The guy is your boss, so when he asks you to do something that isn't in your job description, you'll probably do it -- even if you do it grudgingly. But sometimes those personal requests are bizarre, like a male boss who asked his female employee to be a surrogate mother for his child. And he asked this of her more than once. In two different polls conducted three months apart, CareerBuilder and Harris Interactive surveyed U.S. employees nationwide, who work across various industries and in companies large and small, to find out the strangest non-work request they have ever received from their boss. The answers are astounding, including spying on senior management, loaning money and even removing stitches. Here are real-life examples of the most unusual requests employees have received from their bosses, according to the polls:

• Boss asked employee to be prepared to delete all emails and computer files at a moment's notice.
• Boss asked employee to be a surrogate mother for her--more than once.
• Boss asked employee to spy on senior management.
• Boss asked employee to buy a rifle for him, although he did say he would reimburse the employee for the purchase.
• Boss asked employee if she knew of anyone who could "hook him up" with illegal substances.
• Boss asked employee to post false good comments online about him.
• Boss asked employee to come up with a science fair project for her daughter.
• Boss asked employee to fire his (the boss's) brother.
• Boss asked employee to lend him $400 for a down payment on a car.
• Boss asked employee to remove her stitches.
• Boss asked employee to be better friends with him.
• Boss asked employee to scour an abandoned office building for furniture and supplies they could use.
• Boss asked employee to bail another coworker out of jail.
• Boss asked employee to clip her dog's nails.
• Boss asked employee to help plan her wedding.

THE BEST DAY TO SHOP

You may prefer to shop on Sundays because it fits your schedule or you choose Tuesday afternoons because the stores are less crowded. Maybe it's time to rethink your strategy and instead shop on the day that offers the best deals. What day is that? It depends on what you're buying. SmartMoney did the legwork and figured out the best days for the deepest discounts. That means that prices for the exact same item in the exact same store could be lower on Monday than they are on Friday. Here is SmartMoney's advice on what to buy on which days:

Sunday
Appliances: Prices for washers, dryers, ovens and refrigerators are about 1 percent to 2 percent cheaper on Sundays, which works out to about $10 saved on a mid-range model.
Groceries: While most grocery stores publish their weekly sales circular on Wednesdays, Sunday is the best day to shop. Clip coupons from Sunday's newspaper for more savings.
Personal Care Items: You'll find the best deals on toothpaste and deodorant at the drugstore chains on Sundays. You must go early to get the best deals.
Skirts and Dresses: Skirts sell, on average, for 77 percent off the retail price, while dresses are discounted, on average, 54 percent.

Monday
Cars: Cars are cheapest on Mondays as dealerships are more willing to negotiate. This holds true whether weekend sales were lackluster and they want to make up for that or whether weekend sales were robust and they want to continue it.*Sunday
Electronics: Computers, televisions, digital cameras and even video games are between 2 percent and 4 percent cheaper on Mondays.

Tuesday
Airfares: Since most domestic fares are posted on Monday evening, there is a scramble by the other airlines on Tuesday morning to match prices. The number of cheap seats peaks at about 3 p.m. on Tuesday.

Thursday
Clothing: Both brick-and-mortar stores and online retailers tend to begin their weekend sales on Thursday. You'll find the best deals and the most in-stock items. However, there are exceptions. See Monday.

Saturday
Books: Books are 11 percent cheaper on Saturdays; they are priced at their highest on Fridays.

MOST LUCRATIVE COLLEGE MAJORS

If you want that expensive college degree to pay off after graduation, major in engineering. Other majors that command top dollar are math, science, statistics and finance. While lucrative careers exist for history, English and foreign language majors, they're harder to find. That's the word from PayScale.com, which has compiled information on the salaries of more than 1 million graduates who received a bachelor's degree from hundreds of universities and colleges. Since the facts and figures are self-reported, this is not a randomized, scientific sample. Also, it does not include anyone who went on for further education after a bachelor's degree.

Top 10 college majors with the highest starting salaries:

1. Petroleum Engineering: $98,00

   . Chemical Engineering: $67,500

2. Nuclear Engineering: $66,800
3. Electrical Engineering: $63,400
4. Computer Engineering: $62,700
5. Aerospace Engineering: $62,500
6. Materials Science & Engineering and Mechanical Engineering (tie): $60,100
7. Industrial Engineering: $59,900
8. Software Engineering: $59,100

Top 10 college majors with the highest mid-career salaries:

1. Petroleum Engineering: $163,000
2. Aerospace Engineering: $118,000
3. Actuarial Mathematics: $112,000
4. Chemical Engineering: $111,000
5. Nuclear Engineering: $107,000
6. Electrical Engineering: $106,000
7. Computer Engineering: $105,000
8. Applied Mathematics: $102,000
9. Computer Science: $100,000
10. Statistics: $99,100

Top 10 college majors with the lowest mid-career salaries:

1. Child and Family Studies: $37,700
2. Social Work: $45,300
3. Elementary Education: $46,000
4. Human Development: $47,800
5. Special Education: $48,900
6. Culinary Arts: $49,700
7. Athletic Training: $49,800
8. Sports Medicine: $50,300
9. Theology: $50,700
10. Biblical Studies and Interdisciplinary Studies (tie): $51,000

CONVERSATION STARTERS

(Yourtango.com) A new study reveals what's really important to your guy. You've heard the old adage, "men are from Mars, women are from Venus," right? It can definitely feel that way sometimes. Especially when you consider the findings of a recent study detailing the aspects that contribute to the happiness of men and women. While women tend to find happiness in aspects of their lives such as love, family, a healthy sex life, good health and living in a nice area men tend to be a bit more -- shall we say, superficial, citing things like salary and physical appearance. Here are just a few things fueling your man's smile.

1. His Paycheck
Cha-Ching! According to the study which was commissioned by Benenden Health, men whose jobs paid better tended to be happier than those whose did not. This is likely because, according to the study, the cause of most stress for respondents was money worries.

2. His LinkedIn Profile
Eyes on the prize! According to the study, men with promising career prospects were much happier than those lacking direction. We're glad to hear that because really, what's sexier than a driven man with a promising future?

3. His Hot Bod
Ladies, you're not the only ones who are weight conscious! Benenden health's study found that men who had what they perceived to be an ideal body weight and shape were much happier than those who had yet to reach those physical goals. Keep that in mind next time you're complaining to your man about the way you look and maybe hit the gym together -- or, try a healthy date. The couple that sweats together, stays together!

4. The Mirror
Again ladies, you're not the only one stressing about your appearance. Men who were happier with their overall physical appearance were more optimistic about life than those who felt they could make a few changes. Make sure your man knows just how handsome you really think he is! It might just change his whole outlook.

5. What Everyone's Saying About Him
Mr. popular! Men who felt that others thought more highly of them cited feeling better about themselves as opposed to men who either were unsure of others perceptions of them or felt people perceived them in a bad light. It goes without saying that men and women alike tend to be more attracted to someone who's likeable, so whatever you're doing -- keep it up, guys!

6. His Wallet
In today's economy, money really talks; While the women in the study didn't seem so concerned with money, men tended to feel happiest when their finances were in order. Guys, keep that in mind -- before you go out and shower your lady in gifts, consider your financial situation. Live within your means; having a budget just might be sexier to your significant other than you think!

7. Keeping His 9 To 5
If your man is a recent graduate and he's employed, congratulations, he's one of the lucky few. In today's job market, odds are he had to fight long and hard to that job -- I'm talking countless interviews and lots of rejection. This is probably why the men studied by Benenden Health rated job security as an integral part of their daily happiness. With so many people struggling to find jobs and even more people struggling to keep jobs they've had for so long, it's no surprise that your man takes comfort in knowing he's safe in his position. Let him know you're proud of him and the hard work he does; we all like to be appreciated and applauded for our efforts.

THINGS YOU DON'T WANT TO HEAR AT AN IRS AUDIT

1. "May I have your keys and passport, please?"
2. "We should be all done here in, oh, around 40 years."
3. "First thing's first: visiting days are on Tuesday."
4. "Well, I just lost a $20 bet: you really did come in!"
5. "Thanks for coming in. We'll make sure you wife gets the reward money

INCOME TAX DUE

What do you do when your expected tax refund turns out to be a big fat tax bill? The problem gets even worse for those who have to come up with much more than the few hundred dollars left in their checking accounts, most of which is already set aside for groceries, rent, and the electric bill.

Keep calm
Resist the urge to stick your head in the sand and hope the IRS will just go away. They won't, and avoiding the problem will only make it worse. To minimize the damage, file your return and send as much money as possible. By sending your paperwork, you'll avoid steep penalties imposed for the failure to file a timely return.

Trading debt for debt
You can get the IRS off your back by coming up with the money using your credit card or some other form of consumer loan, like borrowing against your home equity. Of course, borrowing to pay your tax bill will only transfer your debt from one place to another, but it will keep the tax collectors at bay.

Negotiate at the source
If you'd rather deal with the IRS directly, you can. Virtually anyone who owes less than $25,000 in taxes, penalties, and interest can request an installment agreement.

Making a choice
The IRS maintains that it's less expensive to pay your taxes by credit card or by borrowing against your home, real estate, or other investments. In part, that's because the IRS keeps levying interest and penalties as long as you have some unpaid tax debt left outstanding. However, the interest rate charged by the IRS may be lower than the interest rate imposed by your credit card. You'll have to do some math, and some soul searching, to decide which option makes the most financial and emotional sense.

MOST BIZARRE JOB INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

When you interview for a new job, you expect to be asked how you succeeded in your old job and the challenges you faced. But would you ever expect to be asked how to make a tuna fish sandwich or figure out the number of cows in Canada? If you interviewed at Astron Consulting or Google respectively, you might have been asked those bizarre questions. Glassdoor.compored through tens of thousands of interview questions job candidates have shared over the past year and then assembled a list of the most bizarre queries asked by U.S. companies.

1. "If you were to get rid of one state in the U.S., which would it be and why?" --Asked at Forrester Research

2. "A penguin walks through that door right now wearing a sombrero. What does he say and why is he here?" --Asked at Clark Construction Group

3. "What song best describes your work ethic?" --Asked at Dell

4. "Jeff Bezos walks into your office and says you can have a million dollars to launch your best entrepreneurial idea. What is it?" --Asked at Amazon

5. "What do you think about when you are alone in your car?" --Asked at Gallup

6. "Can you say: 'Peter Pepper Picked a Pickled Pepper' and cross-sell a washing machine at the same time?" --Asked at MasterCard

7. "If we came to your house for dinner, what would you prepare for us?" --Asked at Trader Joe's

8. "My wife and I are going on vacation, where would you recommend?" --Asked at PricewaterhouseCoopers

9. "You are a head chef at a restaurant, and your team has been selected to be on 'Iron Chef.' How do you prepare your team for the competition, and how do you leverage the competition for your restaurant?" --Asked at Accenture

10. "What's your favorite song? Perform it for us now." --Asked at LivingSocial

11. "Have you ever stolen a pen from work?" --Asked at Jiffy Software

12. "Pick two celebrities to be your parents." --Asked at Urban Outfitters

So what is the most annoying office behavior? A Manta SMB Nation Survey asked entrepreneurs to reveal which habits of their employees just absolutely drive them crazy. People who look good are paid more. The top 5 ways we annoy our bosses:

1. Sloppy grooming (40 percent)
2. Talking too much on the phone with family members (29 percent)
3. Messy work areas (9 percent)
4. Returning from breaks reeking of cigarette smoke (8 percent)
5. In-office fundraising, such as selling Girl Scout cookies (1 percent)

STAYING CONNECTED LEADS TO...

How soon in a relationship a couple have sex is a very personal decision, but 80% of women and 58% of men say texting, Facebook and other social media tools that help people stay connected lead to earlier first-time sex. That's the word from the annual sex survey of 1,200 men and women conducted by Shape and Men's Fitnessmagazines. Despite the strong feeling that texting and Facebook rush things, only 38% of women admit they actually have had sex sooner than they otherwise would have because of the influence of digital intimacy. How are smart phones and laptops influencing bedroom behavior? According to the survey:

• Texting is the number one way lovers keep in touch with one another.
• Men text their lover 39% more frequently than phone, while women text 150% more often.
• Before the first date, 70% of women and 63% of men use Google and other online search tools for background screening.
• 65% said they have been asked out on a date via text.
• 49% said they have been asked out on a date through a Facebook message.
• Once a couple clicks, 72% of women say they have looked up their boyfriend's ex-girlfriends on Facebook.
• When a couple is having sex and a call or text message is received, 5% of respondents say they glance to see who it is and 1% stop to answer.
• Call it digital dumping. Fully 43% of women and 27% of men say they have received a break-up text message.
• 81% said they do not de-friend the ex on Facebook.
• 75% admit to constantly checking a former lover's Facebook page.