It made me

A+ credit rating!

How I did it: With the help of my credit union, they helped me obtain a secured credit card.  I made sure that if I didn't have the money in my bank account to pay for the item i was about to charge, i didn't buy it.  I opted out of pre-screening credit card offers for free for 5 years.  (these are not as harmful to your score, but can still cause damage) I checked my credit report with all 3 major agencies via Annual Free Credit Report  (this is free and not to be confused with freecreditscore.com )  as often as it would allow me.  Reviewed all 3 reports and figured out any discrepancies.  I started with the easy ones, such as name or address discrepancies, and then moved on to the bad history.  I took each item at a time.  I called the numbers provided to find out what my status was and what i could do to negotiate the balances if any.  (beware: they will update your information and this opens up a window for collection agencies to begin calling you at ALL hours!) Let them know that you are willing to work with them and tell them your current financial status.  they are almost always willing to work with you if your intentions are really to pay them back and close the issue.