I know when the Pandemic first started and 2020 seemed to go on forever, many of us had a 'treat yourself' mentality or the mindset that everything was so messed up that your credit score wouldn't matter in an apocalypse anyway. Those trains of thought led to some bad financial decisions and habits.

According to The U.S. Sun, Americans are experiencing a 'financial hangover.' The Pandemic mixed with holiday spending has many people feeling regret.

The U.S. Sun surveyed 2,000 Americans and found that there were some trends forming in 2020.

64% of Americans say they regret not handling their money better last year.

Here are the eight bad financial habits we've picked up during the pandemic . . .

1.  Impulse buying things we don't need, 51%.

2.  Paying for subscription services we don't use anymore, 44%.

3.  Not comparing prices to look for a better deal, 35%.

4.  Only paying the minimum balance on credit cards, 35%.

5.  Not paying attention to our credit score, 32%.

6.  Not sticking to a budget, 31%.

7.  Missing credit card or bill payments, 18%.

8.  Not doing enough saving, 15%.

I don't mean to sound like a total hipster here, but I was way ahead of the curve. I was already doing some of these things way before 2020.

The experts explain that one of the first steps to improving your financial health is to learn your credit score. You can't fix something if you don't know anything about it. So, that's step one.

The top five ways that Americans are going to try to remedy their financial situation, according to the article, are:

Paying down credit card balances - 49%

Avoiding applying for new lines of credit - 42%

Fattening their credit file so it incorporates their banking and utility payment history - 34%

Correcting credit report errors - 32%

Raising their available credit - 29%

If you felt like your spending was out of control last year, you're not alone. Remember, you can always do better. And, it's just money, right.

Happy New Year!

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