We hear it all the time in school: I wish this place was teaching us practical things like how to write a check or complete a resume! Well, we've got you covered with this practical, responsible guide. Money matters, and in the world we live in it is increasingly important for young people to be smart spenders. We need to develop healthy economic habits early on to build success later in life.

This guide is not intended to tell you exactly how to spend your money or work, nor is it a perfect guide about how to get a job. It's a place to start conversations about some of the important topics young people have expressed interest in. Remember that you can drop your suggestions on the home page of Mirrors in the "Take a Stand" section.

1 . Budget. Outline some of your major monthly or weekly expenses and figure out what your essentials are. Remember that you should always leave a cushion and overestimate. On essentials: think about what you need to make it through. Food, water, shelter. These are essentials to think through before anything else, but leave soem room for fun stuff/rewards.

2 . Start saving now. For what? Who knows! Life happens and being prepared is important. Saving money is important because it helps us be ready for the unexpected. Start an automatic savings withdrawal form your checking account. $20 a week adds up fast, and you'll likely not notice it missing even though its building your reserves.

3 . Think about long term goals. Do you want to buy a car? Attend college? Once you have these goals in sight, think about how much you need to save monthly to make it happen. Make sure you avoid touching this money so your long term goals are reachable.

Writing checks is less and less common, but knowing how to fill one out is still important. Most checks include common pieces of information you'll need to fill out. First, "Pay to the Order of" is who you are writing the check to. Make sure you write the number amount in the box AND write the amound out in word form. Sign your name, date the check, and add a "memo." This is basically a note to yourself that reminds you and the recipient what the check is actually for. Keep tabs of the check amounts and numbers for your records.

Students want to know how to pay taxes, and the truth of the matter is this: you won't really know until you get your first job. When you're hired, you'll fill out a tax form. Talk with your family about what you need to select, as oftentimes these decisions impact your parents' finances. When you get a paycheck, you'll notice deductions for things like Social Security, Federal, and State taxes. This is normal - at the end of the tax year you'll receive a W2 that has a summary of all your wages earned and taxes paid.

Once you receive this document, you'll "file" your taxes with the government. This is basically a report of your information and is when the IRS calculates if you've paid too much, too little, or just enough. This is the "paying taxes" thing young people dread, and your experience may differ since various jobs have unique requirements.

For some people, getting a job itself is the hard part. A huge part of making that an easier process is to have a solid resume. This is a document that summarizes your education and work experience.

1 . Keep a resume on your computer or drive. Update it as you progress in your education or professional life.

2 . Keep it simple. Resumes are not supposed to be flashy. Choose a consistent font, provide basic information about yourself, and let an employer see what you might bring to the table by highlighting your work.

3 . The details matter. Resumes should typically be around one page long (realistically never more than two). Be short and specific. Where did you go to school? When did you work for a particular company? What types of tasks did you perform?

4 . Ask people before using them as a reference. This helps people feel prepared when it comes to answering questions about your performance.