goodluz / Shutterstock.com
The next time you check your credit score, you might discover it has taken a tumble because of a seemingly small mishap on your part. This happened to me once because I misplaced a bill for a whopping $12.70. My nonpayment ended up being reported to credit bureaus, also known as credit-reporting agencies. The result was an 80-point decrease in my credit score and several months of regret.
