Life is hard enough when you have good credit, but some financial obstacles can be even more difficult with bad credit. We use ‘530 credit score’ in the title because it’s just about as low as credit scores can get before the credit reporting agencies simply tell creditors that you are too great a credit risk to consider.
Whatever your circumstances may be, how you got to having a bad credit score isn’t important. For some it’s a result of unfortunate circumstances that hurt your credit score, such as losing a job and being unable to get another one soon enough to avoid defaulting on debt. Maybe you took a chance on a small business and sank all your available funds into it only to have things not go quite as planned. Maybe you’ve even made some irresponsible choices and are looking to get your financial life back in order.
For the most part, the circumstances of how you came to have a bad credit are not as important as what you plan to do now that you find yourself in this position. If you have made irresponsible choices and don’t plan on changing such habits, then you won’t really be getting much use from this article. But we’re betting the whole reason you clicked on this article was to find out how you can live with a bad credit score while you work to rectify or improve your situation. Of course, rebuilding your credit takes a commitment, but so does getting through the time while you are transitioning from bad credit to credit-repair mode.
This article is being presented with the assumption that you are intending to rebuild your credit and are looking to deal with the current circumstances of having a bad credit score; issues like credit cards, renting an apartment, buying a car and even taking out s small loan even though your credit is not what you would like it to be.
Living with a Bad Credit Score Is Not Hopeless
First, understand that things are probably not as bad as they seem. We’re not telling you to put on rose colored glasses and convince yourself of something that isn’t true, but we’ve found that most people who have gotten themselves into a bad credit hole tend to get caught up in a tunnel vision of hopelessness, especially when they’re getting calls from creditors and even facing bankruptcy. A mountain of debt, especially if you can demonstrate that it was not accumulated from a series of irresponsible choices is not an impossible obstacle to overcome on the road back to good credit. It will take hard work, but it will not take the rest of your life, or even half the rest of your life.
Why is attitude so important? Geoff Williams, author of the book ‘Living Well With Bad Credit’ says this about personal outlook: ‘…a lot of living well with bad credit is about attitude and feeling good about yourself regardless of your situation, and realizing that you’re not a terrible person just because you have bad credit. Your credit score or actual worth has nothing to do with your self-worth. It’s so important to remember that—beyond the fact that it’s true, it’s really hard to motivate yourself to improve your situation if you believe that you’re a hopeless lost cause.’
Got that? If you are living with something approximating a 530 credit score, don’t condemn yourself to a life of poverty and self-doubt. A positive attitude is the most important starting point to turning your circumstances around.
Know Your Credit Score
First and foremost, it’s important to know why your credit score is what it is. Get a free credit report (you are entitled to a free report once a year) and go over it with a fine tooth comb. Make sure you are familiar with every detail of your credit report and make absolutely sure there are no errors. With the breach of security at Equifax recently, a lot of consumers are reporting that additional errors are showing up on their reports. Don’t just assume your credit report is completely fair and accurate.
Need an apartment but have bad credit? Check with local property management companies, or contact landlords directly and be willing to be an open book. Explain your situation and be willing to show your paycheck or proof of income. If that proves too difficult, do an online search for renting an apartment in your area with bad credit. There are websites dedicated to connecting those living under less than ideal credit circumstances with willing landlords.
Need a car? If you’re prepared to pay more in interest, then don’t fret. Do an online search for ‘buying a car with bad credit’ and you will be amazed at how many resources there are available to you. Seriously, while we were researching this topic, we found pages and pages of web search results that have useful information on buying a car even though you may have bad credit.
Want to start a business? Yes, you can do that with bad credit too. Check out this informative article on how to start a business with bad credit. We’ll admit, we were kind of surprised at all the resources that are available to people who want to start their won small business but have bad credit.
Oh, and did you need a personal loan to get through some financial difficulty? Well, that’s what we do here at CASH 1. Even if you have bad credit. You can get a loan with no traditional credit check from us that we will make sure you are able to repay with your demonstrated proof of income. That could very well be the first step on your road to credit recovery.
Hopefully we’ve been able to paint a picture for you that demonstrate all is not lost when you’re trying to get through life with a 530 credit score. Things are not as bleak as they seem, and you CAN get yourself into better credit circumstances while still living with bad credit.