Screwing up my credit, please help!!!

Hi - welcome to the forums!

First, you need to address that electric bill as soon as possible - talk with them and explain the situation, and try to work out something in the way of a more affordable payment plan for you. Do you still have electric service with this company? If so, it's in your best interest to work with them to get it paid off on a payment plan.

Also, you might want to stop applying for loans - repeated inquiries for credit on your credit report will lower your score even further. Every time you apply for a loan, they pull your credit report, which is considered an inquiry. If you have applied to three different places for a loan with no luck, chances are you won't be able to get a loan right now, and you'll have to work on getting the bills paid off and improving your credit.

Have you pulled a credit report to see why you can't get a loan? Go to https://www.annualcreditreport.com/ to obtain your free reports, once per year, or when you've been denied credit - there's no obligation, no program to sign up for - it's truly free. You won't be able to get your credit score without paying for it, but you can at least get your credit reports, print them out and take a look at what needs to be worked on in order to improve your credit situation.

With the credit cards, if you can, pay slightly higher than the minimum payment every month - even if it's only $10 higher - it will help you get it paid off that much quicker. If you can't do that, at least make the minimum payment until you reach the point where you can increase your payments every month.

And last, stay away from payday loans. They are a trap that will make your situation much worse than you will ever know.

Welcome to the Community :D It's good you want to get your credit straightened up while you are young. If you can't work out something with your creditors, there are other solutions, other than a loan. I am not a big fan of getting a loan to pay off debt
-it kept me in that ugly cycle. Since you have registered, someone will contact you about other solutions, such as consolidation-you can put all your unsecured debt into one monthly payment, with lower interest. The consultation is free and you are free to choose one of them or not. If you have questions, please ask..Karen

Wow. thank you very much. I do plan on calling my electric company tomorrow nd try to figure out what happened to this 'payment plan'. I also had no idea that each time i apply for a loan, it is considered an inquiry.
again, thanks. hopefully i dont have to post again. :)

I'm glad we could help-but please stay and post! You can get to know some of us, and learn some valuable info for getting, and staying out of debt!!..KAren

Oh my stars. You guys are so nice! i have seriously never been treated so nicely in a forum before... but now we are staring away from topic. i will call my electric company about my bill (i did have my electricty shut off a long while ago since i moved out of the house) and hopefully i can staighten it out. if not. You guys will deffinitely hear back from me. Thanks again, -b

b- you are wwelcome- and let us know what happens!..KAren :D