Obsessing over a number that's only three digits long sounds a little OCD, until you realize how much a hundred or so points on it can cost you. I'm referring to credit scores. This three-digit number that lenders use to determine how favorable a loan to give you can affect many of your financial transactions, but it especially becomes a big deal when you take out a mortgage on a house. Let's look at a home loan for $300,000 with two different sets of scores:

Credit Score 620-659
APR: 7.115%
Monthly payment: $2,019

Credit Score 760-850
APR: 5.799%
Monthly payment: $1,760

The higher better score saves $259 per month, or $93,240 over the course of the loan. So how do you make your score better? Well, improving your score is sort of a universe unto itself but you can get started by first finding out your credit score by reading our post, "Where To Get Your Real Credit Score." Then, to learn how to improve your credit score, you will want to learn about "reason codes," as described in our post, "Know Where To Fix Your Credit Score By Getting Your Reason Codes." After that it will depend on your specific history.

(Photo: KUTV)