If you have excellent credit, the chances are you already know it. You always pay your bills on time, and you are very unlikely to carry a balance on your credit cards. In return for your responsible nature, you are deluged with offers for more credit cards. Overwhelmed and disillusioned with all of these choices, many of you are content to remain loyal to whichever card you had been using for years. It’s easy, comfortable, and hassle free to use the same card in perpetuity. But by doing so, are you betraying the sound principals of financial management that earned you your excellent credit score? (See also: Surprising Things That Can Kill Your Credit)

Snap Out of It!

Those with excellent credit are likely to be using their cards simply as a method of payment, and they may be earning some additional rewards. Nevertheless, this practice is akin to storing money in a bank for safekeeping, without concern to the returns being accrued on your investment. The reality is that like savings, credit card spending should also produce a competitive return. Although saving is always a preferable activity to spending, those with excellent credit are leaving money on the table by not attempting to maximize the returns on their credit cards.

The Ways to Earn High Returns on Spending

The best way to compare credit card rewards is through the percentage of value earned per dollar spent. For example, 1% cash back is the bare minimum that you should expect from any reward card. If you are earning that amount or less, it is as unwise as closing on a mortgage with a higher APR that what is available. The two most common ways to earn credit card rewards are in the form of cash back or loyalty points such as frequent flier miles. If you are earning points or miles, you should assign a value to them in order to assure you are receiving the returns you deserve. The more value you earn per dollar spent, the better you are doing. Finally, there are a few cardholders who do have excellent credit, but may carry a balance from time to time. These people should always carry a credit card with the lowest APR on the market.

The Best Cards for People With Excellent Credit

Each of the cards on this list are only offered to those with excellent credit, but they offer very high rates of cash back or points. The exception here is the Simmons First card, which as the card with the lowest interest rate on the market, is the best choice for those who carry a balance. There is no one card that is perfect for everyone, but each has its unique advantages that appeal to different types of cardholders.

Fidelity Investment Rewards American Express Card

At the top end of cash back rewards cards are those rare products that earn 2% cash back on all purchases, all the time. Fidelity offers several versions of its American Express card that do just that. In this case, the cash back is returned to the Fidelity account of your choice, such as a Fidelity IRA, Fidelity-Managed 529 Account, Brokerage Account, or Cash Management Account. There is no annual fee for this card and only a 1% foreign transaction fee.

Click here to apply now

Capital One Venture Rewards

Capital One offers this card only to applicants with the best credit scores. By using this card, customers can earn two of their “miles” for each dollar spent. Fortunately, their miles are not like those of any airline; they can be redeemed for one cent each towards a statement credit against any travel related expense. The end result is that this card consistently returns 2% cash back as statement credits so long as the cardholder can claim at least that amount in hotels, car rentals, or airfare. There is a $59 annual fee for this card that is waived the first year, and like all of their cards, there are never any foreign transaction fees.

Click here to apply now

Sapphire Preferred From Chase

Chase has been making an all-out effort to court those with excellent credit histories, and the Sapphire Preferred has quickly become their flagship product. Chase offers a single Ultimate Rewards point per dollar spent on most purchase, with double points for spending on travel and restaurants. Triple points are earned for spending on travel through their Ultimate Rewards site, and all points earned are eligible for a 7% bonus at year’s end. Once earned, points can be redeemed at a rate of 1.25 cents each towards travel, or one cent each towards other experience and merchandise awards. Finally, Ultimate Rewards points can be instantly transferred to points or miles in the program's several different airlines and hotels. In fact, you can even transfer points to other people’s accounts, a feat impossible with most other programs. There is a $95 annual fee for this card that is waived the first year, but there are never any foreign transaction fees. Finally, this card is made of some type of plastic and metal sandwich giving it a heavy, solid feel that always draws comments when I use it.

Click here to apply now

Simmons First Visa Platinum

Not everyone with great credit is in a position to pay all of their credit card balances in full each month. Cardholders with near-perfect credit who occasionally carry a balance should do so on the card with the lowest standard interest rate on the market. The Simmons First Visa Platinum offers an APR equal to the Prime Rate plus 4%, the lowest rate that I am aware of. There is no annual fee for this card, but there is a foreign transaction fee of 2%.

Click here to apply now

Starwood Preferred Guest Card From American Express

Here is the card for those who understand and appreciate the value of hotel points and airline miles. The Starpoints earned by this card can be redeemed for any available standard room at any Starwood Hotel, including Sheratons and Westins. These points are extremely valuable because there are no blackout dates or capacity restrictions in the program. Alternatively, your Starpoints can be exchanged for miles in the programs of thirty different carriers around the world. Since each of those carriers can have dozens of partners, the award options are nearly limitless. Redeem your points for miles, and use those miles for premium class international travel, and it is easy to see returns of 5% or higher on each dollar spent. There is a $65 annual fee for this card, and American Express does charge a 2.7% foreign transaction fee.

Click here to apply now

If you have excellent credit and you are not getting at least 2 cents in value for each dollar spent, or the lowest interest rate on the market, you need take a serious look at the cards on this list. As a smart consumer with excellent credit, you should always be receiving the highest return on not just your savings, but on your spending as well.

Note: Some links contain affiliate codes.

The short month of February is here, but don't worry — 2012 is a leap year, which means savvy consumers will have one extra day to cram in more deal-shopping! Check out our list of the best and worst things to buy in February, which we've compiled after analyzing the extensive dealnews archives full of sales, coupons, and individual products from years past. If you're curious about Presidents' Day sales, gifts for Valentine's Day, or prices on electronics, outerwear, and more, then read on. (See also: Shopping Calendar: The Best Time to Buy Anything)

Valentine's Day Deals Are Predictably Not Great

Since this is the time of year in which jewelry, flowers, and perfume are in their highest in demand, it's not surprising that shoppers probably won't get the best price possible on these items; perfumes, for example, generally see better discounts in late February after Valentine's Day and March. That's because there's less incentive for retailers to offer truly great deals on these items when they're selling so well due to circumstance. Try buying your sweetheart a less routine Valentine's Day gift in a category that's more likely to see a fair discount.

Prepare for Presidents' Day Sales

The best part about a holiday weekend isn't necessarily the day off, but rather the inevitable sales. You can expect quite a few Presidents' Day sales during the 3-day weekend that will take as much as 80% off on a plethora of apparel, as well as tools, bedding, and furniture. Some retailers tend to offer deeper discounts on existing sales, while others will lean towards modest coupons (likely an extra 20% to 30% off) that are applicable sitewide. Look to clothing and department stores for a big Presidents' Day sale push.

Tablet Time

Rumors continue to swirl about the release date of the iPad 3, and many folks believe that it will be announced at the end of February. If that is indeed the case, then we'll likely see immediate markdowns on refurbished iPad 2 units sold by Apple, as well as substantial cuts on new devices from resellers.

Expect Electronics Clearance Sales

We mentioned in our January guide that, as new electronics unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) begin to hit shelves, retailers make room for them by offering discounts on old stock. This effort continues in February, and includes markdowns on electronics like GPS units and audio equipment — the latter of which we've already started to see excellent deals on.

Wait on Digital Cameras

Common logic dictates that we'd similarly see the best deals of the year on digital cameras during the month of February, as retailers clear camera inventory post-CES. However, our deal archives paint a different picture. Although we've seen some excellent bargains during the month of February, these discounts and promotions have paled in comparison to November and December in terms of Editors' Choice-caliber offers. In the past two years, both of these later months have each seen roughly four times as many top deals than February.

An Excellent Time for Outerwear

We mentioned in our January buying guide that winter apparel was beginning to see its greatest discounts of the season, and these sales will continue through February, though typically the selection is less robust. But that might not be the case if you're looking specifically for a winter coat, as the mild season has reportedly left retailers with massive amounts of unsold inventory, therefore making this perhaps one of the best years to get a deal on a late-in-the-season coat. If you've been putting off replacing your tried-and-true wool or down coat, February and March will be excellent months to snag a deal.

An Increase in the Number of Ski Resort Deals

Since snow has been hard to come by this winter, the number of travelers booking trips to ski resort towns has been unusually low. Although numerous locations recently received a fresh dusting of powder, the ski season has been damaged due to mild weather. We've already seen an influx of special skiing discounts on vacations and hotels in ski towns like Keystone, CO, Salt Lake City and Park City, UT, and more, as they try to salvage a weak tourist season.

Wait Until March to Catch Up on Movies

Throughout the year we tend to see daily deal sites discount bulk movie tickets, and cinema chains often offer promotions for ticket sales as well. But strangely enough, these types of movie deals have largely been a miss in February for the past two years; in February 2011, we didn't see a single deal for discounted movie vouchers, and in 2010, we only saw an offer from AMC to watch a marathon of the Oscar-nominated Best Picture nominees. The scarcity in February is maybe a fluke (for two years in a row?), or perhaps theaters actually believe the upcoming Academy Awards is enough of an impetus for consumers to get into their seats. Either way, there's a chance that avid movie goers may have to pay full-price this month.

Go Big on HDTVs

Unfortunately, the head-turning deals we saw on 42" LCD HDTVs in November and December came to a quicker-than-expected end in January as prices on name-brand and third-tier 42" sets jumped back to their pre-September averages. Likewise, 55" 3D LCDs slowly made the transition from $999 back to $1,337. But that doesn't mean TVs should be off your radar just yet.

Big-screen TVs — those in the 55" and 60" category — are still coming in at aggressive price points. Deals on 55" name-brand LCDs, for instance, hit $800 in December and $700 in January (the lowest price we've seen for a 55" name-brand LCD TV since this summer, when we saw a Toshiba drop to an astonishing $559 for less than an hour). That means we could see better or equal deals on these sets trickle into February, especially as new CES models begin to enter the market. Name-brand 60" sets hit an all-time low of $800 in November, and while we haven't seen that price point since, we have seen LED-backlit sets (also name-brand) in recent weeks that hover around the all-time low price of $970, giving us hope of seeing similar deals in February.

Laptops

Fully-equipped desktop replacements (those with 17" screens, Core i7 CPUs, and 8GB of RAM) are still enjoying all-time lows. During the past three months, we've seen deals on these 17" premium systems hit $800 — a price we've never seen before. Dual-core 15" laptops, however, have gone up in price, slowly reaching their pre-holiday average of roughly $330.

Shoppers should also keep an eye on ultrabooks, one of the hottest trends at CES this year. As these super-thin laptops begin to hit the market in greater numbers, they could potentially lower the price on other 12" and 13" laptops.

Ready to put this information to use? Set up an email alert to know immediately when Dealnews lists the items of your choice.

This is a guest post by Dealnews.

Welcome to Wise Bread's Best Money Tips Roundup! Today we found some awesome articles on how to throw a fun and frugal Super Bowl Party, encouraging nutrition in your family, and naming a guardian for your kids.

Top 5 Articles

How to Throw a Fun & Frugal Super Bowl Party — Make your Super Bowl party a success by hitting up the Dollar Store. [Quizzle Wire]

12 Things You Can Do to Encourage Better Nutrition in Your Family — To encourage better nutrition in your family, keep healthy snacks within reach. [Parenting Squad]

Naming a Guardian for Your Kids — When naming a guardian for your kids, realize that no one will be perfect and you have to make the best choice available. [Free Money Finance]

How-To: Determine If You Can Live On One Income — Determine if you can live on one income by re-calculating your housing costs. [SavvySugar]

The 16 Best Part-Time Jobs With Benefits - Updated for 2012 — If you are looking for a great part-time job with benefits, check out Kaplan or JCPenney. [PT Money]

Other Essential Reading

5 New Tax Lessons for 2012 — This tax season, give yourself plenty of time to file your taxes. [Fiscal Fizzle]

6 Things You Might Not Know About Your Home Equity Line of Credit — Did you know that taking out a home equity line of credit can hurt your chances of getting a loan or mortgage with another institution? [Financial Highway]

How to Ensure Positive Changes Turn into Lifelong Habits — To make sure your positive changes turn into lifelong habits, be able to forgive yourself. [Ready For Zero]

5 Pitfalls to Avoid to Achieve Your Life Goals — Achieve your life goals by avoiding the pitfall of settling for less than you want. [Life Optimizer]

3 Healthy Ways to Satisfy Your Cravings — If you are craving something sweet, opt for dark chocolate. [Pick The Brain]

News & Events

Money Crashers Tweetchat (#MCchat) — Don't miss Money Crashers weekly tweetchat at 1pm PST! They will be giving away prizes!

Be sure to check out our News & Events Calendar to see all the awesome upcoming events in the personal finance world!

When it comes to credit scores, we're all very familiar with the damage a late payment can do to your credit "worthiness." We also know that having too much debt is bad as is having no credit references at all.

But surely that can't be all that affects your credit score, right?

The truth is, there are several things that can tank your credit, some of which just might surprise you. (See also: 6 Credit Card Services You Don't (Usually) Need)

Sneaky Inquiries

When you apply for a new credit card, you expect an inquiry to show up on your report. This is known as a "hard" inquiry, and too many of these within a 12 month period will lower your score.

But filling out that Visa application isn't the only way to generate a hard inquiry. If you use a debit card when you rent a car for example, many rental agencies will check your credit before approving the transaction, and since few of us read all the fine print, you may not realize it's happened until it's too late.

Likewise, opening a new checking account will also typically generate a hard inquiry (even though you're not applying for credit) as will applying for new phone service and — surprise! — requesting an increase on an existing account. Unfortunately, many consumers assume that credit card companies simply look at their own payment history to determine approval for increases, but the fact is that your existing creditors are monitoring your credit score on a regular basis.

Now, only the hard inquiries generated by a request for an increase will ding your score — those periodic "checkups" are considered soft inquiries and don't cause a penalty. But that doesn't mean that they can't still hurt your credit, bringing us to the next item on this list...

Changing Your Ratio

When a creditor approves an application for credit, they will continue to monitor your score to ensure that your credit worthiness doesn't change. And again, these soft inquiries don't count against you. But should the creditor decide that you no longer meet their requirements, they can lower your credit limit or worse, close your account. By the time you realize it, the damage has already been done.

Your credit score depends greatly on the ratio between how much credit you've used and how much you have available. So, if you have an account with a $2,000 balance for example, and you've charged $400, then you've used 20% of your available credit, and anything up to 30% is considered to be responsible credit management.

But let's say that the credit card company decides that you no longer meet their standards and as a result, they lower your limit to $250 (yes, they can do that — I speak from experience). Now, instead of having a credit ratio of 20%, you're suddenly maxed out as far as your credit report is concerned, and your score will drop considerably as a result.

If they decide to close the account instead (yes, they can do that too), you not only suffer the ding for a high credit utilization ratio, but you also lose the benefit of that available credit once you've paid the balance off. Remember, your utilization ratio is based upon your total credit available, so when an account is closed, it reduces the amount of credit you have access to. And the less available credit you have, the higher your utilization ratio will be.

This is also the reason that financial experts discourage balance transfers. Debt-conscious consumers will often transfer their credit card balances to a new card with a lower rate, thinking that they're making a smart move, but this can actually have an adverse effect on your credit.

Not only do you suffer the ding for a hard inquiry to secure that new, lower-rate account, but you'll also skew your utilization ratio if — like many consumers do — you close those higher-rate accounts after the balance transfer is complete.

Let's say for example, that you have two cards, each with a $1,500 limit and a $200 balance. That gives you a utilization ratio of about 13% ($400 used / $3,000 total available). Then let's say that you get a new, lower-rate credit card with an additional $1,000 limit, and you shift your $400 outstanding balance to that new card. You now have a credit utilization ratio of just 10% ($400 used / $4,000 total available), but the minute you close those two older accounts with the higher interest rates, your ratio goes down the tubes.

Instead of having $4,000 in available credit, you now only have $1,000. Your ratio goes from an impressive 10% to a whopping 40%, and that's bad, bad, bad.

Applying for the Wrong Type of Credit

Many consumers think that any kind of credit is good, and for those trying to rebuild their credit scores, getting approval on in-house financing plans might seem like a step in the right direction.

Unfortunately, that's not the case.

These "local" finance plans — like those you see advertised by furniture stores and car dealerships — are considered to be "second class" credit...that is, credit for those who can't get it anywhere else, and this makes you look like a high risk to potential creditors.

In addition, because these in-house programs don't issue you a revolving limit, your available credit is typically the amount of your purchase. So, when you finance $1,000, it appears as a maxed-out account on your credit report and affects that all-important utilization ratio we were talking about before.

Skipping Out

When it comes to late payments, it's not just your credit cards that you have to worry about. Those old library fines, parking tickets, and unpaid balances on your book club can also hurt you if the company decides to use a collection agency to resolve the account.

And once the collection hits your credit report, you and your score are stuck with it for seven years.

Swearing Off Credit

After having a few bouts of credit card debt in my early twenties, I swore I would only pay cash for my stuff and never use a credit card again. But knowing the importance of having credit, I kept a few accounts open and just locked the cards away. I thought I was being smart... I thought wrong.

When you don't use your credit — as in, ever — there's no payment history for potential creditors to evaluate and after an extended period of time, your creditors may close your account because of inactivity, both of which can make it harder for you to secure credit when you need it.

In addition, if you do ever decide to use one of those cards, you may find that your purchase is declined because it's outside of your "usual" spending habits. Of course, this can be resolved, but not without some embarrassment as you step out of the checkout line to call your credit card company.

The Moral of This Story?

Managing and protecting your credit score is most certainly a pain, but it's a necessary one. Use your credit, but use it wisely, and always ask about credit checks before securing new services...even (and especially) when those services seemingly would have nothing to do with your credit.

But most importantly, monitor your score. The only way to know what's being reported is to check it yourself and then dispute any information that's incorrect.

Although potentially life-changing, there are two things that most people hate doing — dieting and budgeting. Whether it’s weight loss or a better financial situation that you seek, neither task is easy, they’re often frustrating or boring, and it tends to take quite some time before you see significant results. With budgeting, it’s more about crunching numbers than crunching abs, but if you hate math or just planning in general, there are several ways to make this important task more exciting. (See also: How to Spend Less Without Starting a Budget)

Find the Motivation

Your first step to better budgeting is finding a motivating factor that will keep you surging onward even in the face of boredom. I used to dread budgeting too, but after printing up pictures of things I would like to have or do (travel, new laptop, etc.), I noticed a substantial boost in my enthusiasm level. Having these pictures (or just visualizations, if you prefer) with me constantly — on the refrigerator, in the car, on the bathroom mirror — was helpful in keeping my mind focused on the goal at hand. We don’t live in a fantasy world, though, so in order to achieve our goals, we need to put in a little (or a lot of) effort along the way. Visualizing or seeing your goals in pictorial format serves as a constant reminder why you’re planning out your financial future in the first place. If you need an extra "kick," then perhaps keep a diary or start your own blog to keep track of your process (again, keeping you continuously focused on the end goal).

Seek Inspiration From Others

The Budgeting Babe has an excellent list of budgeting blogs on her website. Check out some of the blogs listed to help you kick-start your own foray into the realm of numbers and dollar signs. And consider starting your own blog or diary (or discussing your budgeting goals with a trusted friend or spouse) to keep yourself accountable for your financial situation, and thus, more likely to succeed. 

Make It Fun

Now that you’re motivated and being held accountable, let’s get down to the actual process. All work and no play makes one a dull budgeter. Challenging yourself to spend under $___ amount in a given category each month can get your mind off the mind-numbing calculations and more engaged with the goal of saving money. If you “win,” then at the end of the month, go out and splurge a little as your reward. Just as the dieting process is nearly impossible for most people without a break (comfort food!), budgeting will grow old very quickly if you don’t reward yourself for milestones along the way. 

Furthermore, there are some websites and smartphone apps that can help you compose your budget in the form of colorful pie charts, which are more fun to work with and look at than just a plain spreadsheet. Two of the best websites for this process are Mint and PearBudget.

Take It Slowly

Again with the dieting references, “crashing” your way through this mildly unpleasant task is not going to work. In order to maintain a suitable level of drive and succeed in creating a functional budget, you ought to take things in little steps. Phase unnecessary expenses out slowly and factor in a savings category as your excess income builds up over the course of time. Also, fewer categories will help — not only does this mean there is less to keep track of overall, but it decreases the amount of time you’ll need to spend pouring over spreadsheets and bill categorization. Speaking of bills, having as many online payments as you are comfortable with can speed up the initial formation of your budget, producing a low-maintenance, almost-automated system to help guide you through your finances in the future.

Budgeting isn’t difficult unless you make it so. Take a personal finance class or read blogs if you need added help (coming to Wise Bread is a fantastic start!). With proper planning (with fun elements thrown in), you will have a budget up and running in no time.

Tell us about your budgeting tips in the comments below.

Welcome to Wise Bread's Best Money Tips Roundup! Today we found some great articles on cheap ways to feed a family of 4, moving up the corporate ladder, and reasons to use your credit card.

Top 5 Articles

Cheap Ways to Feed a Family of 4 — Feed your family on the cheap by preplanning your menu. [American Consumer News]

Move Up That Corporate Ladder — Move up the corporate ladder by offering assistance to everyone. [Bucksome Boomer]

8 Reasons To Use Your Credit Card — Use your credit card to take advantage of cash back programs. [The Wisdom Journal]

Write Off Your Charitable Donations. You Earned It. — Don't forget to write off your charitable donations on your taxes this year. Be sure not to lie about the value of what you donated though, it's against the law to do so. [Thousandaire]

7 Best Part-Time Jobs Anyone Can Start — Looking for a part time job? Consider blogging! [Christian PF]

Other Essential Reading

Quick, Easy Access to Medical Advice — Get quick access to medical advice by checking out the Mayo Clinic's symptom checker. [Parenting Squad]

7 Things You Should Do This February — This February, set a date to see your tax person. [SavvySugar]

5 Health Practices to Include in Your Routine — Be sure to include drinking more water in your routine. [Personal Dividends]

Saving For Your Kids College Costs — Keeping your kids close in age can help when it comes to saving on college expenses. [Cash The Checks]

30 Ways Your Company Is Wasting Time — Your company may be wasting time by having unclear company goals. [Time Management Ninja]

News & Events

Wise Bread Tweetchat (#WBChat) — Don't miss our weekly #WBChat at 12pm PST! We will be giving away prizes!

Be sure to check out our News & Events Calendar to see all the awesome upcoming events in the personal finance world!

As a career-services provider, I have developed resumés for high school seniors to accompany their college applications. Much of this work involved organizing innumerable details of a laundry list of activities, highlighting academic and extra-curricular achievements, and demonstrating leadership skills.

Now, as the mom of a high school senior, I have a different take on the high-school resumé. While learning about the college-application process, I discovered that this document was not supposed to remake my nearly adult child into the most stellar applicant ever (though, certainly, there are students who reasonably have such a goal) but to show who he is. More precisely, its purpose is to shed light on how he spent his time, what novel and difficult situations he encountered, and what he valued (evidenced by how he allocated his hours in high school), whether in sync with his parent's desires or not.

So, I'll share with you the specifics of what I learned, hoping to relieve some stress and improve your productivity during your senior year. (See also: Great Ways to Improve Your Resume Today)

Why a High-School Senior Needs a Resumé

The best reason to put together this type of resumé is to capture what’s relevant about your high school career in order to help you develop your applications to colleges, universities, or technical schools. Specifically, you will use this information for the following reasons:

• Provide insight to teachers, counselors, supervisors, etc. for letters of recommendation
• Discuss your background with guidance counselors and college advisors
• Identify topics on which to elaborate in personal statements and essays
• Recall information to complete various sections of college applications and scholarship applications

And, unlike most types of resumés, the main purpose of this document isn’t to win a job interview or land a job. However, those who may be pursuing work-study arrangements, a part-time job, or an internship can make adjustments to emphasize work experience, entrepreneurial ventures, and freelance activities.

What to Put on the Resumé

The guidance counselors at your school probably have a form for you to complete or an example to follow. Use that as a guide to make sure you include pertinent information. Depending on your school’s requirements, complete the forms as requested, but feel free to create your own version of your high-school history (or take a look at this example resume I made). Typically, the major categories are:

• Name and Contact Information
• College and Career Choices (optional)
• Academic Record with info on Class Rank, GPA, SAT scores, AP classes, etc.
• School Activities
• Community Activities
• Work Experiences
• Honors and Awards
• Other Items of Interest (such as personal interests that are not covered in the above categories or a short personal statement indicating obstacles you have overcome, like a learning disability, personal or family setback, or unexpected change in circumstances)

When you are putting everything together, most of the information will emerge naturally. You’ll remember which years you played soccer or volunteered at the humane society, the fall seasons that you ran cross country or played in the marching band, and the dates that you were in the school play or were inducted into the honor society.

But other information may be tougher to bring forth, so take your time to recall as much as possible, whether you immediately consider an activity relevant or not. Ask your parents, friends, and grown-up advisors (like teachers, coaches, youth group leaders, etc.) about things you may be missing.

How to Categorize, Explain, and List the Activities

Some items, like your name and AP courses taken, will be easy to categorize and need no further elaboration. A few are straightforward, like your participation on the soccer or swim team. But many are more complicated, as certain activities could fall under more than one category plus need elaboration for readers to understand.

Place activities in the category that makes the most sense to you. For example, my son tutored elementary school kids during the off-season and worked on a Habitat for Humanity project as a part of an outreach program organized by the head football coach. Likewise, he completed service hours as part of membership requirements for the academic honor society. Rather than placing these items under “football” or “honors,” he classified these activities as community service.

Explain and elaborate on certain activities. Most people have heard of Habitat for Humanity, so listing the item is sufficient. But the two weeks that my son spent repairing homes and getting to know impoverished homeowners in rural areas with a lesser-known group can use some explanation. And special designations or leadership roles, even minor ones, need elaboration; that is, tell us if you were a photographer for the yearbook or the sports editor for the school newspaper.

Figure out and give time frames for each activity. Specify frequency and over what period of time. Be consistent with each activity, using the same types of references for all items (for example, list junior year or Grade 11, summer after junior year or Summer 20XX rather than a mixture of these formats). Many applications will request hours devoted to each activity, which can be useful but is not necessary for this type of resumé.

Add or adjust categories that best reflect your activities and accomplishments, even if this means deviating from a standard format. For example, consider a heading for awards to list accolades associated with music, science, and scouting apart from academic honors; a separate section for these makes sense even if most people you know don’t have such a heading. Create an experience category if you have held a traditional job, run a side business, or earned money by providing manual labor for neighbors. If you'd like, add a personal statement so that you can have that information handy when you fill out applications.

Senior year should be fun. This mom's advice is to go ahead and put together the resumé as early as you can so that you can move quickly but thoroughly through college applications.

What have you learned about writing a high-school resume? What worked best for you?

Join our Tweetchat this Thursday at 12:00 pm Pacific for lively conversation and a chance to win prizes! Use #WBChat to participate.

This week's topic: Saving money on sports. Learn about saving money on tickets to sporting events, paying for premium sports channels, and getting good deals on sporting equipment. Share your tips on saving money when having friends over to watch the game, betting on games, and share with us what your favorite sport/team to watch is!

For an easy way to keep track of the conversation, try using our special Tweetchat Chatroom.

Anyone can participate, but you must be following @WiseBread and RSVP below to win our prize!

To make it easier for us to keep track of attendees and pick our winners, please RSVP below with your twitter ID (put that in the "Link Title" field), email address, and your twitter URL (put that in the "URL" field, do not put your blog's url in there). Winners will be selected at random from RSVPs. If a winner is chosen who RSVPed but did not attend a 2nd winner will be chosen.

New Parenting Chat Immediately Before #WBChat

Our sister blog Parenting Squad (@ParentingSquad) will be hosting a parenting chat every Thursday at 11:00 am Pacific. Drop by for fun parenting conversations and a chance to win prizes! Use #PSChat to participate.

The good folks at the IRS might be as human as the rest of us.

Need evidence?

Check out this IRS agent's response to a couple of very tired parents from San Francisco:

We have reviewed your correspondence regarding the penalties that were charged based on your explanation that the 'adult brain turns to jello those first few months raising a baby', we have decided to remove all penalty charges. A total of $2,522.00 in penalty charges has been removed.

 (story continues below the image)

This letter was originally posted on Erica Firment's Facebook wall on January 31, 2012. Erica has since provided additional background on Facebook:

What proceeded their response was my a very formal letter explaining the mistake and asking to forgive the penalties. However formal the rest of the letter was, I added an asterisk and this bit at the bottom:

"* I am not above groveling and mentioning our only child was six months old when we made our extension mistake. If you have children, you understand the adult brain turns to jello those first few months raising a baby." (Source: ThatGuyChuck via Reddit)

Erica, the founder of the popular librarian blog Librarian Avengers, was very pleased with the outcome. 

"The IRS really surprised us with great customer service," said Erica on Twitter. "A human even picked up the phone immediately!"

"Our IRS letter just hit the top of Reddit. I think people are hungry for a human voice from government institutions."

Many people on Reddit are chiming in with their own positive experiences with the IRS. One Redditor claiming to be a taxpayer advocate from the IRS pointed out that it never hurts to challenge a tax penalty:

I actually work for the Taxpayer Advocate's Office, (which is part of the IRS) and I have to say that this is pretty awesome!! We get cases for all kinds of hardship reasons, and we fight for all taxpayer's, not just the ones who ask for our assistance. It makes me glad to see other employee's are doing what they can as well! I will share this info with the other Advocate's in my office, as I know they will get a kick out of this too.

Also a tidbit for penalties-you can always ask for them to be removed. The worst they will say is no. The first time you get penalties, you can get them removed just because you have a good history and you asked. And if you ever need Taxpayer Advocate's assistance, call 877-ASKTAS1, or look at our website for your Local Taxpayer Advocate Office and maybe see some of the services we provide or check out our annual report to congress. (Emphasis added. Source: Mostlywrong via Reddit.)

Personally I've had pretty good experiences dealing with the IRS. When we first started Wise Bread, I had a lot of tax questions regarding the tax implications of setting up various legal entities. I called the toll-free hotlines at IRS and their representatives were extremely knowledgeable and courteous. 

If you have general questions, here's a list of IRS numbers you can call (following info provided by IRS website):

Telephone Assistance
When calling, you may ask questions to help you prepare your tax return, or ask about a notice you have received. Please be aware that when you conclude your discussion, our system will not permit you to return to your original responder.

Telephone Assistance for Individuals:
Toll-Free, 1-800-829-1040 
Hours of Operation: Monday – Friday, 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. your local time (Alaska & Hawaii follow Pacific Time).

Telephone Assistance for Businesses:
Toll-Free, 1-800-829-4933
Hours of Operation: Monday – Friday, 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. your local time (Alaska & Hawaii follow Pacific Time).

Telephone Assistance for Exempt Organizations, Retirement Plan Administrators, and Government Entities:
Toll-Free, 1-877-829-5500
Hours of Operation: Monday – Friday,  8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Local Time. 

Telephone Assistance for people with hearing impairments:
Toll-Free 1-800-829-4059 (TDD)
Hours of Operation: Monday – Friday, 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. your local time (Alaska & Hawaii follow Pacific Time).
For further information, see Tax Topic 102.

Telephone Assistance for Individuals who believe they may be a victim of Identity Theft: No Tax Administration Impact - Did not receive a notice from the IRS. Toll-Free 1-800-908-4490 (Automated and live assistance)
Hours of Operation: Monday – Friday, 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. your local time (Alaska & Hawaii follow Pacific Time). For additional information, refer to our Identity Theft and Your Tax Records page.

Telephone Assistance for people who live outside the United States
Hours of availability vary by location. Please see our International Services page.

Face-to-Face Assistance
In certain areas, IRS also has local offices you may visit to receive assistance

What kind of experiences have you had with the IRS? Please share them in the comments!

Thank you to Redditor Missstar for helping with this story.

When it’s cold outside, all you want to do is stay inside.

I do, at least. I hate the cold weather. I live in New York City, but I long for Los Angeles. I say bring on global warming. Al Gore and Mr. DiCaprio will just have to deal with that statement.

In the winter, there are few things to do inside besides cook, clean, and watch movies. The problem is, the comfort food makes me fat, the constant cleaning makes me tired, and I’ve seen just about every movie playing On Demand that I want to see (plus, it’s not cheap).

Game night, however, is another way to pass the time (and have fun) while others are shivering their butts off on the slopes or whatever else people do outside when it’s below freezing.

Hosting a good game night isn’t an art form, but there are certain criteria you need to follow to ensure a great one. Here are my tips on making the night one to remember. (See also: 5 Fun Family Friendly Games)

Invite Your Guests According to Games

Personally, I pick the games that we’re going to play according to the guests I’ve invited. Some of my friends are wordsmiths, so Scrabble may be in order, while others like video games. Even still, you may be inviting over guests whose preference in games you don't know. In that case, if you're unsure of the players' skill levels at certain games, choose games that are based primarily on luck, like Yahtzee, or at least have a wide selection on hand so the group can make the decision on what to play together. The point is, you want to choose games that everyone will have fun with — and have an equal chance of winning. Also, some games are good for small parties, like Scattergories or Taboo, while other games, such as Apples to Apples, are much more fun with a big group. I once played the latter in a group of 12 one Thanksgiving night, and I don’t think I’ve had so much fun or laughed so hard since then.

Send an E-Invitation

I’m a big fan of Evite. I like that it gives your gathering — large or small — a semi-formal feel even if it’s super low-key; it just seems more organized than an e-mail exchange. Your guests will know the time, place, and theme instantly, and they can visit the link at any time to find out the information, which means that you won’t have to field e-mails or phone calls asking for updates.

Prepare the Food

Don’t spend too much time in the kitchen on game night unless it’s dinner and game night. There are two reasons for this: 1) If you spend all day cooking for your guests, you’ll be tired by the time they arrive, and 2) it’s game night — guests expect junk food. Pick up some frozen appetizers, a few bags of chips, and soda, or order pizza or Chinese from your favorite restaurant. If you want your guests to pitch in on the food costs, let them know ahead of time in the invitation. I generally pick up the tab for the food, but I did ask my guests to pitch in $5 each for pizza and drinks for an Oscar party once. They weren’t offended at all, and I saved some cash.

Provide the Booze

Game night is never fun if it’s alcohol-free — at least for me. The fun and laughter (and ridiculous answers) increase when everybody’s had a few. Provide the booze yourself or ask your friends to BYOB; that's totally an acceptable request. Most of your friends will probably arrive with a bottle of wine anyway (a small gift is protocol when inviting someone to your home for an evening that would otherwise cost them more money than a bottle of wine), but suggest in the invitation that if they want something special, they should bring it. I always have liquor, mixers, and wine on hand, and I’ll pick up beer for a game night. Be sure to tell your guests what will be available, so they’re not left dry because they don't like what you provided.

Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself

There’s competitive, and then there’s over-competitive. I’m competitive — I enjoy winning — but if I lose, I don’t throw a tantrum. Nobody likes that guy who gets pissed because he lost. A night can go down hill very quickly if anyone in the party is aggressive about winning and not a team player. Game night should be an occasion to relax and have fun. Keep that in mind, and don’t be afraid to calm down a guest who may be on the edge. You’re in charge, so there’s no harm in reminding everyone that this isn’t a game show and there’s no pot of gold at the end. Likewise, just because you’re the host of the party doesn’t give you authority to make up rules in your favor. Play fair and honest and have an excellent time — especially if you ever want your guests to come back again.

Have other game-night tips to share? Let us know is the comments below.