the drive back home.

Later when I told the story to a cousin, she made me agree to apply for a new credit card immediately. She talked to me about the importance of having an emergency card, also explaining how I needed to use credit responsibly to rebuild my credit. Did you know that your FICO Score reflects how many lines of credit you have, and how long you’ve had them? Because all of my pre-divorce accounts were joint accounts which are now closed, I have no long standing credit account. The earlier I got a line of credit, and used it responsibility, the quicker my score could show positive effects from it.

So, I found a bank that would extend a credit card to me with a small amount of available credit and without charging yearly fees. In the three years since, I’ve been careful to pay all my bills- including this new credit card- on time.

Recently when I checked my FICO® Score I was surprised to find that I’m finally getting close to being back in the ‘good’ range! I’ve gone from complete dread, to excitement at the achievable goal of a repaired credit score. Did you know that 90% of financial institutions decide whether or not to extend credit based on your FICO® Score?

Since Lexington Law has both expertise in getting credit errors removed and a long term relationship with all three of the credit bureaus they can communicate efficiently on behalf of their clients. Looking back at my journey, I realize that my road to credit repair may have been much shorter with professional help from Lexington Law Firm!

I’ve gained a lot of ground with my credit score and I plan to continue repairing it so that my kids and I are free to live the life we want to live!

I’m so grateful to have come such a long way- from wondering if I’d be able to buy diapers, to gaining the financial stability that allows for adventure!

A recent vacation to the mountains with my kids reminded me just how far I’ve come both financially and in my confidence as a single mom. Not only was I able to take my children out of town for a long weekend, but we enjoyed treats such as hiking in a national park, afternoon gelato, apple picking and a visit to the children’s museum! Then, when I punctured my tire while driving, I didn’t have to panic about the cost of a repair before we could head back home.

If you are worried about your credit be sure to contact the oldest and most respected name in credit repair, Lexington Law, for help. Wth their legal experience and available technology they can both advocate for you and get real results!