ClearScore user Christiana shares her story about how she used ClearScore to get her credit score off the ground and get closer to her goal of buying her first home. Over to her...

When I first went to university I definitely struggled with my money, and I found myself frequently tipping over into my overdraft. But after graduating I made the decision to try and be a bit better with my money. I'd set my sights on getting out of the 'rental trap' and onto the property ladder. It would be amazing to buy my first home and really start my life with my boyfriend.

When I signed up for ClearScore I discovered that I had a 'thin file'. This meant that I didn't have much credit history. Although I had a mobile phone contract, I didn't have any credit cards or other products that would help lenders to better understand how reliable a borrower you are. I discovered through ClearScore that this can make it tricky to get credit and often leaves you with a pretty low score compared with the average.

One of the most useful things about ClearScore is their tailored Coaching plans which provided an easy and fun way to better get to grips with my finances and improve my score. I took out a credit card which I pay off each month and it's slowly but surely pushed my credit score up. In fact, I'm up by over 50 points which has been so amazing to see!

ClearScore has really helped me to keep track of where I am and that should hopefully help me in the long run to get that mortgage and that home of my own that I've always dreamed of.

VIDEO: Hear more from Christiana (1min 18secs)