Spring clean your credit with these key tips
Small credit habits done consistently this spring can change your financial future.
Black News 
Spring cleaning isn’t just for closets. Financial experts say the season offers Black households a timely opportunity to review their credit, correct costly errors, and build a financial foundation that lasts well beyond a single pay period, and that the process is more accessible than most people think.
With inflation still squeezing household budgets and credit card balances running higher than many families are comfortable with, experts are calling on communities to treat credit health the same way they treat the annual ritual of getting their homes in order, intentionally, and together.
Credit: Courtesy Dr. Brittany Greene
“I don’t think a lot of us learned about credit growing up in our homes or at school,” said Dr. Brittany Greene, head of community at Self, the credit-building financial services company, and a former Self customer turned credit coach. “So getting a chance to take the normal things that we normally do, like paying bills, creating budgets, and finding a way to make those nights fun with friends, share knowledge, and make credit feel less overwhelming, that’s the whole idea.”
There is a growing trend called “admin nights,” where friends gather to cancel subscriptions, review finances, and tackle the kind of to-do list items that pile up throughout the year. Her recommendation is simple: Put credit on that checklist.
For those who don’t know where to begin, she says the answer is less intimidating than it sounds.
“Taking a look at where you are and organizing what you have, that’s step one,” Greene said. “What accounts do you have? Are you currently making your payments on time? What is the amount of debt you have? Just creating that clear picture.”
Adrienne Taylor, an accredited financial counselor and founder of Houston-based Tailored WealthSaver®, said the first and most important step any reader can take is to pull their credit report from annualcreditreport.com, the only website mandated by federal law to provide free copies from all three major credit bureaus.
“A lot of people use other services that give them a credit report, but I always tell clients to pull it from there,” Taylor said. “It won’t show your score, but it will show everything that creates your score. That’s where I start with every single client.”
Once a reader has their report in hand, both experts say the next priority is checking it closely for errors, a problem more widespread than most people realize.
“If your name is misspelled, it can merge someone else’s file onto yours,” Greene said. “Any accounts that don’t belong to you, reach out to the bureaus by phone or by mail immediately.” She added that payment history, which makes up the largest share of a credit score, deserves particular scrutiny.
To reduce balances, Taylor advises using the debt snowball method. List accounts from smallest to largest balance, make minimum payments on each, and allocate extra funds to the smallest balance first. Paying off the smallest account creates momentum and frees up capital.
“Credit is not a linear journey. You have to be consistent, and if you mess up, do what it takes to get back on track.”
Dr. Brittany Greene, Head of Community, Self
“Sometimes you have to look at where you can curve your spending so that more money goes toward those accounts,” Taylor said. She also noted that readers with a credit score of 700 or higher who can commit to paying off a balance within a year may benefit from transferring high-interest debt to a zero-percent-interest card. “But you have to have an actual plan to pay it off. Don’t transfer it just to move it.”
Everyday payments, such as rent, utilities, and cell phone bills, can improve credit scores when reported to credit bureaus. Self provides a service that reports rent payments to all three bureaus, while utility and cell phone payments are reported to TransUnion.
“A higher credit score means less interest,” Greene said. “The less interest you pay over time, the more of your money you keep. That’s how you stop just existing and start actually growing.”
