I cant get a car loan, department store card, etc.
One way to begin establishing credit is to put things in your own name. So, for example, making sure that your cable, phone, insurance and other purchases are in your name are a way to establish some credit. The overall objective is to begin creating a track record that is good and clean. Without a track record it is difficult to get credit approval for anything these days.
Buy stuff and pay it off...
