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Using credit wisely can save you hundreds of thousands of dollars through the course of your life. It can help you to get and have more and it can act as a way of securing your financial future. If you have poor credit, you are not left out because you can improve your credit and begin using credit wisely to gain the same rewards. To help you, here are some strategies that you can follow to accomplish these goals.

* Using Credit: When you are using credit, it is important for you to not make purchases that are not necessary or that are not worth the cost. Remember, it is not only the cost that the sticker says, but the finance charges that go with you that you will pay. A great way to do this is to make a rule with yourself and your spouse called the 24 hour rule. If you want to make a single purchase over the cost of, say, $200, you need to wait a full 24 hours before making that purchase. This gives you time to really determine if it is a wise choice.

* Taking On Credit: Part of managing credit is not taking on more than you can handle safely. You should not have more credit than you make in a year. And, you should not keep opening new credit lines. It does make sense to open credit cards that have lower interest rates, but make sure to close other cards as well. Some mistakenly believe that having lots of credit is good, but the fact is that too much is a bad thing too.

* Stay On Top Of It All: When you begin to fall behind in your credit, make sure that you take your credit cards, stick them in the freezer or in the back of a drawer some place so that you can't use them. Make payments on time and pay them off each month. Never get stuck with late charges and fees.

While you should have some credit, only taking on what you can handle is a way of using credit wisely. And, in this world, you do need credit to purchase a home, to purchase a vehicle and to even get certain jobs. While you need it, you need to make sure you can handle credit.