It all started when I was in college trading my credit for free shirts. I was being careless about making payments on time and maxing out my credit. It was not until it was time for me to get a house that I realized my credit was in bad shape. After that, I became intentional about raising my credit score. One day, when purchasing a car, they evaluated my credit and they were shocked. They said they have never seen a score that high before. I was just as shocked because I did not know my score. I just knew it was good. After that, I started monitoring my credit score monthly to hit a perfect credit score. Later, when I went to purchase another car, the Finance Manager said, “Give her whatever deal she wants, she’ll qualify.” This is when I understood that excellent credit has its perks.