Consolidate and Save a Credit Rating

When I was very young I didn’t know what a credit rating was and wouldn’t have cared if I did.  What I knew was that my credit cards were magic and would buy me the things I wanted, when I wanted them.  Within a few years, though, I couldn’t make my monthly payments.  A kind friend steered me toward a debt management company which provided credit counseling, including a lesson on the importance of my credit score,  and a debt consolidation loan.  I was able to afford the new monthly payment and, when I’d eventually paid it off, was a much wiser consumer, with an excellent credit score.