Credit Smart Solutions

The 5 Habits Every Case Had in Common Across all the stories we’ve shared in Season 2 — from Jake’s credit comeback to Lara’s freelancer success — five key habits kept showing up again and again. Whether the goal was paying off debt, improving credit, or saving for a wedding, these behaviors made the difference. 1. 💡 Visibility Over Guesswork Every person who succeeded made their finances visible — using apps, spreadsheets, or visual trackers. Guessing led to overspending; seeing led to action. 2. 📅 Consistency > Intensity They didn’t try to fix everything overnight. Instead, they took steady actions — weekly check-ins, monthly reviews, auto-transfers. It wasn’t dramatic, but it was effective. 3. 🛠️ Use of Financial Tools From Frollo to WeMoney , or banking with Up , every story included one or more digital tools. These tools made decisions easier and progress measurable. 4. 💳 Credit Awareness Even when not borrowing, they kept tabs on credit scores, avoide...

Jess & Tom’s Saving Challenge: $20K in 12 Months for a Wedding Meet Jess and Tom — both 29, living together in Hobart. With rising costs and a modest combined income of $110K, they were determined to save $20,000 for their dream wedding without taking on debt. The result? They hit their goal in just 12 months, and even had a honeymoon fund leftover. 📆 Setting a Deadline and a Goal They circled a date — 12 months from now — and reverse engineered their savings. That meant: $1,667/month combined $834/person/month About $28/day each 💳 Step 1: Audit, Cut, Automate Used Frollo to audit all spending Eliminated Uber Eats, alcohol, and new clothing Set up direct deposit to a “Wedding Fund” account with Up Bank 🍳 Step 2: The ‘No-Spend Weekend’ Rule Two weekends per month, they did no paid outings . Instead: Cooked together with friends Visited free events and beaches Used public library date nights (true story!) They saved $250–$300/month ...

How Mei Improved Her Credit Score From 520 to 750 in a Year Mei, a 32-year-old high school teacher from Brisbane, was shocked when her car loan application was declined due to a “low credit score.” With no major defaults or missed payments (so she thought), she dug deeper — and began a journey that would raise her score from 520 to 750 in just 12 months. 🔍 Step 1: Getting the Full Picture Mei signed up for a free credit report from Equifax and discovered: 2 late payments on a store card (60+ days) Credit file cluttered with multiple inquiries Short account history — most under 1 year 📊 Step 2: Targeted Repair Strategy Closed unused credit cards to reduce unnecessary inquiries Paid all accounts 5 days before due date — set calendar reminders Asked her telco provider to remove one old late mark (which they agreed to) 💡 Step 3: Building Positive Credit History Mei applied for a $1,000 limit low-rate credit card and: Kept usage under 15% Pa...