I’ve wanted to live in a hot climate for as long as I can remember. My body and soul feed off sunshine and warmth, and I just can’t handle these cold, dark Chicago winters anymore. I’ll be 34-years-old this year, and I’m finally getting serious about putting a plan in place to relocate. It’s scary, intimidating, and I’m just not sure I know how to adult at this level. This post has been sponsored by Lexington Law, but everything in this blog is based on my thoughts and opinions.
How To Adult
After nearly three and half decades on planet earth, you’d think I’d be far better at adulting. However, as a young mom, I had to grow up super fast on some levels but became somewhat stunted in others. Motherhood forced me to prioritize my kids first and worry about money later–racking up credit card debt as a means of survival. The kids are now in their teens, and financial struggles are still quite real, but also more manageable. We’re still on a tight budget, but the debt I accumulated is diminishing.
At the start of 2018, many of us may have proclaimed: This is our year. The year we accomplish great things, reach goals, and realize our dreams. While this proclamation is highly inspiring, knowing where to start can be overwhelming.
While attending university, I was taught to set SMART goals–Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Limited goals. When you break down goals this way, you’re left with very clear objectives, and it’s easier to conquer tasks that can get you where you want to be.
My goal of having the means to move within two years is not specific enough or easily achievable without additional information to formulate a plan. I know that I need to figure out how to fix my credit, build up my savings account, and considerably decrease my debt. I suppose recognizing all these things is the first hurdle, but now what? I am not quite clear where to begin with credit repair, and I’m still a single mom on a tight budget, so funds are stretched pretty thin.
Credit Fixer
Since the kids and I have become used to budgeting, we’re doing a decent job with getting debt under control and even stashing what’s left in savings. But when it comes to fixing credit, it’s just not happening fast enough. When we move, I want to have a clean credit report and the highest credit score possible. Should we decide to buy a home, I’ll need this to get the best loan rates. So far, I’ve been flying blind and just paying off my credit cards with the highest interest rate. I’m certain there are numerous other financial decisions I need to address, but I’m not aware of what they are! I can’t afford to hire an attorney who charges hundreds of dollars per hour for advice.
This is where Lexington Law comes in. For an affordable monthly fee (the service is month-to-month, and you can cancel anytime), Lexington Law will communicate with creditors and the credit bureaus on your behalf regarding issues you feel are unfair or inaccurate. They’ll identify those items and work to have them removed from your credit report. In 2016 alone, their clients saw 9,000,000 negative items removed from their reports.
If you’re overwhelmed by your credit report, consider using Lexington Law as your credit repair service experts.
As for the rest of Adulting…
I’ll just be over here trying to keep up with these crazy teens while attempting to learn about cryptocurrency. Are we living in a sci-fi movie or what?!