It doesn't take much to ruin your credit. It’s actually a frighteningly easy and fast feat to accomplish. Just ask Jones McKeepin’With: he wanted to live the life, but only ended up a master at butchering credit scores! And he still thinks he’s cool. What a tool. Restoring his now-poor credit will be a long and painstaking process, so read on to avoid the pitfalls our irresponsible friend Jones fell into.

Jones McKeepin’With: “Bills are for losers. I’m too busy for that so I ignore them.”

Middle Class Crunch: Remember those past due bills you're been neglecting? They're piling up. Now you can choose to take care of them, or be like Jones and ignore them. The next stop is a collection agency which is the equivalent of suicide for someone concerned about maintaining a high credit score.

You cannot remain oblivious to bills and deadlines for too long anyway, be it rent, or the phone and utilities. Among other things, your credit history is based on the way you honor bills and deadlines! Why do you think the light switches and electric appliances at Jones’ McMansion all mysteriously stopped functioning last night? The dimwit didn’t honor his dues to the power company – so they pulled the plug not only on Jones, but also on his credit score.

Jones McKeepin’With: “Just let the collection agencies lose their temper. All they do is bark anyway.”

Middle Class Crunch: …Until the agency did take action and finally repossessed Jones’ shiny new silver Mercedes AMG from his driveway while he was asleep! Jones signed for too big a lease on a toy he couldn’t really afford anyway, so his monthly payments began sliding early on.

The reality is you can't avoid paying the car note when it’s due, or you'll default on the loan – which would suck for your credit score since lenders report to credit bureaus how steady your payments are. If payments stop and collection agencies are sent after you, then chances are your credit score is already pretty shattered; but ducking their calls like Jones advises will only result in higher interest charges and eventual repossession. Besides, after the car is sold the remaining loan balance will still be your responsibility.

Jones McKeepin’With: “Parking tickets? I crumple them. They make perfect paper balls to shoot free throws in the wastebasket at my office!”

Middle Class Crunch: And as the weeks go by and Jones plays the poor man’s version of Kobe Bryant with his coworkers, his fines balloon up tenfold and drag his credit score down the toilet.

Fines can be annoying as hell, but it’s no reason to act like Jones. Leave them unpaid and government agencies might ruin your reputation among credit bureaus. Everything from unpaid taxes, overdue library fines or a forgotten parking ticket can hurt your credit score. If you can’t cancel or dispute it, you’re liable. So you might as well get it over with and pay any tax or penalty on time by the end of the grace period.

Jones McKeepin’With: “Live a little! Have fun spending all your credit line, and then some.”

Middle Class Crunch: Good drivers avoid revving too close to the red line to lessen engine wear and odds of speeding ticket. The same rule applies when using credit cards: think of your credit line as the red mark on your speedometer, and stay way below it. The closer your monthly due balance is to the total credit line, the more reckless your spending habits look to credit bureaus.

Not to mention if you happen to max out your credit card, like our foolish friend Jones regularly does! When banks label you a high risk borrower, they might charge you sky-high interest rates, or avoid altogether doing business with you in the future.

A good rule of thumb is trying not to go over half of you credit limit. Regularly spending 60 to 90% or more of your credit line (even if you don't max it out) is usually frowned upon by credit card companies and lowers your credit score. If you really need to spend that much, pay cash for the difference, or try asking for a credit line increase.

Jones McKeepin’With: “I’m a great friend: I cosign for all my irresponsible buddies. I expect you to do the same for me.”

Middle Class Crunch: Avoid cosigning for people. When cosigning a contract or a loan to back up a friend or a family member, you become liable if the borrower defaults. In the eye of the law, it’s like saying “Ok, if Jones defaults paying for his $100,000 pimped out RV, I'll pick up the tab for him”. Not a good idea if you want to keep a clean credit history, because you’ll be in this mess together.

Not only could Jones’ irresponsibility cause your credit rating to go way down if you cannot support the payments; the lender can even sue you! What a great way to ruin your credit, lose your assets and ruin a friendship.

Jones McKeepin’With: “Cancel all your credit cards... then open a dozen new ones. Go plastic all the way!”

Middle Class Crunch: If possible, try not to close your existing credit card accounts, especially the ones that you’ve had for the longest time. Unless there is a good reason for it like fraud, doing so is frowned upon by credit bureaus and could severely affect your credit score.

The reason for this is bureaus monitor your credit lines over time, and the longer you can manage to keep a credit line in good standing, the better for you. So instead of getting rid of older credit cards, ask for perks and upgrades on an existing account if it seems outdated in comparison with current credit offers advertised in the market.

In a similar fashion, opening too many credit lines will hurt you because it makes you look like a consumer desperate for money he doesn’t have. Refrain from having more than 3 or 4 credit cards total.

Jones McKeepin’With: “Be overzealous: harass the credit bureaus for your score every other day”

Middle Class Crunch: This is a fact: credit bureaus penalize consumers that retrieve their credit score several times a year.

Try doing it every month and you'll notice a dent in your score. This is why your best bet is to ask in person for your credit score once (or twice) a year only. If you really feel like making sure no anomalies are occurring (like a thief opening a card under your name), then have a third-party identity theft prevention service monitor your credit report on your behalf once every month. This won’t negatively affect your credit.

Also, be careful when shopping around for mortgages or car loans; each lender's accounting service will fetch its own copy of your credit report, and the numerous request will drag your score down! Get a certified copy of your report once and for all, and give it to them.

Jones McKeepin’With: “My older brother is a baller. He always pays cash for everything, and never borrowed a dollar in his life. I'm sure he has great credit. I wanna be like him!”

Middle Class Crunch: Nothing could be further than the truth. While Jones' older and wealthier sibling might be better off than him, his lack of borrowing might have hurt his credit score more than he thinks.

A credit history is based on one's ability to honor bills and most importantly, repay debt. It is being built over time. As unfair as this may sound, you have no choice but to use the credit industry's services if you want to build a proper credit history, otherwise your score will remain flat - and low! So make a wise and parsimonious use of credit cards and loans, and build that credit.