Yes, its that time of year again... Spring is right around the corner. And while many people use this time of year to motivate themselves to clean out the garage or the attic, why not take this time and clean up some credit issues?

Right about now, most people are expecting Uncle Sam to drop them a check in the mail. You may have already received yours. Instead of running out to buy the next great thing to collect dust in your home, why not invest at least part of that money back into your financial future?

Ok, I know saving money isn't sexy. So I am not going to tell you to put all that money away... I do live in the real world here! But I would suggest you put some of it away.. maybe 10% for a rainy day.

Here's a great idea for those with bruised credit... How about taking part of that cash and obtaining a secured credit card? Think about it... a secured credit card accomplishes two things... savings and healthy credit.

To obtain a secured credit card, you must put some money into a savings account (min $300 for most cards.) This money typically will earn interest while there. Of course, as long as you keep the secured card, then the cash must stay in the account. But since your credit limit will match the savings amount, you virtually have access to your cash!

To build that healthy credit just follow a simple plan. Each month use your new card once to buy a tank of gas. Then put the card away until your bill arrives. Pay the bill off completely and then use the card for another tank of gas. The reason for this is to allow a small balance to report to the credit bureaus (thereby increasing your score) and then pay if off each month with no finance charges! In short order, you have begun to build a healthy credit history for yourself.

One last tip... take a small part of the tax return and buy something fun... Otherwise, this will seem like torture. You can reward yourself for doing a good thing for your future!

Make this spring cleaning count for something long term... you.