Remember that a $5,000 credit limit is not $5,000 in additional income. It is only a different way to spend the money you already have.

Create a spending plan. Before you use your credit card, you will want to make sure that you are able to pay off the balance on the items you plan to purchase. Write down all of your expenses and your income and adjust your spending accordingly.

A secured card is an option. If you have trouble qualifying for a credit card, you may opt to apply for a secured card. These cards have credit limits based on a required deposit made by you into a savings account. You use the card just as you would any other credit card.

If denied credit, ask why. Ask any creditor that denies you credit to give you the reasons you were denied. Reasons may include income, employment or credit history. It is important to find out why you are denied, because frequent inquiries (applying for credit) on your credit report can be viewed as a negative to a potential creditor. If you are denied credit, you can request a free copy of your credit report to see if there is erroneous data on it and have corrections made.

Just as important as a blueprint for establishing credit are the things you don't want to do to jeopardize your credit rating.

Don't overdraw your bank account. You will be charged fees, and you could damage a good reference.

Avoid missed or late payments to any creditor. That is a sure way to damage your credit rating.

Don't let anyone else borrow your credit card, debit card or in any way have access to your bank account. You are responsible for any authorized use of your accounts.

Don't give your card number to anyone over the phone or Internet unless you have initiated the transaction.

Avoid cash advances at all costs. They're expensive. You'll pay an upfront fee of 2 percent to 4 percent on the amount you withdraw, and you'll be stuck paying a high interest rate, often in the high teens or higher. And because there's no grace period on a cash advance, the interest charges will begin to mount as soon as the money comes out of the ATM.