Credit is a topic that people should really understand in detail, but it somehow stays a subject that is taboo to mention, especially if your credit is poor. Credit can be such a commodity to everybody, but if you don’t know how to manage your credit and you have no idea how to build it up, you’re stuck with poor numbers that affect everything that you want to do in life that pertains to finances. Want to buy a car? What’s your credit like? Want to purchase a house? What’s your credit like? Want to start a business? If your credit score is low or nonexistent, good luck with that. If you have to repair your credit, you’re in for a long road…

For the credit beginner who just wants to be able to live life without fear of not being able to make any large ticket purchases, here are 3 big practices that kill your credit:

Not Building It At All

Credit doesn’t just appear by itself. You either have to go to your bank and ask for a line of credit, or you have to get a credit card and start building your credit organically from the ground up. You know the MLM marketing companies? Multi-level marketing companies allow you to earn money off of selling their product, but the more consultants you sign up, and the more that sign up under your consultants, the more money you make. If you don’t continue to use the product, however, and you don’t order with a minimum level of purchasing value every month, you don’t get money from your sales because you’re not considered active in the company.

Not Continuing to Purchase

It’s tough, but credit essentially works the same way. If you build your credit by purchasing with credit cards and you build your number up to a high value on the scale, you’re doing well. But if you stop purchasing on that card, your numbers will start to drop. It’s kind of annoying, but if you do it right, you can work your leverage and get benefits from using credit cards. You still have to avoid this next credit pitfall, though:

Failing to Pay Off Loans and Credit Cards

If you have poor credit, you’re going to have a difficult time solidifying a loan for anything. Getting a cosigner with good credit will help you, but if you’re really bad at paying bills and paying off credit cards or loans, your credit line will suffer greatly and you’ll end up paying way more money than you borrowed.

Be smart with your credit. If you have a high score, your credit limit with credit card companies will go up and you’ll have a lot more opportunity to buy a nice house or a car or even start a business. If you practice bad habits, though, your credit will show it and you’ll be stuck in a finance pickle for a long time.