old blog: I feel so grown up.

I have learned, over the years, that if I need help with something, I can usually just post it here and wait for the comments to roll in. It's not that I'm a very popular blogger, I just have a nice little audience that likes to help and ya'll always have great suggestions and ideas. Having said that, I'd like your input on my current financial situation.

Awhile ago, I mentioned that I was considering filing for bankruptcy because I was up to my ears in debt and virtually jobless. Luckily, an attorney talked me out of it and I got myself a job. I was able to make settlements with two credit card companies and I'm down to just one last payment. Once that's paid, I'll have gone from owing about $10,000 to nothing, nada, zip. It was a little hard because about half my income was going towards it but you have no idea how great it feels to know that in less than a month, I'll be debt free.

I was told that the settlements would look bad on my credit rating but actually, the score has gone up about 200 points since I last checked about a year or so ago. Right now, I'm rated as "fair" and I really have no idea what that means. Is it like being a C student? I'm okay but not great? Will I even be able to get a decent apartment with that kind of rating, despite steady income and very few expenses?

My concern now is getting my credit rating back into shape. To do this, I'll have to open a credit card and use it. Having racked up so much debt in the past, I am nervous about having a credit card. I've gotten used to only buying something if I have the money in my checking account. Part of me is worried about finding myself in debt again but I have a nice, healthy fear to prevent that from happening.

My plan is to open one card with a decent interest rate and maybe an annual fee if it's really necessary. I'll use it to furnish my apartment (modestly) and pay a little over the minimum each month. I've heard this is a good way to help one's credit rating but honestly, I have no clue if that's true.

I suppose I could post this on Meta Talk or read one of Suze Orman's books or something but I'm really just looking for general advice. What are some good ways to get my score back up? Are there specific creditors I could look into? If you know of any good websites, blogs, books, etc. I could check out, please share!