How I Bought A Car: Age 20

I finally was able to by own car after having my first car (2000 Monte Carlo SS) for four years. I bought a 2010 VW Jetta Wolfsburg Edition in March 2015 on my own without a co-signer. Here are some tips on how to build your credit and stay on top of your bills so you can save up for one or save up for the down payment.

I didn't have credit cards until this past October (2014, I was 19) But I wish I would have applied for them when I turned 18 so I could have built my credit up faster. Most banks/credit cards deny people without credit history. So what I did was I applied for student credit cards, where they understand your "struggle". By November, I had 3 credit cards. (Amazon, Citi, & Capital One) I now have a Wells Fargo credit card, as well.

What to do with credit cards/how to use them:

• Spend only what you have in your bank account!! Literally ONLY what you have.
• Pay your bills ahead of time in the full amount. (you only spend what's in your bank account so you should be able to pay in full)
• Designate one credit card for gas and maybe the other for food or school supplies.
• You'll want to stay organized & mark in your phone, planner, & desk calendar which day your credit card bills are due.
• Pick a day of the month that you sit down & pay all of your bills OR you can do automatic pay where they take it out of our bank account every month.
• Leave your credit cards at home unless you know for sure you're going to need one. This will help so you don't spend money if you don't need to.

I hope this helps someone!!