The United States Congress has guaranteed a free once-a-year glimpse into your credit files. But, how do you keep an eye both on your credit and on costs? Here are a few suggestions.

1. Catch mistakes before they make it to your report. Double-check your credit card and other lending statements to make sure you were credited for last month’s payment and that all charges are yours.

2. Stagger your free reports for year-round monitoring. The only place to get your federally guaranteed free credit report is through the annual credit request service.

For the complete list, chick here.

 50 Ways to Protect Your Identity and Your Credit: Everything You Need to Know About Identity Theft, Credit Cards, Credit Repair, and Credit Reports