If your credit has been less than perfect there are ways to fix it. Don't give up hope, with a little effort you can rebuild your credit and raise your credit score.

Go to annualcreditreport.com and get copies of all three of your reports. You are allowed to get a free copy of these, once a year. Go through your report and fix anything that is wrong. Often, negative information may not be removed after seven years, even though it should have been. Through this site you can contest anything that you think is wrong. Also, make sure all of your information is correct and that noone elses information is pulling on your report.

Another way to boost your score is to obtain a secured credit card. Many banks offer these. You pay the credit card company the amount of cash as you want for your limit. If, you want a $300. limit, you pay $300., they then hold the money in case you default. However, you continue to pay them as you would a normal credit card. After months of a positive payment history they will then return your deposit and you can continue to use the card as a normal credit card. From the day you open the account they will report it to the credit bureaus, as long as you pay on time, you will have a positive mark on your report.

Be sure to satisfy any outstanding debt and begin working toward rebuilding your financial freedom.