Q: To qualify for a mortgage, you will  need your credit score. Your credit score is a three digit number derived from your credit history. It is used by lenders when you apply for a credit card and is a key factor in receiving a mortgage from a lender.  You can get your credit score for free by contacting your credit card company. Your bank can also provide your credit score, for a small fee or for free during promotional times of the year. Avoid using online credit score services, as they may be scams trying to steal your personal banking information.  If using an online free credit report, make sure that you are using a legitimate company, such as Credit Karma, Credit Sesame, or Mint. If you are unsure, you can contact a credit counseling agency, bank, or lender that can recommend you a legitimate and reputable site to use. In general, lenders will be more willing to approve a mortgage if a person has a credit score of at least 620. The best credit score is around 850, but it can be difficult to achieve such a high number, especially if you are in a younger age bracket and are trying to purchase your first home.  If your credit score is 600 or lower, you will likely have a more difficult time qualifying for a mortgage. But a low credit score does not mean you cannot qualify for certain loans, such as a Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan, which usually approves individuals with credit scores of 600-500. You may also qualify for a VA loan if you're a veteran. Keep in mind your credit score is only one factor to qualifying for a mortgage. Your current income, your ability to pay your bills on time, your credit history, and your current debt will also be major factors to getting a lender to approve your mortgage application. When lenders look at your mortgage application, they will take into account your ability to pay your current expenses (rent, utilities, credit card payments) on time every month. They will also check that you have been employed with a steady income for at least two years and are making enough money to pay all your bills every month. If you are self employed, you should try to maintain a steady yearly salary. Being self employed and having a low credit score can lead to some frustration when applying for a mortgage. But maintaining a strong income will give you a leg up, and make it easier for a mortgage broker to find lenders willing to give you a mortgage. Debt from student loans or overdue credit card payments will affect your credit score, as about 35 percent of your credit score comes from your payment history. Focus on reducing your existing debt by always paying the minimum amount of your credit card payment and your student loan payment on time. If possible, put down more than the minimum amount each month to further reduce or eliminate your debt.  Look at your credit report for any past due accounts or late payments. If you have accounts, like a student loan payment, that is 90 days or more overdue, pay those off first. Accounts that are 60 to 30 days late will have a less negative impact than accounts that are 90 days or more late. Lenders will see that you have been making an effort to pay off overdue accounts and reduce your existing debt. This will bring your credit score up and help improve your chances of qualifying for a mortgage. If your credit report is showing that an old bill is unpaid, you should not pay it unless you are able to pay it back in full. A partial payment may make the debt more relevant, which can hurt your credit score. To qualify for a mortgage with poor credit, you may want to adjust how much money you owe (debt) so it is significantly lower than how much credit you have available. Improving your debt to credit ratio is one of the fastest ways to improve your credit score and make you more attractive to lenders. You can improve your debt to credit ratio by:  Keep paying down your revolving debt, like credit cards and lines of credit. Though paying down installment loans, for example student loan payments, can also help your credit score, revolving debt should be your first priority to improve your credit, since revolving debt requires high interest payments. Consolidate your credit card debt into a personal installment loan. A personal installment loan can be taken out through your bank and will allow you to address all your debt in one place. This type of loan generally has a lower interest rate than revolving credit card balances. Adjust how you pay your credit card payments. You can do this by asking for a credit increase from your credit card company, as this will improve your debt-to-credit ratio. Credit increases are valid for helping improve debt to credit ratios, but not if you use the extra credit. You can also move some of your existing credit card balances to other credit cards. However, both options can be risky as they can lead to overspending and more debt if you are not disciplined or smart about your credit card payments. The best way to address credit card payments is to pay off the minimum balance every month and try to reduce your credit card debt as soon as possible. When you have bad credit or a low credit score, lenders may offer you a sub-prime mortgage. Lenders charge higher interest rates on sub-prime mortgages to compensate for the higher loan default risk they are taking on the mortgage. This works the other way too: the better your credit score is, the lower your interest rate on your mortgage will be. According to a study, the difference in interest rates for someone with a 760 credit score and someone with a 620 credit score could be 1.6%. If you apply this number to a 30 year mortgage of $200,000, that’s a $68,000 difference over the lifetime of the mortgage.
A: Get your credit score. Understand what qualifies as a bad credit score. Maintain a steady income. Reduce or eliminate your debt. Adjust your debt to credit ratio. Be prepared to pay more interest on your mortgage.

Q: If the season or region is particularly dry, there might be restrictions on when, where, and why people can light fires. Check the local fire restrictions online or at a ranger station before you go. Some areas require you to register a campfire permit. You may only be able to build fires in designed "campfire" spots. Respect the fire restrictions. They are in place for a reason! Only you can prevent forest fires. In the U.S., many National Forest and Bureau of Land Management areas require you to carry a permit for building a flame outside of a designated fire pit area. Visit any Forest Service, Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Bureau of Land Management office to ask for a permit sheet. In some areas, such as California, you can download a campfire permit online. In order to protect your fire from the wind, you should build your campfire on ground that is lower than the land around it. Consider setting up the fire in an alcove against a rock or cliff face that will protect the flames from the wind – but be careful not to leave burn marks on the rock! Make sure that the ground is dry, and that there is no chance of your spot being exposed to rain.  If you are in a forest, look for a large clearing and build your fire near the center. This way, the flames won't lick too close to the surrounding trees. If you're expecting rain, you have two options: build the fire within a natural shelter, like a cave or an overhang; or tie up your own protective cover using a tarp or a tent fly.
A:
Make sure that you can legally build a campfire. Acquire a campfire permit, if necessary. Find a low, dry, sheltered space.